State of Scruff Uncovered in First Annual Schick Hydro Hairiest Colleges Study

Survey Finds Rutgers, Harvard and University of South Florida Are Hairiest Schools in America

SHELTON, Conn., Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Scholastic scruff may be on the rise at major American colleges and universities, at least according to new research from the makers of Schick Hydro® razors and Sperling's Best Places. According to the findings, Rutgers University (No. 60; 29.1% clean shaven), Harvard University (No. 59; 29.5% clean shaven), the University of South Florida (No. 58, 36.5% clean shaven), Georgetown University (No. 57, 37.5% clean shaven), and American University (No. 56; 41.5% clean shaven), are the hairiest colleges in the country.

What's more, the survey points to a hairy trend that may be impacting a growing number of schools, as nearly one in six student bodies observed beard rates of 50 percent or greater.

"It's clear that a lot of guys avoid shaving regularly, and they might be developing bad shave habits on campus," said Dan Kinton, Senior Brand Manager for Schick. "We're offering a refreshing solution with Schick Hydro, a razor designed to dramatically improve the shave experience and deliver more comfortable shaves through hydration."

At the other end of the spectrum, America's most cleanly shaven campuses include Texas Tech (No. 1; 98% clean shaven), James Madison (No. 2; 96.5% clean shaven), University of Virginia (No. 3; 84% clean shaven), Yale University (No. 4; 83.5% clean shaven), and Penn State University (No. 5; 83% clean shaven).

Researchers collected data through first-hand student observations.

"We sent researchers onto campuses across America to observe guys' shaving habits," said Bert Sperling, President of research firm Sperling's Best Places. "The one trend that stuck out the most was that guys at southern schools preferred the clean shaven look, while guys at Northeast-city schools tended to sport more scruff."

Schick Hairiest Colleges Rankings

Guys at schools renowned for their science and engineering programs have done their research on keeping a clean mug. Texas Tech (#1), Virginia Tech (#9) and Carnegie Mellon (#10) all ranked in the top 10, each with over 79% of guys sporting clean shaves. Meanwhile male students in New York and New Jersey need to look elsewhere for grooming inspiration; none of the five schools from the two states finished in the top half of the study, while three – Seton Hall (#53), Syracuse (#54) and Rutgers (#60) - finished in the bottom ten.



Top Five Cleanest Shaven Schools Bottom Five Cleanest Shaven Schools 1. Texas Tech University 56. American University 2. James Madison University 57. Georgetown University 3. University of Virginia 58. University of South Florida 4. Yale University 59. Harvard University 5. Penn State University 60. Rutgers University







Hairiest Colleges Rivalries

Washington D.C. may have its fair share of clean-cut politicians, but the college students could use a good shave – both American University (#56) and Georgetown University (#57) rank in the bottom five.

may have its fair share of clean-cut politicians, but the college students could use a good shave – both and rank in the bottom five. In Beantown, Boston University (#24) edged Northeastern University (#25) and out-shaved Tufts University (#38) and Harvard University (#59)

edged and out-shaved and Williams and Amherst recently claimed the top two spots in the U.S. News & World Report National Liberal Arts College Rankings, but the discrepancy widens when it comes to shaving. Williams ranked as the 8th cleanest shaved school, while Amherst finished 30th.

Shave More, Get More

These shave-avoiding students should be taking notes because according to the Schick Skin-dex survey, a national research poll conducted by StrategyOne, shaving regularly (5 times a week or more) has major benefits. According to the poll, guys who shave regularly have twice as much sex (15.5 vs. 7.8 times per month), are happier (89% vs. 82%), more outgoing (41% vs. 32%), more social (42% vs. 34%), and more likely to report more attractive significant others.

Schick Hydroventions to Help Hairy Co-Eds

To help out furry students, Schick Hydro is staging "Hydroventions" and intervening on behalf of men most in need of a clean, refreshing shave. Starting today, anyone can nominate scruffy classmates and friends for a "Hydrovention" by submitting their picture or video and description at facebook.com/hydroexperience. Four winners will receive their own Hydrovention, taped live and produced into a digital video for YouTube, Facebook and Schickhydro.com – and a spring break vacation trip for two.

For guys who find themselves on the wrong side of the rankings and are seeking inspiration, the first of six Schick Hydrovention video episodes launches today and can be seen on Schick's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/hydroexperience). Each week a new comedic video will debut featuring Justin, a scruffy-faced character desperately in need of an intervention to improve his skin-care regimen and overall facial appearance. Every week, moderator Doc Hydro will gather Justin's closest family and friends for a Hydrovention, where they recite their rationale as to why he needs to face the facts and refresh his worn out shave routine.

Schick Hydro

Schick Hydro is a revolutionary razor system that can keep men from falling into a shave routine that calls for a Hydrovention. By delivering more comfortable and hydrating shaves, Schick Hydro products tackle the most common complaint and reason men avoid shaving: irritation.

Central innovations on the new Schick Hydro razor include skin guards - innovative skin protectors that smooth out skin between blade tips to reduce irritation, and an advanced hydrating gel reservoir that lubricates and hydrates skin throughout the shave.

Schick Hydro razors are available in three- and five-blade models for an average price of $7.99 (Schick Hydro 3) and $8.99 (Schick Hydro 5). The Schick Hydro 3 delivers high performance and protection for men seeking top performance at a better value than any available alternatives. The Schick Hydro 5 offers the latest in razor technology, including a flip trimmer that allows men to trim with all five blades. A pack of four Schick Hydro razor refill blades are available for an average price of $11.49 (Schick Hydro 5) and $7.99 (Schick Hydro 3).

Schick Hydro shave gels are available in Moisturizing and Sensitive Skin varieties for an average price of $3.39. For more information, log on to www.schickhydro.com or www.facebook.com/hydroexperience

Contact:

Melle Hock Eli Sevin Edelman Edelman (212) 642-7793 (212) 642-7794 melle.hock@edelman.com eli.sevin@edelman.com





About Schick-Wilkinson Sword

Energizer Personal Care, a leading manufacturer of razors, blades and shave preps around the world, is a division of Energizer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ENR), headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. For more information on shaving and Schick Hydro® razors, visit www.schickhydro.com or www.facebook.com/hydroexperience.

About Sperling's Best Places

Bert Sperling has been helping people find their own "Best Place" to live, work and retire for more than 20 years. His firm, Sperling's Best Places, puts facts in the hands of the public so they can make better decisions about best places to live, work, retire, play, or relocate. His bestselling books, Cities Ranked and Rated and Best Places to Raise Your Family, are published by John Wiley & Sons. More information about Bert and his work is available at www.bestplaces.net.

Complete Schick Hydro Hairiest Colleges Rankings

Schools – by 2010 ranking

Ranking School Percent clean-shaven 1 Texas Tech University 98.0% 2 James Madison University 96.5% 3 University of Virginia 84.0% 4 Yale University 83.5% 5 Penn State University 83.0% 6 Indiana University- Bloomington 82.5% 7 George Washington University 82.0% 8 Williams College 81.0% 9 Virginia Polytechnic Institute 80.5% 10 Carnegie Mellon University 79.0% 11 Pomona College 78.0% 12 Stanford University 78.0% 13 University of Southern California 78.0% 14 Johns Hopkins University 77.5% 15 Butler University 76.5% 16 University of Colorado-Boulder 76.0% 17 Emory University 75.5% 18 Texas A&M University 75.5% 19 University of Nevada-Las Vegas 75.0% 20 University of Texas-Austin 75.0% 21 Boston University 74.5% 22 Northeastern University 74.5% 23 George Mason University 74.1% 24 Michigan State University 73.0% 25 Tulane University of Louisiana 72.5% 26 University of Pittsburgh 72.5% 27 University of Kansas 72.0% 28 University of Nevada-Reno 71.5% 29 University of Oklahoma-Norman 71.0% 30 Amherst College 70.5% 31 New York University 70.5% 32 Temple University 69.5% 33 University of Utah 69.0% 34 Arizona State University-Tempe 68.2% 35 University of Arizona 66.7% 36 Fordham University 66.5% 37 Gonzaga University 66.5% 38 Louisiana State University A&M 65.8% 39 Tufts University 65.5% 40 Florida State University 65.3% 41 University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill 65.0% 42 University of Kentucky 60.5% 43 Iowa State University 59.5% 44 University of California-Santa Barbara 58.5% 45 University of Maine 57.5% 46 Northern Illinois University 57.4% 47 University of Nebraska-Lincoln 56.0% 48 University of New Mexico 55.0% 49 University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign 54.5% 50 University of Vermont 53.0% 51 Kansas State University 50.5% 52 University of Louisville 47.5% 53 Seton Hall University 44.5% 54 Syracuse University 42.5% 55 University of Florida 42.0% 56 American University 41.5% 57 Georgetown University 37.5% 58 University of South Florida 36.5% 59 Harvard University 29.5% 60 Rutgers University-New Brunswick 29.1%







SOURCE Schick