In 2013, 95 percent of women aged 16 to 24 said they removed hair from their underarms. In 2016, this had dropped to just 77 percent. 

Leg-shaving is also falling out of fashion - in 2013 92 percent said they shaved their legs, a proportion which had fallen to 85 percent in 2016. 
Industry figures show that sales of shaving and hair removal products fell by 5 percent between 2015 and 2016, from ￡598 million to an estimated ￡567 million. 

Roshida Khanom, associate director in beauty and personal care at Mintel, said that women were influenced by the wellness movement. Products such as shaving foam and hair removal cream are perceived to be bad for the skin, leading women to shun them in favour of natural beauty products. 

The "free from" trend, which sees women rejecting chemicals in favour of natural products, has been influential, with 53 percent of women saying they only use products with "natural" ingredients.