Equipped with data from a recent Harris poll about men’s face washing habits, the device maker is set to add its name to the growing list of men’s grooming brands.
“Alpha Fit, Clarisonic's new sonic cleansing device for men, is designed to cleanse men's skin 6X better than using hands alone and effectively cleanse both shaven and bearded skin,” announced the company in a statement to the press this week.
The great unwashed
Over 2,000 adults responded to an online survey that Clarisonic commissioned Harris to run. The questions were set to determine how men care for their faces. More often than not, respondents were women describing the personal care routines of men they know. This alone suggests that Clarisonic will most likely market the Alpha Fit as a gift item that women might purchase for men.
56% of men wash their faces using their hands, according to the Harris Poll results. Of those, 33% use a body wash product or bar soap, while 9% use only water, and the remaining 14% choose a face cleanser.
From there, the findings get a bit dingier. 17% of the men responding acknowledged that they do not always wash their hands after using the bathroom. And only 76% always use soap to wash their hands. Clarisonic includes these findings to make a further point.
“Not only are they using those dirty hands to wash their face,” explains the press item, “if they're using a bar of soap to wash their face instead, which can actually dry out your skin, it can be assumed that they are also using the same bar of soap or cleanser to clean their feet, their derriere, and…some other body parts that shall remain nameless.”
The data is a bit off-putting, as is the campaign itself, grabbing the attention of would be customers with a pithy response to the question: Why cleanse your skin properly? “Because it's your F-ing face!" answers Clarisonic.
His and hers
"For over a decade, Clarisonic has been loved by women and men alike. But let's face it, men's skin is different and they deserve a Clarisonic device built just for them – providing a great cleanse, a better shaving experience and a way to clean the hard-to-reach skin underneath facial hair," says Robb Akridge, co-founder and global president of the device company, in the statement.
Retailing at $189, the Alpha Fit is priced for the US prestige market beauty segment. That number is comparable to the company’s pricing for women’s skin cleaning devices, which range from $99 - $265.
In a recent interview with Cosmetics Design, Women’s Marketing Inc. pointed out that these tool prices can often be prohibitive for consumers. “The optimal price point for skincare devices is $50, yet even entry-level devices hover closer to the $100 mark, Andrea Van Dam, CEO of the media planning and buying company told this publication.