Men’s skincare – are they for real? August 12, 2008
Many many traditionally female-focused skincare lines now promote men’s skincare ranges. Is it just marketing widening their consumer net by rebranding the same old products? Or do men have particular skincare needs that only specialised products satisfy?
I think the answer to both these questions is a paradoxical Yes, which is sad for men. You see, I visited a well-respected site that convinced me that men probably do require different skin products to women, and a quick google-ing seemed to confirm this.
productfiend.com says:
guys really do need to use some products that are formulated for men. You see, man skin tends to be oilier, more acidic and have bigger pores with smaller sebaceous glands, so girly cleansers and moisturizers just don’t cut it. In addition, guys have thicker skin due to more collagen, so they don’t show aging as early as we do but when they start to get lines, there’s some serious wrinkle action.
Plus, on top of that, you’re probably shaving 50 percent of that skin, scraping away protective top layers every single day! Ouch.
However, industry practice doesn’t seem to reflect this difference between men and women. Some time ago a Clinique counter lady let it slip to me that their men’s M Lotion was just the same as the women’s Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion. I found this ingredients list for men’s M lotion:
Purified Water, Mineral Oil, Sesame Oil, Propylene Glycol, Tea-stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Lanolin Alcohol, Petrolatum, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, fd and c yellow no. 5 (CI19140), fd and c yellow no.6 (CI15985), d and c red no. 33 (CI172000) [iln5386]
and the women’s Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion has exactly the same ingredients, listed in the same order (implying quantities are similar if not the same).
What the deuce??? Are men being gyped??? Are they being tricked by clever marketing into buying products designed for women’s skin???
Out of interest – is there any price difference between the men’s & women’s (identical) product?
I’m outside a lot (doing manly stuff with machines & chainsaws, hurr hurr!), I use moisturiser & sun screen now & then (currently Body shope stuff, but the girls buy me stuff when they think I’m, looking a bit chapped & beaten up).
There. And I am completely secure in my sexuality.
I think that supermarket brands like Nivea have the same price point, but I can’t see as big a market for men for the $40+ type skincare.
Our beloved Skinfood sells itself as unisex, so perhaps I might ask the husband of our prize winner to comment back with his findings.
I use Living Nature stuff. From what I recall it’s the same price and (probably) the same products as the women’s stuff.
However there are two differences:
1. it comes in a black bottle, for extra manliness.
2. there are more shaving products
I heartily recommend the shaving gel.
My husband may not be the best tester, as he is extremely forgetful. He does rave about Dove soap (the runny stuff in a bottle) for shaving, but that is about the only thing I’ve witnessed him using regularly.
“1. it comes in a black bottle, for extra manliness.”
Aw man, it makes me yearn for the days when swarfega (the original “men’s” product) came in gallon tins.