A trend amongst male celebrities for facial hair prompted a drop in razor sales last year.

According to Will King, who runs the King of Shaves company, the decision by a number of male stars, including Hollywood star George Clooney and TV presenter Jeremy Paxman, had sparked the beard-growing trend amongst men.

As quoted in the Telegraph, King said: "Sales across the shaving industry were actually down in the UK and US last year for the first time because of guys not shaving, because of the celebrity beard, and partly because of the recession.

"[The decline] took five years from the start of the recession, and maybe it has been spurred on by the whole internet entrepreneur look, the 'I work in Shoreditch, I don't need to shave' look."

It has been a difficult few years for the men's razor market, with King battling over a number patents, untangling a problematic distribution agreement with Spectrum Brands, the parent company of Remington, and raise £8.5m of equity.

His comments come ahead of the launch of a new razor which he hopes will prompt bigger sales. The new product, which doesn't require any type of additional shaving product, is a unisex razor which, King believes, "makes Gilette's look obsolete".

NR

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