Are Hirsute Hipsters Killing the Razor Business?

“Are Hirsute Hipsters Killing the Razor Business?” asked Bloomberg’s Kyle Stock in a headline, while Jason Notte of MSN Money lays his thoughts out with a biting verve: “Hope you really like that handlebar mustache and set of pork-chop sideburns, Mr. Vest-Clad Washboard-Playing Mixologist, because they're killing multinational corporations' bottom lines.”

Both Notte and Stock point out that while trendy young urbanites have undoubtedly embraced both ungroomed and stylized facial hair, the oft-beleaguered subculture cannot be blamed for everything. Some posit that perhaps the manufacturers themselves are at fault. Increasingly complex razors with more bells, whistles and blades have driven up the cost of products in recent years, turning many away from brands like Schick and Gillette altogether.