New Survey Reveals Unkempt Feet are a ´Toe´-Tal Turn-off

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark., May. 07 /PRNewswire/ --

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark., May 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The arrival of warm weather ushers in the start of pedicure season, and feet are now front and center in the U.S. according to findings of a new national survey* conducted for Microplane(R) Foot Files among U.S. adults (age 18 and older). The new report reveals that almost one in three people (31 percent) thinks that poorly maintained feet are a "turn-off," and pedicures ranked higher in importance than manicures, waxing/hair removal, facials and massages among women when asked about personal grooming routines.

Pedicure Popularity: -- 41 percent of women get pedicures as part of their personal grooming routine; of this 41 percent, half (49 percent) are women ages 18-44 and 31 percent are women 45 and older; comparatively, 40 percent of women get manicures -- 41 percent of women cited the removal of dry heel skin as a reason why they get pedicures, but more than one in 10 (11 percent) who get pedicures say that traditional pumice stones are not effective at removing the dry skin, and 12 percent say they are sometimes not satisfied after a salon pedicure because the skin on their feet/heels is still rough and dry -- 55 percent of women who get pedicures think painted toenails are sexy; women in the 35-44 age group were most likely to feel this way (80 percent), while 64 percent of women ages 18-34 feel this way -- When preparing for a special event, one in four women (25 percent) don't feel "put together" unless they have a pedicure; women ages 18-34 were most likely to indicate this (33 percent) -- 25 percent of women worry about the hygiene of the salon where they get their pedicures done; this was most prevalent in the Southern region of the U.S. (34 percent) and least prevalent in the West (15 percent) Feet Feelings: -- One in four women say they are embarrassed when their heels are dry and cracked -- 45 percent of men and 37 percent of women are happy with the way their feet and heels feel/look -- One in four (25 percent) men and 37 percent of women feel poorly maintained feet are a turn-off; women in the 18-34 age group were the most likely to share this view (44 percent), while males ages 35-44 were the group most likely to share this view (32 percent) *Survey Methodology

This foot care survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Robin Leedy & Associates between December 26-28, 2007 among 2,254 U.S. adults aged 18 and over.