Trend Report
Feb. 2020
Male skincare 2.0
The new self-image of male grooming. Skincare has left the niche of metrosexual men and reach out to the young generation z.
A male emancipation in the bathroom has taken place.
The Skincare routine for men is a phenomenon that has made its way out of the niche. This mainstreamization of male facial care had gained presence mainly through social media.
The man no longer uses the face cream of his girlfriend. He now has his own skincare products, which has its own place in the bathroom. A standard skincare routine includes a cleanser, a toner and a moisterizer.
The cleanser cleanses the skin from dirt, the toner regulates the PH level of the skin. The moisterizer provides moisture and care. Extra steps can be included additionally. Such as the use of a serum (after cleansing) and a face oil (after the Moisterizer).
At the beginning of the 2000s, only a few, very vain men, like the English football player David Beckham, were worthy of taking care for themself as women do. As seen in the 2000s thriller "American Psycho", Christian Bale used a whole arsenal of skin care products to give his skin the best glow possible. The metrosexual man, who stood in front of the mirror for as long as the woman, was often smiled at and dismissed as a cliché of the gay community.
A parallel way can also be observed in the development of male make-up.
In 2003 Jean-Paul Gaultier launched his first make-up line for men called "Monsieur". However, the make-up line soon disappeared from the market. The general critic was: The complexity of the product range of “Monsieur” overwhelmed the man with too many different products. From foundation to eyeliner, Monsieur's make-up offered all kinds of knick-knacks that were only used by hardcore, metrosexual men.
Since the last 2 years the male skincare community has been visible more than ever before. According to statistica.com, the sales figures for skincare products are growing by an average of 1% per year in the European market, with a turnover of 33,594.7 million US dollars in 2019. In October 2019 the famous DJ Diplo was the face of the skincare brand Ole henriksen.
On Tiktok (the app of Generation Z) young men give each other tips on how to take care of their skin. The Skincare Influencer Hyrem gives reviews of hyped skincare products on his YouTube channel and mercilessly analyzes the ingredients, which often leads to unfiltered ratings. On May 3, 2020 his YouTube channel "Skincarebyhyrem" was awarded with a golden YouTube Award, which has 1.45 million followers. On Instagram many posts are shared with hashtags like #skincaremen, #menbeauty #menskincaretips. The fact that men give themselves skincare tips on social media has also become popular in Asia. The MS Glow brand is particularly present here. On YouTube videos appear with titels like, "How I cleared my Skin || Skincare tips". In such videos, young men show how they have overcome their acne phase and how their skincare routine looks like in order to maintain a good skin appearance.
The media have made a great contribution to how Skincare is viewed today. In an interview with "the Guardian", singer Harry Styles answered the question why he painted his nails: "What women wear. What men wear. For me it's not a question of that. If I see a nice shirt and get told, 'But it's for ladies. I think: 'Okaaaay? Doesn't make me want to wear it less though. I think the moment you feel more comfortable with yourself, it all becomes a lot easier.
This statement that Harry Styles expresses is one of the reasons why young men try skincare products with more confidence.
Jean-Paul Gautier's Monsieur was a flop, but CHANEL did successfully launched their make-up line for men in 2018. "Boy de CHANEL" is the first men's make-up line from CHANEL. The difference to Jean Paul Gautier's Monsieur is the reduced product range. "Boy de CHANEL" only consists three products. A light foundation, an eyebrow pencil, and a lip care. That's it. CHANEL has reinvented men's make-up by removing the inhibitions. CHANEL's official statement on "Boy de CHANEL”: ”Beauty is not a matter of gender, it is a matter of style."
This parallel development to men's make-up is a another indicator of the mainstreamization of men's care.
Today's Zeitgeist allows young men to deal with their own care more openly.
Trend cartogram:
Innovators: David Beckham, early 2000's (metrosexual)
Drivers
The 3 key forces driving the trend:
Impact
How the trend is manifested. Articles about Skincare, YouTube Videos, TikTok care tips by young male for young male.
Consequences
Metrosexuel men are not a minority anymore, new beauty market opens up.
Alongside with the trend comes additional gadgets like beauty Corner for men, Bath room furnitures that provide storage to make skincare Routine easier for men.
Futures
Early majority? Modern man of today?