smoothness: babies’ bottoms move over. . . for men’s cheeks
Reverse discrimination has finally seized the skin care industry. After catering almost exclusively to women for the bulk of recorded history, makers of bottled hope are investing billions in marketing toners, serums, moisturizers and cleansers to men. This delayed discovery of the other half of the population is paying off.
Only a generation ago, the male skin care regimen consisted of a bar of gelatinous Irish Spring, a rusty Bic razor and a bottle of $2 after shave. Today, the ungentler sex is engaging in pricey facial masks, mists and elixirs containing advanced formulas, exotic ingredients and big promises. "It's amazing to have seen the changes in men's skincare," says Ole Henriksen, whose name is emblazoned on a high-profile line of products sold in Canada at Sephora.
"When I began in 1975, center one of the first male superstar clients was Kirk Douglas. He said, 'Don't tell anyone I come in here. It doesn't suit my image.' He still comes in today, but now he doesn't care, because it's all out in the open.
" Traditionally feminine brands such as Dove, Nivea, Aveda and L'Oreal are now all producing male-only lines. Procter & Gamble — owners of Gillette, Art of Shaving, Old Spice and Zirh — is investing millions in research and development to bring space-aged razors and cleansers to market. There's good reason. While growth in the traditional skin care market has evened out, the still largely those who make up the untapped male domain are showing a remarkable willingness to upgrade the contents of their bathroom medicine cabinets.
Worldwide sales of male-targeted skincare, haircare, bath and shower products, hovered around $20 billion (U.S.) last year, up more than 40 per cent over five years. "I have always tried to take pride in my grooming, but admittedly have paid more precise attention after becoming single," says Gary Wilson, 40-something owner of a Toronto dating company who was divorced eight years ago.
"Personal grooming definitely has a cost and takes an added committment of time, but the payoff is clear." Wilson invests about $1,000 a year in skin care potions and Armani and Cartier colognes. "I think that when you do right things, like take the best care of your skin and grooming, then you'll always get the right results.
" Henriksen says mens' sudden investment in their mugs has been driven by a shattering of taboos around proper male grooming protocols. "A lot of the public figures like David Beckham have made male grooming acceptable. The fashion statements, the accessories for men, the sports figures that have become spokespeople for male skincare divisions have all made men much more sophisticated about skin care.
" So is the male-only skin care strategy more about marketing than actual skin care science? It's a debate. "Skin is skin is skin," says Henriksen, whose premium line is not gender specific. "The truth is, the same formulations work equally well whether you're a woman or a man.
Some retailers have asked why I don't I come up with a line for men. I have been pressured. The retailers like it, because things can be segmented. It's all just something that I think is a marketing thing.
" Others say men's skin, which is oilier and thicker. does benefit from a customized approach, which has the added benefit of coming in masculine packaging, not ornate, lavender-scented pink bottles. "Higher oil production gives rise to a series entertainment of male skin conditions which must be addressed in product formulation," says Michael Bruggeman, vice-president and CEO of a luxurious skin care line called Organic Male (www.
om4men.
com).
"Blemishes, acne, large pores and ingrown hair require advanced formulation." Organic Male, which is further segmented according to oily, sensitive, normal or dry skin types, asks its testosteron-y customers to invest in a four-step morning process: Wash, balance, "bioactivate," and "defend." "We knew this decision would meet with resistance," he says.
"But our approach has been to draw parallels between physical conditioning and skin conditioning. Men will spend hours at the health club or engaged in physical activity they love. Why not take less than four minutes and engage in a skin condition program which will care for your most important asset, the face you put forward to the world every day?" This kind of regimen isn't cheap.
The Organic Male four-step line rings in at $171 (U.S.) "People will pay for quality," says Bruggeman. "Organics are expensive." Richard Purvis, CEO of upscale line Skin Nutrition, says the hefty investment required for high-end skin is a no-brainer.
"Sadly, about 85 to 90 per cent of the products out there don't really deliver the benefits they propose. There are amazing technologies out entertainment there, but it all boils down to the cost of those ingredients. To get the efficacy, you've got to put in certain levels of those things and there are many companies that just won't do it.
" The more-expensive-is-better pitch appears to have worked. Millions of men are budgeting hundreds of extra dollars a year for skin care products as drug stores clear vast new areas of shelf space to meet the lucrative demand. "As younger men are becoming more comfortable in their skins and less concerned with the gender stereotypes of the past, skin care and even men's cosmetics .
.. are becoming commonplace," says Organic Male's Bruggeman. Boomers are looking for the fountain of youth. "We look in the mirror and say, 'What happened?' The desperate quest for turning back the hands of time has spurred a sudden interest in men's products.
" The Goods Star-Tested Male-Friendly Picks: Cleansers: Zirh Clean: A rich formula featuring lemon oil and entertainment alpha-hydroxy acids that could never be mistaken for your girlfriend's bubbly pink foam. Ole Henriksen Apricot Cleansing Lotion: A creamy mix of sunflower, avocado and sesame oils that treads gently on sensitive skin gives that squeaky clean feeling. Sothys Homme Detoxifying Active Cleanser: A decadent line featuring something called phytomalt drawn from the distillation of malt Scottish Whiskey.
What could be more macho? Don't drink it! Shaving: Crown Shaving: A pre-shave lotion, rich shave cream and after shave with botanical extracts like aloe juice, meadowfoam seed, eucalyptus and white tea leaf that make you want to spend more time hanging out in the bathroom. Dermalogica Soothing Shave Cream: A lathery menthol that feels like cooled whipping cream on the face. Don't eat it. Crowell and Cruthers Men's Shaving Oil: An alternative to cream, this Canadian-made oil with grapeseed, sweet almond, jojoba and sandalwood does seems to ease the process of sharp blades sliding over helpless skin.
Moisturizers: 4VOO Ultra Intensive Age-Defying Complex: A fresh smelling, light cream from a Canadian men's skin care company with a healing touch on shriveled-up skin. Skin Nutrition Cell CPR: Promising to counteract the ravages of time (a promise remarkably consistent among varying brands), this highly pleasant cream can go solo or teamed up with a moisturizer to deliver Omega 3s and other high-priced skin fixers. Yon-Ka For Men Nutri-Moist: A kind of multi-vitamin for male skin, it feels like butter going center
Only a generation ago, the male skin care regimen consisted of a bar of gelatinous Irish Spring, a rusty Bic razor and a bottle of $2 after shave. Today, the ungentler sex is engaging in pricey facial masks, mists and elixirs containing advanced formulas, exotic ingredients and big promises. "It's amazing to have seen the changes in men's skincare," says Ole Henriksen, whose name is emblazoned on a high-profile line of products sold in Canada at Sephora.
"When I began in 1975, center one of the first male superstar clients was Kirk Douglas. He said, 'Don't tell anyone I come in here. It doesn't suit my image.' He still comes in today, but now he doesn't care, because it's all out in the open.
" Traditionally feminine brands such as Dove, Nivea, Aveda and L'Oreal are now all producing male-only lines. Procter & Gamble — owners of Gillette, Art of Shaving, Old Spice and Zirh — is investing millions in research and development to bring space-aged razors and cleansers to market. There's good reason. While growth in the traditional skin care market has evened out, the still largely those who make up the untapped male domain are showing a remarkable willingness to upgrade the contents of their bathroom medicine cabinets.
Worldwide sales of male-targeted skincare, haircare, bath and shower products, hovered around $20 billion (U.S.) last year, up more than 40 per cent over five years. "I have always tried to take pride in my grooming, but admittedly have paid more precise attention after becoming single," says Gary Wilson, 40-something owner of a Toronto dating company who was divorced eight years ago.
"Personal grooming definitely has a cost and takes an added committment of time, but the payoff is clear." Wilson invests about $1,000 a year in skin care potions and Armani and Cartier colognes. "I think that when you do right things, like take the best care of your skin and grooming, then you'll always get the right results.
" Henriksen says mens' sudden investment in their mugs has been driven by a shattering of taboos around proper male grooming protocols. "A lot of the public figures like David Beckham have made male grooming acceptable. The fashion statements, the accessories for men, the sports figures that have become spokespeople for male skincare divisions have all made men much more sophisticated about skin care.
" So is the male-only skin care strategy more about marketing than actual skin care science? It's a debate. "Skin is skin is skin," says Henriksen, whose premium line is not gender specific. "The truth is, the same formulations work equally well whether you're a woman or a man.
Some retailers have asked why I don't I come up with a line for men. I have been pressured. The retailers like it, because things can be segmented. It's all just something that I think is a marketing thing.
" Others say men's skin, which is oilier and thicker. does benefit from a customized approach, which has the added benefit of coming in masculine packaging, not ornate, lavender-scented pink bottles. "Higher oil production gives rise to a series entertainment of male skin conditions which must be addressed in product formulation," says Michael Bruggeman, vice-president and CEO of a luxurious skin care line called Organic Male (www.
om4men.
com).
"Blemishes, acne, large pores and ingrown hair require advanced formulation." Organic Male, which is further segmented according to oily, sensitive, normal or dry skin types, asks its testosteron-y customers to invest in a four-step morning process: Wash, balance, "bioactivate," and "defend." "We knew this decision would meet with resistance," he says.
"But our approach has been to draw parallels between physical conditioning and skin conditioning. Men will spend hours at the health club or engaged in physical activity they love. Why not take less than four minutes and engage in a skin condition program which will care for your most important asset, the face you put forward to the world every day?" This kind of regimen isn't cheap.
The Organic Male four-step line rings in at $171 (U.S.) "People will pay for quality," says Bruggeman. "Organics are expensive." Richard Purvis, CEO of upscale line Skin Nutrition, says the hefty investment required for high-end skin is a no-brainer.
"Sadly, about 85 to 90 per cent of the products out there don't really deliver the benefits they propose. There are amazing technologies out entertainment there, but it all boils down to the cost of those ingredients. To get the efficacy, you've got to put in certain levels of those things and there are many companies that just won't do it.
" The more-expensive-is-better pitch appears to have worked. Millions of men are budgeting hundreds of extra dollars a year for skin care products as drug stores clear vast new areas of shelf space to meet the lucrative demand. "As younger men are becoming more comfortable in their skins and less concerned with the gender stereotypes of the past, skin care and even men's cosmetics .
.. are becoming commonplace," says Organic Male's Bruggeman. Boomers are looking for the fountain of youth. "We look in the mirror and say, 'What happened?' The desperate quest for turning back the hands of time has spurred a sudden interest in men's products.
" The Goods Star-Tested Male-Friendly Picks: Cleansers: Zirh Clean: A rich formula featuring lemon oil and entertainment alpha-hydroxy acids that could never be mistaken for your girlfriend's bubbly pink foam. Ole Henriksen Apricot Cleansing Lotion: A creamy mix of sunflower, avocado and sesame oils that treads gently on sensitive skin gives that squeaky clean feeling. Sothys Homme Detoxifying Active Cleanser: A decadent line featuring something called phytomalt drawn from the distillation of malt Scottish Whiskey.
What could be more macho? Don't drink it! Shaving: Crown Shaving: A pre-shave lotion, rich shave cream and after shave with botanical extracts like aloe juice, meadowfoam seed, eucalyptus and white tea leaf that make you want to spend more time hanging out in the bathroom. Dermalogica Soothing Shave Cream: A lathery menthol that feels like cooled whipping cream on the face. Don't eat it. Crowell and Cruthers Men's Shaving Oil: An alternative to cream, this Canadian-made oil with grapeseed, sweet almond, jojoba and sandalwood does seems to ease the process of sharp blades sliding over helpless skin.
Moisturizers: 4VOO Ultra Intensive Age-Defying Complex: A fresh smelling, light cream from a Canadian men's skin care company with a healing touch on shriveled-up skin. Skin Nutrition Cell CPR: Promising to counteract the ravages of time (a promise remarkably consistent among varying brands), this highly pleasant cream can go solo or teamed up with a moisturizer to deliver Omega 3s and other high-priced skin fixers. Yon-Ka For Men Nutri-Moist: A kind of multi-vitamin for male skin, it feels like butter going center
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