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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
New Delhi
09 September 2007
India's beauty and grooming2 industry is targeting a new customer: urban men. Anjana Pasricha reports from VOA's New Delhi bureau, that with growing incomes in their pockets, Indian men want to do what their counterparts in many other countries are already doing: project the right looks and the right image.
petals1 in a first-ever promotional campaign for Lux beauty soap " hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070914/0942320.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />
Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan is seen lying in a bathtub filled with pink and red rose petals in a first-ever promotional campaign for Lux beauty soap
Just a few years ago, beauty salons3 and cosmetic4 sales counters were the exclusive preserve of women in Indian cities.
But times are changing. Men now throng5 beauty parlors6, not just for a haircut, but also for facials, manicures and pedicures. And in the crowded aisles7 of pharmacies8, they browse9 through dozens of products formulated10 for men, such as face scrubs, under eye serums11 or wrinkle control creams.
A delighted beauty industry has been quick to cash in on the Indian man's new desire to be well groomed12 and enhance his appearance.
And in a country where fair skin is equated13 with good looks, skin-lightening products for men are raking in the most money.
Pharmaceutical14 company, Elder Healthcare, is the latest to join this lucrative15 business segment valued at about $75 million. The company's head, Anil Saxena, says men are big customers for whitening creams.
"Surveys have revealed that 30 percent or 40 percent of the fairness users for women's creams are men because they did not have an alternative available for them, so we thought why not offer something to the male directly?" said Saxena.
These new-age men are also fueling a boom in cosmetic surgery. R.K. Sethi is senior consultant16 at the Apollo Hospital's Cosmetic Surgery department. He estimates that four out of 10 patients who walk into the hospital for cosmetic procedures are men. They range from rich young men who want to look like film heroes, to older executives with an image to maintain.
Doctor Sethi says the most popular procedures are nose jobs known as rhinoplasty, fat removal by liposuction, and face lifts.
"When they are dressed up, they want to look smart, thin waist, not those little things bulging17 out here or there, nose of course always is a very prominent feature of the face," he said.
Elder Healthcare head Saxena says the male grooming and cosmetic industry is confident that business will only get better.
"In the last few years, the Indian male has become much more conscious and aware about his persona and personality. Indian men are definitely looking to get the best out of life. The terminology18 male metro19 sexual [urban man who is fastidious about his appearance and spends money on aesthetics] is here to stay," added Saxena.
The industry's optimism stems from numerous surveys. One done by Gillette India found that Indian men spend an average of 20 minutes in front of the mirror each morning - more than the 18-minute average for Indian women.
1 petals | |
n.花瓣( petal的名词复数 ) | |
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2 grooming | |
n. 修饰, 美容,(动物)梳理毛发 | |
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3 salons | |
n.(营业性质的)店( salon的名词复数 );厅;沙龙(旧时在上流社会女主人家的例行聚会或聚会场所);(大宅中的)客厅 | |
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4 cosmetic | |
n.化妆品;adj.化妆用的;装门面的;装饰性的 | |
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5 throng | |
n.人群,群众;v.拥挤,群集 | |
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6 parlors | |
客厅( parlor的名词复数 ); 起居室; (旅馆中的)休息室; (通常用来构成合成词)店 | |
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7 aisles | |
n. (席位间的)通道, 侧廊 | |
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8 pharmacies | |
药店 | |
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9 browse | |
vi.随意翻阅,浏览;(牛、羊等)吃草 | |
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10 formulated | |
v.构想出( formulate的过去式和过去分词 );规划;确切地阐述;用公式表示 | |
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11 serums | |
n.(动物体内的)浆液( serum的名词复数 );血清;(一剂)免疫血清 | |
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12 groomed | |
v.照料或梳洗(马等)( groom的过去式和过去分词 );使做好准备;训练;(给动物)擦洗 | |
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13 equated | |
adj.换算的v.认为某事物(与另一事物)相等或相仿( equate的过去式和过去分词 );相当于;等于;把(一事物) 和(另一事物)等同看待 | |
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14 pharmaceutical | |
adj.药学的,药物的;药用的,药剂师的 | |
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15 lucrative | |
adj.赚钱的,可获利的 | |
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16 consultant | |
n.顾问;会诊医师,专科医生 | |
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17 bulging | |
膨胀; 凸出(部); 打气; 折皱 | |
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18 terminology | |
n.术语;专有名词 | |
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19 metro | |
n.地铁;adj.大都市的;(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国,主要经营零售) | |
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