The demand for looking good and maintaining youthful, healthy skin is no longer just for women. According to Packaged Facts, men spend an average of 51 minutes per day grooming, while women spend only four minutes more, at an average of 55 minutes per day.
The first major wave of men’s skin care products appeared in the mid ’90s and has since grown steadily to a projected $6 billion in sales for 2008. With the help of shows like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and adoption of coined terms like “metrosexual” and the recently named “ecosexual” (defined as a man who not only cares about how he looks but also about nature), men are no longer embarrassed to shop for creams or admit their equal desire to find the fountain of youth.
Simply put, men want to look good. The Baby Boomers are seeing grays and wrinkles that they are not going to accept, more men are using self tanners, masks and creams to improve their looks, and spa’s male clientele is multiplying.
Does this popularity of men’s skin care mean manufacturers can simply repackage a best selling moisturizer via targeted copy or graphics? Definitely not. In his article “Lookin’ Good: A Man’s Guide” on WebMD, Peter Jaret wrote, “Most of us don’t go to the cosmetics aisle to get our macho egos stroked. We go because we want to look good at work or on the town.”
A one size fits all mentality won’t cut it. Men’s skin needs are discerningly different than women’s. He has biologically different skin concerns and therefore needs his own product. A man’s skin is biologically different than a woman’s in many ways. A man’s skin is about 20-percent thicker than a woman’s and is usually firmer and denser due to higher levels of collagen and elastin. This is why men see fewer fine lines and why their wrinkles do not appear as deep. Men’s sebaceous glands are more active due to higher testosterone levels, which make pores appear larger and creates oilier, more acne-prone skin. He has more and heavier hairs on his face that requires shaving, a daily ritual for most men that leaves the skin nicked, dry and sensitive.
Finally, sun damage tends to be a problem. Tatiana Oberyszyn, M.D., observed in an article on MedicineNet.com, “Men get twice the number of skin cancers and three times more squamous cell carcinomas than women do.” They are therefore likelier to have visual sun damage as well. This is possibly due to the small percentage of men who wear sunscreen on their faces and that they are more likely to have jobs outdoors or spend longer hours doing outdoor activities.