Pore Man
There are signs that the prospect of looking forever young is beginning to be as attractive to men as it is to women. The market for high-end men’s skin-care products, though still in its infancy, has grown exponentially over the past five years.
According to the research firm NPD, men’s skin care sold in U.S. fine department stores generated $33.5 million last year, an increase of 7.6% in dollar sales from 2009. Brands catering exclusively to men, such as Jack Black and Zirh, have introduced products that incorporate advanced ingredients like watermelon extract and peptides. And companies like Organic Pharmacy, a cult favorite of women, have expanded their lineups to include products specifically formulated for men.
When it comes to marketing luxury skin-care products, abstruse scientific arcana can be a seductive selling point for men. Brands like La Mer and Perricone MD apply a high-tech approach to engineering their unisex products, allocating much of their budget toward developing patented ingredients which they believe can slow, or in some cases reverse, the effects of aging. The investment pays off—purchases by men comprise approximately 20% of both La Mer’s and Perricone MD’s revenue without any special effort on their part to target male consumers. Though their products are not geared toward a specific gender, certain formulas are particularly advantageous for male skin. Andy Bevacqua, vice president of research and development at La Mer, observes that “most men irritate their face every day by shaving. No matter how delicately they shave, in addition to dead skin cells, they’re also exfoliating live ones.” From his point of view, it’s most important to soothe and calm inflammation, which in turn can cause larger pores, greater sebum production, wrinkles and sagging skin. Crème de la Mer’s trademarked fermented kelp “miracle broth” (developed by NASA scientist Max Huber, to help heal his severe chemical burns) attempts to do just that.
Mario Badescu has great products for men! They are all-natural.
I don’t mind a man trying to look good for his age; however, if you do certain things, we will have a problem.
Do not own more grooming products than I do.
Do not get your chest hair and/or eyebrows waxed.
Do not lighten your hair, that “younger than springtime” color is oh so obvious and for your information, the shade is yellow/orange.
Do not comb your strands from one end of your head to the other in an effort to appear to have more hair on your head than you do.
Do not wear shirts that are a few sizes too small to appear more muscular than you are. For your information, I can tell!