"Where is it going to end?

Sometimes I think people are going to end up with a whole lawnmower on their face, " jokes Murphy.

More than most, however, Murphy appreciates the serious side of what the US media have dubbed "razor wars".

His Castlebar-based company, Pamex, holds the worldwide marketing and distribution rights for the Total Shaving Solution, also manufactured in Ireland by Claremorris company Creative Cosmetics.

Murphy points out that Gillette has embarked on a $100m ( 84m) marketing campaign for Gillette Fusion, which it predicts will have annual sales in excess of $1bn, and believes that is evidence of a sector in rude health.

That's something Murphy's company hopes to capitalise on in an Irish context. "Men are more conscious of their skin and their appearance, " he says.

The company began selling the product ten years ago.

Murphy says generating sales in the company's early years was "very tough" but sales of Total Shaving Solution have risen strongly in recent years.

It now sells 150,000 bottles a year, accounting for 800,000 in retail sales. "I think it's only the tip of the iceberg, " he says.

Evidence from the Irish market appears to suggest that the growth in sales which Pamex has seen in recent years is part of a wider trend.

Irish sales of "male grooming" products doubled in value to more than 70m between 1999 and 2004, according to a study by research firm Mintel.

The Mintel report estimates that men now account for 30% of the overall personal care market and suggests "that men are the major growth market for the coming years".

Increasing disposable incomes, the fact that men are remaining single for longer and are thus more likely to spend money on themselves, and increased media attention on male fashion and grooming are all contributing to the boom, according to the study.

The Ibec-affiliated Irish Cosmetics, Detergents and Allied Trades association calculates that Irish men spent 57m in 2004 - the most recent year for which figures are available - on cosmetics alone, excluding items such as razor blades, which are included in Mintel's figures.

ICDA spokesman Mark Glynn said men now account for 11% of the 521m cosmetics market in Ireland. That figure though, he said, has "risen from practically zero over the last five years". Male spending on cosmetics has also grown at a much faster pace than the overall market, in which sales increased by just 1.5% in 2004.

Advertising spend in the category has also grown rapidly in the same period, again from a low base.

According to figures published by the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland (IAPI) the spend on advertising male cosmetic products doubled to 825,000 between 2000 and 2005. Five years ago Nivea and Just For Men were the only advertisers. Last year's advertising spend figures, however, included L'Oreal, Clarins, Clinique and others.

"It [the Irish market] is still very young in comparison to, say, the UK. I think we're about five years behind, " says Fiona Looney, founder of 4men. ie, an Irish internet retailer specialising in men's cosmetics. Looney, who set up her business last year to take advantage of what she says is a growing trend, believes the market is "only going to continue to grow".

Looney says the Irish market is still at a very early stage.

Indeed, while sourcing products for the site she was surprised to find many of the best-selling international brands did not have pre-existing distribution agreements in Ireland.

"I think a couple of the brands definitely would have known that things were developing and what the trends were but a lot of them hadn't really considered [Ireland], " she says.

The growth in the sector is also attracting attention from traditional retailers. "It is something that we're really starting to focus in on. It is an untapped area, " says Ann Longmuir, category manager for health and beauty at Unicare Pharmacies.

Longmuir says Unicare has been seeing increased sales of male grooming products such as the Nivea For Men range and a competing line recently launched by L'Oreal.

According to Longmuir, premium brand such as Clarins and Lancome have also been performing well.

Research by Unicare indicates, however, that a large percentage of moisturisers, face scrubs and other products are bought by women for their boyfriends and husbands. Longmuir says that while women will approach in-store consultants and enquire about products, embarrassment prevents men from doing so, making it more difficult to market to them. Nonetheless, she says, suppliers are "taking big steps to promote the category".

For its part, Unicare is planning a "men's health" awareness campaign in its shops in the coming months to help promote men's cosmetic brands.

"This year, especially, with the World Cup coming up you'll see a lot more activity in that area. The suppliers are all gearing up for the World Cup, " she says.

None more so, one suspects, than Gillette, which has paid to have a certain fivebladed product named the official razor of this summer's tournament.