Senior Men’s Concern About Appearance and Their Cosmetics Buying Behavior

Abstract

In our increasingly aged society, the term centenarian, meaning people 100 years old or older, is used more and more frequently. Indeed, anticipating long life, middle-aged to advanced-age people have changed their lifestyles to purchase goods for themselves. In addition, as the social trend of careful grooming for positive appearance spreads within the Korean society, the demand for senior male cosmetic products is likely to grow as the society ages further. However, previous large studies on the market for senior male cosmetics are limited. Since information is lacking about senior male consumers’ awareness of cosmetics, this study examined their use of cosmetic products, purchase behaviors, and demand for cosmetics in order to explore correlations among interest levels in appearance, cosmetic purchase behavior, and cosmetic demand levels through diverse factors related to multiple variables. The results of this study were as follows : First, the more senior men managed their practical appearance, the more frequent their functional and psychological purchase behaviors. Second, the higher their practical purchase behavior, the stronger their demand for reasonable cosmetic prices. Third, the higher their value-oriented purchase behavior, the stronger the demand for greater product diversity. This study investigated men aged 50 or older residing in Seoul. Therefore, generalizing the findings of this study will be limited. Relevant subsequent studies should examine men aged 50 or older in each Korean region and more clearly identify the correlations among interest in appearance, cosmetic product purchase behavior, and cosmetic product demand using various factors related to multiple variables.