Many people wonder if skincare products have a gender. It is common to believe that skincare is women’s business and men do not need to take care of their skin. Is it true? Do men and women use the same skincare? Are skincare products unisex?
Calypso Cavallo tells you everything you need to know!
Are skincare products unisex?
Most people believe skincare is for girls, and men cannot use the same products as women. Is it accurate?
To understand if skincare products are unisex, we must determine if there are significant differences between men’s and women’s skin. Men’s skin tends to be oilier than women’s because they have a more facial heir, but nothing that would make skincare inefficient. All humans’ skin has a similar structure, regardless of gender. Men and women can definitely use the same products.
Moreover, men and women have the same skin goals: they want it to look smooth, young, and healthy.
Men and women may have dry skin, normal skin, combination skin, or oily skin. They should use products made for their skin type as the ingredients are not the same to rehydrate dehydrated skin and purify oily skin. Check our article to learn more about your skin type!
Men who shave often tend to have dryer skin than those who grew fluffy beards. Men with beard have to be very hygienic with it because it may cause acne as it retaing residus from food or sebum.
Knowing that skincare products are unisex can save women some money on products such as shaving gels or creams, which tend to be more expensive when marketed for women.
Are skincare products unisex? A matter of marketing
Are skincare products unisex? Yes… and no! Depending on who they are marketed for, skin care products may have a more feminine (or masculine fragrance). It often embarrasses men to use skincare smelling like women’s perfume. Perfume mimics pheromones, the body’s natural odors, to attract the opposite sex. Men and women are reluctant to use scented products designed for the opposite gender.
If you are looking for unisex skincare, go for unscented products. The packaging does not matter, even if marketing techniques make it more appealing for men or women depending on the targeted customers.
There are many more skincare products targeted at women than men, so it can be interesting for men to search in the women’s section if they have trouble finding skincare products that suit them. Men’s skincare products are often « all in one » and rarely come in variations for different skin types.
Women who are sensitive to heavily fragranced products should look for gender-neutral or non-fragranced skincare products that are often marketed for men.
Why men should use skincare too?
Many men think skincare is for girls. However, men too would get huge benefice from practicing skincare daily. Even if men can use skincare products marketed for women, they face issues women don’t know about, primarily because of facial hair and hormone levels.
As mentioned before, men tend to have oilier skin than women because they have more facial hair. This parameter increases their risk of getting ingrown hair on their faces. The best way to address this problem is to treat the ingrown hair as acne pimples, using tea-tree-containing skincare products. Gently exfoliating the skin once a week can help prevent this problem.
On the contrary, men who shave often have dryer skin. To rehydrate their skin, they should invest in moisturizing skincare products, such as rich creams or sebum. Dry skins look older faster.
Last but not least, men should remember to protect their skin from UV light using an SPF-containing product, as skin cancer does not have a gender.
