Some women let Hollywood Fashion Secrets (HFS) in on a big secret of their own: The men in their lives were using the company’s products, but were too embarrassed to make a trip to the women’s aisle.

Minneapolis-based HFS, best known for its double-sided fashion tape that holds garments in place, has marketed its products to women since its 2001 founding. But that revelation was one factor that prompted it to look into men’s personal care—a market that Nielsen expects to reach $2.8 billion by the end of 2012. What it found: lots of opportunity.

In May, Hollywood’s men’s line, the Decent Man’s Grooming Tools, began appearing in various stores, including Len Druskin, DuaneReade, Ulta, and Zappos.com. Wal-Mart also sells a slightly lower-priced (and quality) version.

The line consists of nine items ranging from pit protectors (placed on the inside of dress shirts to absorb sweat) and collar guards to stain-removers and shoe-shine wipes. It’s advertised as helping prevent wardrobe “malefunctions,” although many of the products are variations of Hollywood’s women’s items. Hollywood President and Co-Founder Jane Dailey attributes the demand, in part, to television shows like Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire that feature mid-20th-century-men who were expected to maintain a more polished appearance.

“It used to be that women bought a lot of products for men,” says Dailey, but today “more men are actually purchasing men’s accessories.”

Hollywood, a private company with annual revenue that exceeds $10 million, expects the men’s line to account for 6 percent of its 2012 revenue, 10 percent starting next year.