Marketers have long had a specific idea of how and where men fit into the world of beauty. They sold it to us. And we bought it. Now, that concept of what beauty products men want, need or desire has begun to shift. And thank goodness for that. Otherwise there would still be a plethora of offensive “manly” scents lurking about and the marketers would continue to indoctrinate us into believing every man wanted to be drenched in an intense waft that’s enough to make an entire train carriage nauseous. While those fragrances haven’t entirely disappeared, they are certainly less prevalent. More than ever we now have beautiful fragrances unassigned to gender, which means anyone can reach for any scent. If you smell it and you like it, wear it. The recent launch from Maison Margiela – a pink pepper, rose, patchouli and pine scent – and the Hermès classic Eau d’Orange Verte – a citrus meets moss blend – are good examples of this modern approach. Of course, the usual suspects, like beard oil, deodorant, hand cream, still have their place. The difference is, the way they look or smell is a little more inspired than their predecessors. There are some bigger shifts, too: eye creams and concealers for men. Who knew that men also actually care about the way the skin under their eyes looks and feels? Certainly not the marketers of old.
1. Sisley Hair Ritual Restructuring Conditioner £53, net-a-porter.com
2. Horace Tobacco & Vanilla Beard Oil £13, horace.co
3. Tom Ford Concealer £36, tomford.co.uk
4. Aesop Exalted Eye Serum £81, aesop.com
5. Maison Margiela Replica, When the Rain Stops £99, selfridges.com
6. Hermès Eau d’orange Verte cologne £118, hermes.com
7. Loewe Licorice Solid Soap £40, perfumesloewe.com
8. Dior Sauvage Face & Beard Hydrating Skincare £46, dior.com
9. Grown Alchemist Roll On Deodorant £23, feelunique.com
10. L’Occitane Cade 3-in 1 Hand Cream £16.50, loccitane.com
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