Is Beard Stubble Killing the Kiss?

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With signs pointing to the fact that the rise of stubble could be to blame for decline of the kiss, Gillette® [NYSE: PG] has asked Canadians to weigh in through a nationwide survey and by launching the Kiss & Tell live experiment. The Kiss & Tell live experiment will travel to Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver to find out if women prefer to kiss men with stubble or smooth shaven skin.

“With many men shaving less-frequently due to sensitive skin discomfort, if stubble is really impacting the kiss, we are giving women the chance to speak up and men to know.”

A recent survey* commissioned by Gillette revealed that while the majority of Canadian women aged 18-34 think men with stubble are masculine and sexy, almost one in four have avoided kissing a guy because he had facial hair. Adding to that one in seven of these women mention that kissing a guy with facial hair has irritated or scraped their face. Simply put, overall three quarters of women 18-34 prefer to kiss a guy who is smooth or clean shaven. Results of the survey raise the question: Is kissing in Canada on the decline due to the fault of men not shaving as frequently? If so, women across the country now have the opportunity to say ‘It’s not you, it’s your razor.’

“Kissing is a crucial part of relationships. It signifies intimacy between two people and is the starting point to building a meaningful connection and a longer-lasting intimacy,” said Marni Kinrys, dating expert and the founder of The Wing Girl Method. “While stubble can be a good look on some men, waking up with facial skin discomfort or even a slight stubble burn is a less desirable side-effect for their partner.”

Kicking off on February 12 at Toronto’s Eaton Centre, women and their stubbled guys are invited to participate in the Kiss & Tell live experiment in-person– first kissing with stubble, then shaving, then kissing without – to reveal what women prefer. The experiment continues at Montreal’s Complexe Desjardins on February 14 and the tour’s final stop will be at Vancouver’s Pacific Centre on February 18.

Can’t join live? Canadians can weigh-in and follow the journey at home by going online at www.kissandtellus.ca and www.ToutSurLesBecs.ca

“If there’s one goal men across the country have in common, it’s to have an active love life – which we all know starts with a kiss” said Rob Chambers, Brand Manager for Gillette. “With many men shaving less-frequently due to sensitive skin discomfort, if stubble is really impacting the kiss, we are giving women the chance to speak up and men to know.”

The Kiss & Tell live experiment aims to illustrate the importance of kissing and determine if stubble really is killing the kiss. In the US, Gillette interviewed kissing experts and doctors, conducted biometric research on real couples kissing and spoke to everyday women – and men – about their thoughts on the theory. Their insights are featured in a new, lip-quivering documentary “Are we killing the kiss?,” which ponders the current state of the kiss, the significance of the kiss- and why it’s so important that couples get it right.

*For the study, a national sample of Canadian female adults 18 to 34 years of age was randomly selected from TNS Canada’s Internet research panel and invited to complete an online survey. In total, 500 female adults 18-34 years of age completed the questionnaire between January 7 to January 14, 2013.

About Procter & Gamble
P&G serves approximately 4.6 billion people around the world with its brands. The Company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Fairy®, Gain®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun®, Fusion®, Ace®, Febreze®, Ambi Pur®, SK-II®, and Vicks®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 75 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands

About Marni Kinrys
Marni Kinrys is a dating coach, radio and TV personality, and the creator of the Wing Girl Method. Marni has worked with 100's of thousands of men all to help them understand women so they can attract, date, and seduce the women of their dreams. Over the past eight years, Marni has collaborated with top male attraction experts, sharing expertise and advice to help men find their ideal partners. She fell into her current role as “wing girl” while watching her handsome, charming and successful male friends fail miserably while trying to hit on and pick up women. Marni received a BA in psychology from the University of Western Ontario (Canada) and is a contributing writer to Urban Male Magazine and a weekly guest on Rock 101 Radio in Boston, MA.