The boys are dominating an increasing proportion of the cosmetics market – and as long as they don’t start taking our shelf space, that’s fine by us.
In nature, some male species are more adorned than the female. The feather train on male peacocks is among the most striking and beautiful physical attributes in nature, and the male lion is the one with the mane.
But good grooming is not solely the domain of our animal counterparts. Fuelled by social media, male interest in grooming, appearance medicine and physical improvement has gained rapid momentum. As is evident in the burgeoning industry geared to men’s grooming, men are investing dollars and time in their appearance. And the once female-centric beauty industry is catering to the male consumer with products specific to the needs and wants of men.
Men’s skin, for example, is different from women’s in a number of respects. Higher levels of testosterone give men thicker skin than women and a higher sebum production. While this keeps men’s skin naturally more lubricated, it also means they have larger pores and oilier skin, making it more difficult to shed dead skin cells. To an extent, shaving compensates for this by mechanically exfoliating the lower face, but cleansing should be an essential part of male skincare.
Speaking of beards, regular shaving can cause all sorts of irritation, including ingrown hairs and folliculitis. Including an after-shave balm with moisture-replenishing and anti-inflammatory ingredients can help prevent against shaving-related irritations.
These days, the discerning man has moved well beyond the simply cleansing and moisturising and SPFing (though all extremely important). Power-packed specialist anti-ageing products for smoothing the look of crow’s feet and wrinkles and boosting skin tone and elasticity are now firmly established in the male grooming ritual.
