UGLY STUBBLE FOR RAZOR COMPANIES

English: An example of adjustable safety razors, the 1961 Gillette Adjustable (commonly called the "Fatboy"). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The current fad for facial hair might be trimming razor sales, said Barney Jopson in the Financial Times. Procter & Gamble, which acquired razor-maker Gillette in 2005, said its fourth-quarter earnings took a hit because of the “Movember movement,” which aims to raise prostate-cancer awareness by encouraging men to grow mustaches in November. But a broader trend “is more troubling to razor-makers: a decline in facial shaving.” As “stubble and hipster beards” have caught on, consumers have bought fewer premium razor products featuring replaceable blade cartridges. Yet companies like Gillette say they can weather the trend, because “as male faces get hairier, other parts of the body are becoming less hirsute.” Razor companies are now promoting a range of products geared to “manscaping.”