The Grooming & Toiletry Products subcategory unexpectedly took center stage in the lead-up to last Saturday’s hotly anticipated UFC 300, when the world’s largest mixed martial arts league announced Revlon's Curve for Men as the Official Fragrance Partner of UFC in a first-of-its-kind deal. Let’s take a closer look at this dynamic industry.

There are more than 400 brands buying sponsorship or media in the category, with each averaging 4 sponsorship deals. Gillette tops the list with over 70 sponsorships, partnering with high-profile sports stars including Deion Sanders, Jalen Hurts, and Aston Villa’s goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. Rexona follows in second place with 35 sponsorships, including deals with Chelsea, Nitto ATP Finals, and the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Degree, Rexona’s brand name in North America, ranks third with 34 deals––the NCAA, Toronto Raptors, and Concacaf Gold Cup among them.  

Total social media engagement in this subsector exceeds 140M, 85% of which is driven by influencers. Not surprisingly, half of these sponsorship deals include endorsement rights––more than 5 times the average within the entire Consumer Products category, where only 9% of all deals include endorsements––showcasing the critical role partnerships with social media superstars play in this subcategory.

South Korean singer Kim Ji-Soo's social media campaign with Dyson Hair garnered the subcategory’s highest engagement in the last 12 months, with just two posts amassing a remarkable 8.4M interactions. Jisoo, as she’s widely known, also scored the highest engagement with a single post with Dyson, racking up 5.2M interactions on Instagram.  Indonesian influencer Ria Ricis’ campaign with Scarlett Whitening trailed closely behind, engaging 6M users across 44 posts.