A growing awareness of male grooming, a stressful urban lifestyle and environmental concerns are fueling the growth in the male personal care market in China, a new report said.

Currently, only 4 percent of facial care products in China are for men, but they have become a new engine of growth for the whole market, said a report released by the UK-based research firm Mintel Group on Tuesday.

From 2009 to 2014, men's facial care products in China grew at a compound annual rate of 20.1 percent, almost double that of the market for women's products, the report said. It is expected to nearly double to 15.4 billion yuan ($2.5 billion) by 2019, the report said.

The three most popular men's toiletry products are shampoo, facial cleansers and shower products.

Compared with the higher demand for shaving products in Europe, the priority for Chinese men is cleanliness, said Jean Philippe Benoist, general manager of cosmetics company GED (Shanghai) Co, which introduced the men's skin care brand ZIRH into the Chinese market several months ago.

Tony Chen, a 28-year-old who works at a multinational company in Shanghai, said: "Compared with our older generation, the culture and environment is totally different. Skin care is not only a women's preserve. You are more comfortable and confident when you have clean and healthy skin."

Benoist said Chinese men, especially younger ones, are quicker to adopt skin care products compared with those in France.

"In France, many men believe that skin care products are for women," Benoist said, adding that it will be a long time before they begin to use these products.

"But in some Asian countries, such as China, South Korea, the adoption is faster," he said.

wanghongyi@chinadaily.com.cn