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Male vanity – say hello to Mr Metrosexual

April 2008

Does your boyfriend nick your nail file or your husband hoard the hairdryer?  You are not alone according to research from Budget Van Insurance, with more than 36% of British men taking just as long as their partner to get ready for work, or a night on the town! The findings dispel the myth that British men don’t care about their appearance…at least until they get married!

All’s fair in love and…in the bathroom
It seems a boom in grooming could be occurring in the nation’s bathrooms with almost 40% of single British men admitting that they use moisturiser and 30% also starting off their daily facial care routine with cleansing.

As soon as a ring is on their finger however, the attention to appearance drops drastically. Married men moisturise far less, with only 26% doing so and a paltry, perhaps pasty, 8% cleansing their faces. It seems that once they’ve bagged a bride married men lose interest in their lotions and potions!    

Age before beauty?
The adage that ‘youth is wasted on the young’ does not appear to be the case with young men today. Over 40% of 16 – 24 year old men in the UK moisturise, recognising the importance of supple skin from a young age and a third are also cleansing their faces every day. This is in stark contrast to just over 15% of over 55s who moisturise and a mere 9% who cleanse.

Something’s cooking in the kitchen
As well as looking after their looks, it seems the younger generation of 16 - 24 year olds can also teach their elders a thing or two about ‘fine cuisine’. With 85% of young men being a dab hand in the kitchen, it seems they can rustle up a dish or two more than the over 55s. However, fathers and grandfathers should feel no shame with 77% still being able to cook up a mean feast!

Lisa Corston, Marketing Manager, Budget Van Insurance says:
“It seems that lads are getting in a lather up and down the county!  We’re heartened by the news that the male population are grooming more often; it banishes the myth that they aren’t interested in looking good for themselves, or their partners. It’s also about time they learned the effort that goes into pampering and preening to perfection. I would advise men, young and old however, to be a little bit quicker in the bathroom; after all us ladies were there first!”

Other key findings

  • Nearly a third of men, 29%, cannot use a washing machine...perhaps they know a good dry cleaner! Again, age makes a difference with 80% of younger men knowing a rinse from a spin; whereas 40% of over 55s are still relying on their partners to put a load on. 
  • Men aged 25 – 34 win the sharpest and smartest dressed award, with 78% being a dab hand with an iron. This can’t be said for the over 55s however, as 41% admit they still can’t iron – perhaps they should check out that dry cleaner?

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For further information please contact:
Roland Cross/Joanne McGilway
Broadgate                                                                               020 7726 6111

Note to editors:
The research for Budget Van Insurance was carried out online by Tickbox.net between 16.11.2007 and 23.11.2007 amongst a nationally representative sample of 2068 / 1010 Women & 1058 Men UK adults aged 16+.

The BGL Group

The BGL Group, formerly known as Budget Group of Companies (the Group) was founded in 1992 and has grown to become one of the UK’s largest personal lines insurance intermediaries, through a combination of organic growth and a series of major strategic acquisitions (the last major acquisition was five years ago).

The Group now arranges and administers insurance for 1.9 million customers. It operates major contact centre operations (Fusion) in Peterborough, Coventry, Sunderland, Peterlee in the UK, and Cape Town, South Africa. The Group currently employs 2,255 people with its head office in Peterborough.

As an intermediary, the Group is able to access a wide range of underwriters, making it highly competitive in the marketplace, offering core products such as motor, home, commercial vehicle and motorcycle insurance.  The Group also offers a wide range of supplementary products, which include breakdown cover, legal protection, travel insurance, life assurance, pet insurance and mortgage payment protection insurance.

 In 2006 the Group received ‘Intermediary of the Year’ (Insurance Age UK Broker Awards) for its outstanding contribution to the insurance industry.  In April 2007, the Sunday Times’ PricewaterhouseCoopers Profit Track 100 rankings selected the Group as ‘one to watch’.

Budget Van insurance searches a panel of 12 insurers to offer competitively priced van insurance, in addition to exceptional product benefits. In 2006 Budget Van launched various innovative marketing campaigns including ‘it’s a van man thing’ and ‘flying traffic wardens’, which resulted in it being awarded ‘Marketing Campaign of The Year 2006’ (Insurance Times Awards). More recently Budget Van and News of the World have joined forces to produce the Dream Dates Calendar 2008.

BISL Ltd, part of the BGL Group s is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Registered Address: Pegasus House, Bakewell Road, Orton Southgate, PE2 6YS.
Registered in England no 3231094