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The Best Skincare Products for Men
By Jack Bryam,
14 hours ago
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Look, fellas, just because you’re a man, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t treat your skin to some serious TLC. And just because something may not be marketed directly toward you as a man, that doesn’t mean it’s wrong for you. As dermatologist Luke Maxfield , DO FAAD, explains, “Although marketing may be tailored towards your gender, that doesn’t necessarily mean the product is tailored for you.” Instead, he notes that “The most important thing is to know your skin and know your goals,” whether this be “acne, dark spots, psoriasis, razor burn, or dry skin, each [skincare product] has distinct ingredients that provide specific benefit.” So when it comes to proper skincare for men, the most important thing to note is not your gender, but what your skin is pining for.
What Every Man Needs in His Skincare Routine
According to Dr. Maxfield, when it comes to skincare, men should be zoned in on three keys: cleansing, treating, and protecting. Dr. Maxfield likes to focus in on the treatment portion because this is where people can really hone in on their own specific issues.
Now, it’s important to note that men do still have unique skin, with Dr. Maxfield explaining that “[with] increased androgens, men often have more oil production.” He als notes that men have thicker skin, and as a result, “chemical exfoliants are not only helpful but may be better tolerated.”
Knowing Your Skin Type
One of the most important factors to keep in mind when you’re shopping for skincare products is your skin type. This will help you determine which formulas are best suited for your skin’s unique needs. Here’s a quick look at the different skin types:
Oily Skin: This skin type produces an excess of sebum (your skin’s natural oils), which means it can look shiny and feel greasy (sebum may even be linked with acne ). Dr. Maxfield explains that, for these people, “adding ingredients that decrease oil production like retinoids such as retinol or tretinoin, niacinamide, or even green tea can be helpful along with ingredients that absorb oil like perlite or silica”.
Dry Skin: On the opposite end of the spectrum is dry skin. Men with dry skin may want to reach for a richer, cream-based moisturizer, as well as a cleanser that is made with moisturizing ingredients. Hydrating serums that help with moisture retention can also be beneficial. Look for ingredients like hyaluronic acid, ceramides, shea butter and squalane.
Combination Skin: If you have combination skin, some areas of the face will be oily (typically the forehead, nose and chin – also known as the T-zone), whereas others will be dry. Lightweight hydrating serums can help keep moisture levels in check without feeling too heavy on the skin. You can also seek out lighter cream-based moisturizers.
Sensitive Skin: Gentle ingredients are really the name of the game for sensitive skin. Look for formulas made with soothing ingredients, such as oats, green tea, Centella asiatica, aloe, ceramides and bisabolol. It’s also important to avoid ingredients that can aggravate the skin, such as fragrances or higher concentrations of aggressive active ingredients.
Normal Skin: If you have normal skin, your face doesn’t lean toward being dry or oily, and it doesn’t tend to get too reactive or easily irritated. You’ll still need a good skincare routine to keep your skin balanced and healthy. You can also use serums and treatments that target specific issues, such as dullness or signs of aging.
Understanding your skin type will help you to do what’s best for your skin. But so will some level of trial and error, so don’t be frustrated if one product is not a cure all! If something doesn’t work for you, move on and try something else.
The Best Skincare Products for Men in 2024
Knowing where to start on your skincare journey may seem daunting. But don’t worry, we compiled a comprehensive list of our favorite picks to help you on your manly quest for excellent skincare.
Remember how Dr. Maxfield suggested something that’s absorbent for oily skin? That’s the reason why we love Blu Atlas’ Volcanic Ash Face Cleanser. As the name implies, it features bentonite, a volcanic ash that is particularly absorbent. In addition to handling excess oil, this pick also works to clean and may even assist in keeping the pores on your skin looking and feeling tighter.
In addition to the bentonite, this pick also includes pomegranate seed oil for its abundance of vitamins A, C, and K, and essential omega fatty acids to promote antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It also includes lactobacillus ferment filtrate to soothe and protect the skin. Finally, this cleanser is available in classic, coconut apricot, and fragrance free options. And as always with Blu Atlas, it features 98% of its ingredients courtesy of plants, fruits, and minerals, so, what are you waiting for?
If you’d prefer to stick with a drugstore cleanser, check out the Hydro Boost Gel Cleanser from affordable brand Neutrogena. This hydrating face wash has a gel-based formula that is crafted to be suitable for all skin types.
The star ingredient in this cleansing gel is hyaluronic acid. This humectant draws water to the skin and locks it in, leaving the face feeling soft, supple and healthy. It works alongside glycerin, another humectant that ensures the skin’s hydration levels are optimally balanced.
The Hydro Boost Gel Cleanser thoroughly washes away dirt, excess oil and other impurities, but is still gentle on the skin, making it an ideal choice for twice-daily use. It’s made without sulfates, parabens or phthalates, and is hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic (meaning it doesn’t contain ingredients known to clog pore).
If you want our two cents, making the most of your sleep is a hugely beneficial tool for skincare. That means getting your eight hours, of course, but also loading up your skin with beneficial ingredients beforehand. For us, this pick from Junk Theory focuses on all the right things. We love that it has lipids, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and AHAs to leave no skincare stone unturned before you get some shut eye.
The plum in the name refers to the Kakadu plum, which Junk Theory notes has more than 100 times more vitamin C than an orange. Beyond that, this pick features an algae and kelp prebiotic to help soothe stressed skin and reduce redness. We’ve tested this pick, and we love the lightweight feel and pleasant scent. Come morning time, we feel refreshed and ready to tackle the day.
As an ingredient, retinol has research to back it up as a powerhouse for improving skin texture, dryness, and fine lines . With that in mind, it had to earn a spot on our list in the form of Skinceuticals’ Retinol 0.3. We like this pick because retinol usage is something that should be eased into - Skinceuticals notes that due to the rapid cell renewal that it creates, it may irritate people’s skin. That’s why we like the 0.3 model, which is geared more toward beginners than other options.
This pick is designed to help with collagen production, and stimulate turnover to help with fine lines and blemishes, so it’s perfect for anyone looking for an anti-aging secret weapon.
Another Blu Atlas gem, the Vitamin C Serum is loaded with antioxidants and other ingredients to promote skin brightening. Beyond just the vitamin C, it also features aloe vera and mulberry root, an ingredient that features antioxidant properties to keep the skin calm while helping to even out skin tone. Another key ingredient is apple fruit extract, a humectant that helps get rid of free radicals and prevent new ones from forming.
A nice bonus is that this pick also is vegan, phthalate free, paraben free, cruelty free, and sulfate free.
This moisturizer from Blu Atlas is packed with nutrient-dense ingredients that moisturize and fortify the barrier as they tackle signs of aging, dullness and other common concerns. It’s vegan, cruelty-free, clean and loaded with natural ingredients.
This moisturizer is formulated with vitamin C, which adds an antioxidant boost to keep the skin protected against environmental aggressors. It also helps to brighten skin as it lessens signs of aging. The formula also contains seaweed extract, an antioxidant-rich ingredient that supports skin health by lightly exfoliating, defending against free radicals, balancing oil production and moisturizing the skin. Additionally, it features mango seed butter, a natural ingredient that is loaded with vitamins C and E, both of which are antioxidants. Finally, we love that it comes in classic, coconut apricot, and fragrance free options.
If you’re struggling with dry skin, and nothing seems to be cutting it, you’ll want to reach for this product from Weleda. Featuring pansy, chamomile and calendula, Skin Food is not joking around when it comes to keeping that precious moisture in, while also nourishing the skin. If you have dry and cracked elbows, heels, or knees, this product will do the trick. But if you’re also looking to get a super hydrating, pleasant glow on your face? It can do that just as well. It’s also NATRUE certified, meaning that it’s cruelty-free and free of synthetic preservatives, fragrances, parabens, and phthalates.
Just be mindful that it definitely goes on heavier than other moisturizers, which is why it leaves a pleasant glow, but if you’re someone who prefers a more matte finish, this won’t be ideal for you.
This moisturizer/sunscreen combo really offers the best of both worlds. Featuring edelweiss flower and vitamins E, B3 and B5, it works to nourish the skin for 24 hour hydration. At the same time, it protects your skin from UVA and UVB rays as antioxidants keep your skin safe from free radical damage.
In our experience, this pick goes on light and clear and is undetectable within moments.
Utilizing a combo of physical and chemical exfoliation, this pick from Dr. Brandt is a dual factor hit to renew the skin and alleviate issues like fine lines and dull skin. It uses granules from wood cellulose for physical exfoliation. On the chemical side, this pick opts for AHA’s glycolic and lactic acid to also assist with those pesky fine lines and wrinkles.
And an added bonus, 97% of the ingredients used in this product are of natural origin.
We would be remiss to not also include this awesome exfoliator from Blu Atlas. While it works to exfoliate, we found in our own testing that it is pleasantly gentle as well. That is because it features a slew of amazing ingredients. Relying on hibiscus flower to fight free radicals and jojoba seed oil for its moisture sealing properties courtesy of vitamins B, C, and E, it is as gentle as it is effective. Finally, bamboo stem extract gives your skin some much needed antioxidant and antimicrobial benefits.
If you’re someone that doesn’t like abrasive exfoliators, this is the one for you.
Everyone’s heard the term antioxidants before, but what does it really mean for skincare? Well, apparently a whole lot of good, such as potentially helping to prevent or slow aging and cell damage . We’ve tried this pick from Filorga and appreciate that it comes with a convenient dropper and a very pleasant, but mild, scent. Inside, it features a cocktail of ingredients such as five antioxidants and hyaluronic acid geared toward protecting while also hydrating and smoothing the skin.
While it’s available in a classic scent, we are a bit biased towards the coconut apricot version of this body wash from Blu Atlas. Seriously, it’s hard not to keep washing with how subtle but delicious the smell is. Inside this lather is green tea extract to provide some serious antioxidants, aloe barbadensis for moisture, and sugarcane to naturally exfoliate the buildup on your body, while also helping to smoothen and brighten the skin.
You’ll be tempted to use as much as possible with the scent, but make it last, because you’d hate to be without it.
It’s hard to beat the price and the overall effectiveness of Lubriderm’s products. We love this pick in particular because the 24 fluid ounce bottle is going to last you quite some time, and it’s loaded with lovely ingredients to keep your body looking just as youthful as your face. Inside this pump bottle are a plethora of nutritious and beneficial ingredients, namely shea butter, glycerin, and Pro-ceramide. That last ingredient, according to Dr.Maxfield, “act[s] as building blocks so your skin can replenish its own ceramides.”
We’ve used it, and we love it, especially the fact that it’s designed for even the most sensitively skinned out there. But what we love the most is that it goes on non-greasy and really gets to work quickly.
As this list has already demonstrated, we really like vitamin C. And this super lightweight pick from Drunk Elephant is no exception. In our experience, we love how quickly it soaks in, and the fact that it soaks in quickly, and the fact that it can be used day and night.
Using five different forms of vitamin C, this is designed for keeping skin firm and brightening uneven tone. Beyond vitamin C, it also includes eight peptides to alleviate fine lines and wrinkles, and it also boasts some additional antioxidant benefits courtesy of cucumber extract.
No skincare regimen is complete without a proper sun protection formula. Seriously, sun exposure can really make your skin age more rapidly . Don’t just take our word for it. Dr. Maxfield tells us that “If a man were only going to pick one product, it would still be sunscreen. This one step is easily the most impactful when it comes to affecting all signs of aging skin, preventing skin cancer, and affording skin health.”
With that in mind, we highly recommend this pick from Kopari because in addition to relying on zinc for sun protection, it also includes a handful of ingredients also geared toward nourishing the skin, such as hyaluronic acid, raspberry seed oil, vitamin E, and rice bran extract. The result? A product geared toward preventing moisture loss and employing antioxidants for free radical protection, all while soothing the skin.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to take your skincare routine to the next level? Here are a few tips and tricks for making the most of the products that you’re using in your routine.
How often should you use a serum?
Many serums are made to be used on a daily basis, and some can even be used up to two times per day. However, keep in mind that there’s a huge variety of serums on the market, and some should be used less frequently. You should read the instructions on the specific serum you choose, and see how your skin reacts to determine best usage for your unique needs. Formulas made with more potent active ingredients – such as retinol or chemical exfoliants – should generally only be used a few times per week. This is especially true if the serum contains higher concentrations of these types of ingredients.
Should you cleanse twice a day?
Everyone should at the very least cleanse once a day in the evening to remove sunscreen, as well as dirt, impurities, and excess oil that have accumulated on the skin throughout the day. Men with dry or sensitive skin may find that only cleansing once a day in the evening works well for their skin. Men with combination or oily skin will likely find that they prefer to wash their skin twice a day.
Should you moisturize if you have oily skin?
Dr. Maxfield tells us that “They absolutely can, and with some upside. Our oils do have some functional benefits for our skin, they are high in squalene, triglycerides, and more. However, for some people, the oil is excessive, or oxidation of these oils contributes to acne, or over time our oil composition changes and is no longer optimal for the skin.” He adds that “many people's skin lacks adequate amounts of ceramides or fillagrin, which keep a healthy barrier, and even the oil glands can’t compensate for that.”
Keeping this in mind, Dr. Maxfield tells us that products with pro Ceramides are helpful for making the skin restore its own skin barrier, noting that, “The overarching theme of the moisturizer is to protect and restore the skin barrier, and even oily skin needs help with this oftentimes.”
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