Men’s Grooming: Are We Taking Better Care of Our Skin?

Are we men taking better care of our skin? According to a report released earlier this year, yes we are. Still many of us have a way to go as to how good of a job we are doing.

The report, released by research organization The NPD Group Inc., revealed more than nine in 10 men are using some type of grooming product, but only a quarter of us actually use facial skincare. That figure has grown, however, and revenue for men’s facial skin care products inched up 11 percent in 2011 from the year prior.

What we’re doing right

We’re washing our faces more. The report found 37 percent of men are using a facial cleanser (and not just bar soap!). That same percentage of men is also using lotions and moisturizers.

Approximately 26 percent of men (a mild victory) are using more targeted products such as acne treatments and lip care products.

Interesting enough the men’s grooming segment is one of the fastest growing in the cosmetic industry. In fact, sales for men’s grooming products is expected to reach $3.2 billion by 2016, up from the $2.6 billion projected for 2012.

Room for improvement

While this growth certainly is promising, there’s still a lot of us out there either not using anything for our faces at all, or using bar soap and body lotion in lieu of products geared towards our mugs.

Why is this important? We have some very specific skin care needs that stretch beyond just basic cleansing and hydrating. What makes our skin different?

• We produce more sebum (aka, we have more oily skin)
• Our facial hair creates several issues such as ingrown hairs, dryness and razor burn
• We have larger pores than women
• Our skin is more sensitive
• We have thicker skin (not in the figurative sense)
• Men’s skin is more acidic
• We have a higher incidence of skin cancer

These differences create some underlying needs specific to our skin and to combat, or prevent, them we have to find the right solutions. So next time you attempt to bring that bar of soap up to your face, or slather that body lotion north of your neck, think twice. Instead seek out a cleanser created to address our larger, oilier pores, and other products that provide solutions for our skincare problems.