Yes, Men’s Skincare is definitely a necessity but can also be simply a bald-faced lie. How? The answer is not as simple as it may seem. The answer lies in biology of our skin; how it is fundamentally structured and how it functions.

Skincare is often marketed as a necessity for women, but when it comes to men, the conversation usually shifts between a necessity and marketing gimmick. With the rise of men’s grooming brands and products specifically tailored for male skin, many wonder—do men really need skincare, or is this just another industry-driven sales pitch?

Well the complicated answer is No and Yes..

Why No?

Men and Women skin is structurally and functionally different. Both genders may face the same skin concern and for both the SAME ingredients can work however, a standard formulation designed for both the genders may not be as effective as it is for the other or no result at all.

For example, “odor control is much more challenging in males than females because of body hair and the increased production of both sweat and sebum, providing excellent growth media for bacteria.” So, while formulating a skincare product for any of the gender, it’s important to take into account the attributes shared below.

Why Yes?

There are thousands of skincare brands developing products for men, positioning in such a way that these brands are perceived as men centric. They seem to care a lot about men skincare. The products have really good even have bold claims like “better skin in just two weeks”, “dramatically reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.”, “”clinically proven”, and “curated only for men” and what not.

But what’s surprising is that, as per a study done at Valdosta State University in Georgia and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln concludes that 86% of these claims are vague and far fetched. Researchers analyzed 289 makeup, hair care, fragrance and skin care advertisements.

The claims were divided into categories such as scientific claims like “clinically proven” and endorsement claims like “dermatologists recommend.”

Three judges with varying levels of knowledge about the cosmetics industry sorted these claims into four categories: outright lie, omission, vague or acceptable.

Results showed that only 18 percent of all claims were deemed acceptable. Among scientific claims, 86 percent were considered vague (omitting important information) or false.

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Now, where does that leave us? Are we supposed to take men skincare as nothing but a marketing gimmick or a genuine necessity? Because of the arguments seem logical and both are vital.

Conclusion

Taking into account both the arguments shared above, instead of fixating on one of the arguments and shaping our perception accordingly, what we can do is make our purchase decision more wise and calculative.

Instead of simply buying a skincare product because your favourite influencer or celebrity said so, we can read the label of the product and understand the ingredients used in that specific product and make our decision accordingly.

It’s advisable to know your skin first before you make any decision based on ingredients mentioned on the label and only buy skincare from the brand you can trust.