India’s fashion and beauty sectors have long relied on a narrow archetype of the male shopper: utilitarian, price-led, culturally conditioned to avoid anything that suggests vanity. But new purchasing data challenges this narrative with an absolute clarity, and suggests that some of the most consequential shifts in men's fashion and beauty are unfolding far from the metro cities in India.
The Bharat consumer, living in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, has become the primary driver of this vanity-led economy. Driven by the anonymity of e-commerce, the small-town Indian male is buying "slimming vests" to sculpt his torso, and "hair systems" to cover his scalp. The digital cart allows the Indian male to bypass the judgment of the shopkeeper and the curiosity of the neighbor.
According to a December 2025 report by e-commerce enabler GoKwik, a staggering 71 percent of total demand for men’s lifestyle and grooming products now originates from non-metro cities.
If you want to understand this shift, start with shapewear. Globally, that category is dominated by names like Skims and conversations around body positivity. India’s version looks nothing like that.
The numbers line up: Grand View Research projects India’s shapewear market will grow at 9% CAGR through 2028, with the male segment as the fastest-growing user group.
The GoKwik report highlights that 60 percent of all orders for high-compression shorts and slimming vests now come from Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets. On mass-market platforms like Meesho and Flipkart, unbranded tummy tuckers have garnered thousands of verified ratings, often priced between ₹151 to ₹499.
Notably, these purchases are often medicalized to preserve fragile masculinities. Listings on Amazon India and Flipkart frequently rely on keywords like "Gynecomastia Vest" and to sell what are essentially corsets, allowing the male consumer to frame his purchase as a medical necessity rather than a cosmetic insecurity.
The Hair & Face Fix
In the arranged-marriage market, baldness can feel like a permanent strike against you.
So an entire shadow economy has grown around “hair systems”, another way to say toupees, ordered online or fitted discreetly at local salons. Markntel Advisors projects the India Hair Wig & Extension market to grow at 8.19% CAGR through 2030.
Simultaneously, the "soap-and-water" era is officially over. GoKwik’s data indicates that over 65 percent of all grooming orders, specifically for specialized items like Vitamin C serums and charcoal masks, are now shipped to non-metro addresses.
Brands have responded by masculinising beauty. Bestsellers in these categories avoid language of “radiance” or “beauty,” instead invoking “activation,” “repair,” and “performance,” packaged in matte blacks and lab-coded aesthetics that frame grooming as engineering rather than indulgence.
Ugra Outlook
There is a massive, untapped market sitting in Tier-2 and Tier-3 India, and most fashion and beauty brands are still not speaking to it. The small-town Indian male is now one of the biggest spenders in grooming and lifestyle, but he buys differently, behaves differently, and needs brands to meet him where he actually is.
This consumer is changing fast; brands that understand this reality, and build for it, will own the next wave of growth in 2026 and beyond.