BEYOND BASIC GROOMING :
HEALTH + WELLNESS
BEYOND BASIC GROOMING :
BEAUTY FOR MEN
THE EVOLUTION OF BEAUTY FOR MEN IS NOTHING SHORT OF PHENOMENAL ; WHAT BEGAN AS A ( DELICATELY SCENTED ) WHIFF OF SUSPICION THAT OUR OTHER HALVES MAY BE POACHING A BIT OF MOISTURISER HERE AND THERE IS NOW AN ENTIRE SLICE OF THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY . MEN SPENT £ 69.8 MILLION ON FACE CARE IN BRITAIN ALONE LAST YEAR , AND THE GLOBAL MEN ’ S PERSONAL CARE MARKET WAS GIVEN AN ESTIMATED VALUE OF OVER £ 24.5 BILLION ; AFTER ALL , SKINCARE CONCERNS DON ’ T DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN , SO WHY SHOULD THE PRODUCTS THAT SOLVE THEM ?
From head to toe , men are looking after their skin , hair and bodies more than ever before , and so they should . Gone are the days of basic grooming courtesy of 3-in-1 shampoo , conditioner , and body wash ( yes , that ’ s an actual thing ) as thankfully , there ’ s now all sorts of fabulous and effective beauty products currently on the market for men – a sex steadily proving that they ’ re not the less fair .
So , is there a marked difference between men and women ’ s skin ?
Walk into any shop selling beauty products and you ’ ll likely find shelves overflowing with lotions and potions for every discernible skincare need that a woman might have , but that there is very little to choose from in terms of male-specific skincare . The source of this unspoken but obviously one-sided division of the beauty cabinet can be traced back to one myth : that men ’ s skin is completely different from women ’ s .
That said , there are a few dermatologist-backed and undisputable differences . Men ’ s skin , for example , is around 20 % thicker than female skin , which means that generally , men have fewer and less pronounced superficial wrinkles compared to women , but , because they have a more robust skeletal musculature than women , this means they have deeper expression lines . According to studies , men ’ s skin is also 70 % cent oilier and 40 % more sweaty than women ’ s skin , so structurally our skin is different , but the ingredients for treating skin issues – such as hyaluronic acid for wrinkle prevention , or salicylic acid for the treatment of acne – are the same for both men and women . The only clear difference is that men might need to use a higher percentage or higher frequency of product usage compared to women due to their thicker skin .
What ’ s taken so long ?
Although the entire market share of the male population that ’ s been waiting to be cashed in on is finally stepping out of the shadows , there ’ s no denying that decades of societal conditioning has maintained that this market share has long been overlooked by conventional marketing methods . For many men , the simple act of walking into a shop to browse – let alone buy - products for themselves remains loaded with stigma because they ’ ve simply been conditioned not to place importance on skincare issues . The only advert campaign that springs to mind directly aimed at young men is for Clearasil , a brand that did recognise the need for a men ’ s face wash but only to combat acne , thus reinforcing the notion that spot breakouts are the only skin concern that men have to worry about .
Subverting years of conditioning is far from an overnight task , but the good news is that slowly but surely change is coming – and is spreading rapidly , too . Thankfully , the beauty landscape is changing positively , both in terms of inclusivity and representation , and male faces are popping up more frequently in advertising and marketing campaigns . Fundamentally , skin is skin , and the stratospheric rise of social media , namely TikTok and YouTube , can definitely claim some credit for these changing tides ; boundaries are being broken down and men are starting to embrace the idea that there ’ s no shame in wanting to feel better about themselves whether that ’ s through anti-ageing serum , a better quality shaving product , or a full face of makeup . It is 2023 after all .
What does the future hold ?
Gen Z ’ s rising disregard of gender binaries could well pave the way here . A concealer is a concealer and serves as a miracle worker for anyone looking to mask the effects of a late night regardless of which gender they identify with , so genderless makeup and beauty products would be a welcome step in making sure that everyone sees skincare as self-care . Additionally , if brands continue to champion the importance of beauty for men – not just by placing more males in photoshoots and advertorial campaigns , but by engaging them in the overall conversation going forward – the notion that men might also want to look and feel their best selves becomes less and less radical . And that huge market share gets tapped into ; win-win .
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