While women appear to face higher expectations about their appearance, developing our perspectives of masculinity and gender binaries are challenging the assumption that skincare is restricted to women.
Skincare may typically be considered feminine as more women appear to follow a skincare routine than men, but the act of maintaining a regimen is not inherently feminine. Ideas about masculinity and gender are gradually becoming less restrictive, causing such assumptions to become antiquated.
Men’s mental health has been discussed more openly in recent years, and acts of self care, including taking care of your skin, can contribute to maintaining positive wellbeing. Skincare can be therapeutic and encourages dedicating more time towards taking care of yourself, so should not be disregarded as just superfluous.
According to Gillette, “Men and women’s skin typically have very different characteristics,” as men’s higher levels of testosterone means they are more likely to have a higher density of collagen. This leads to men being “typically more likely to have oily skin than women,” and having skin which is thicker. Shaving can also make men’s skin sensitive as it removes the skin cells on the upper layers of skin.
However, having thicker and oilier skin does not exclude men from using skincare products.
These differences do not automatically mean that products must be marketed specifically towards men or women; for instance, popular brands such as The Inkey List and The Ordinary appeal to all consumers. These brands have simple packaging, avoiding the pink tax, and are transparent about their ingredients, which they advertise as targeting specific skin issues.
While men’s skin may differ from women’s, not all men share identical skin concerns, and the same can be said for women. Thus, brands that do not target genders, but target specific skin types and issues prove that skincare does not necessarily need to be divided into gendered categories, but should offer treatments for individual customers.
This marketing towards all genders signifies the importance of skincare for everyone. A simple routine of cleansing, moisturising and, most significantly, using SPF, contributes to healthy and protected skin, which is beneficial to all. SPF is essential all throughout the year, and especially during the summer, to reduce the chance of skin cancer.
As brands strategically target skin concerns and offer neutral branding, skincare is progressively becoming less gendered. Skincare is advantageous for everyone, so should not be restricted by detrimental gender stereotypes.
Edited by Olivia Warburton