Manity Fair: The rise of male vanity
A MAN in his 50s is smiling at me. His face has more lines and grooves than a public ice skating rink. He looks, a little, like a saddle bag with eyes.
Every wrinkle on Hugh Laurie’s face could tell a story. They have been earned and, in turn, earn him a lot of money playing a craggy doctor in House. So why, I ask myself, is he advertising face cream? Is he trying to say: See these wrinkles that you all admire? I’m trying to obliterate them with moisturiser. Is he just being... vain?
Laurie’s not alone. ‘Real men’ from Gerard Butler to Donncha O’Callaghan are apparently embracing the new religion of self-improvement. Celebrities such as Johnny Depp and Bradley Cooper have been snapped wearing ‘slap’.
L’Oreal’s line that “I’m worth it” used to be just about female empowerment. It’s now about male vanity — or manity as I like to call it.
Maybe that’s being a bit harsh, but there’s no doubt that male grooming is “in”. According to the latest figures from Euromonitor International, sales here of men’s cosmetic products are huge: €105m in 2013, a 4% increase on the previous year. Cosmetic sales are predicted to reach €121m in 2018.
Top stylist Darren Kennedy believes Irishmen have firmly changed their attitude towards moisturiser/male beauty products.
“Any man who wants to get ahead, or simply take pride in himself and his appearance, is aware of the value of being well-groomed. That’s not to say it’s all eyebrow shaping and fake tan. In fact, it’s the opposite for many guys who choose to cultivate a more dishevelled look but the point is: It’s intentional.
“Sales of male grooming products, shavers, and body hair trimmers have sky-rocketed over the past couple of years. And in the media there’s a much more obvious focus on targeting men. The women’s market has long been saturated and men’s grooming is where there is the biggest growth. But it’s also the fact that attitudes are changing and you’re no longer viewed as being a ‘sissy’ if you take care of yourself.
“As it happens, I hosted the British launch of Gerard Butler’s latest campaign with Hugo Boss in London and while he’s impressively rugged, he’s also very carefully groomed.”
Just like the female market, male grooming has its seasonal trends.
“The beard is the most obvious one,” says Darren, “but I reckon that’s on the way out in 2015.
“It has had it’s moment. A more subtle stubble look will take its place as the year progresses.”
Darren has just launched his own YouTube channel (Help My Style) and looks annoyingly good. What’s his own grooming/product regime?
“I don’t have a regime per se, I just like to mix it up and try out new things. I have good and bad weeks. On a good week, I’ll use an exfoliator. On not-so-good weeks, I’ll just slap on whatever moisturiser is closest to hand.
“I travel on planes so much these days and it does dry out your skin. So, even though I don’t have a regular skincare regime, I do try to treat myself to a facial from time to time. It’s great for the skin and I find it a great way to unwind.
“I never leave home without some Kiehl’s Energizer Facial Fuel with SPF 15 and a bottle of Tom Ford Azure Lime from his Private Blend collection.”
It may surprise most people to learn that the 10 top ‘growth’ markets for men’s toiletries during the last five years include Brazil, South Korea (Gangnam style!) and China. In the communist state, sales are growing at more than 20% a year. Apparently, middle-class Chinese men equate skin grooming with sophistication. The same story applies in India.
Brazil has been the stand-out growth market for men’s beauty products, according to Euromonitor. There HAS to be a joke in there about smooth skin and ‘Brazilians’...
So what’s behind the surge in sales of male slap? TV may be a factor. Laurie, who looks as though he has stepped off Mount Rushmore, is a brand ambassador for L’Oreal. He believes in moisturising, and being “well turned-out”.
Well turned-out is one thing, but no-one wants to take it to the level of Eurovision winner, Conchita. Or be like the preternaturally preened, Ronaldo. If he was made of chocolate, he’d eat himself.
Sports stars like Simon Zebo (uses Nivea), and Donncha O’Callaghan (uses whatever his sister, Emma “suggests”), have made it acceptable to moisturise. Becks is doing his bit too.
He is, possibly, the best ad ever for smearing bird droppings on your face. In 2008, he and Victoria were reported to be indulging in £100 Geisha Facials, using a paste made from nightingale poo.
My favourite moisturising metrosexual is cricketer Shane Warne. The former boozer tweets about beauty products — but once had a McDonald’s burger named after him. Classy.
The wearing of makeup has been accepted in the gay community for years (and will sky rocket once gay wedding bells are legally chiming).
The current trend among straight men is about looking good and projecting a confident image.
‘Manity’ has become so acceptable that it’s given rise to a new acronym: The Yummy.
According to highly-respected Bloomberg Business Week, he’s a young urban male obsessed with personal grooming and health. “Taking pride and taking greater confidence from maintaining a well-groomed appearance now defines what it is to be ‘a man’ in today’s society.”
Moisturiser aside, having a good set of gnashers has always been top priority for the seasoned celebrity/Yummy. Niall Horan from One Direction had braces fitted at the height of his success, as did Tom Cruise. Louis Walsh’s teeth were a bit ‘Japanese Subway’ (overcrowded) before he got them done. Ronan Keating too.
There are no new figures available for Ireland, but 10 years ago the British cosmetic dentistry market was estimated to be worth a quarter of a billion pounds. It’s now said to be worth four times that.
‘Barbering’ is also rising on the popularity charts. “Barbering has really grown and taken back the share of the market it lost to Unisex salons in the 80s,” says Hugh McAllister of the long-established Grafton Barbers chain.
“Men are much more knowledgeable now. Twenty years ago when you asked a man if he wanted his eyebrow or nose hair trimmed, he would have looked at you weirdly. Now, our customers have no problem getting their eyebrows shaped. They will also ask for their hair and beard to be coloured.”
“Today’s Irishman wants to be looked after in a male environment, with quality service and the right comforts.”
That includes a glug of the hard stuff, if they feel like imbibing.
“We’ve now moved on from just offering free bottled beers to partnering on occasions with whiskey companies to sample new and old tastes,” says Hugh.
Swigging beer and whiskey at the barbers may not be the best way to get glowing skin, says nutritionist Oliver McCabe (39).
“Drinking less alcohol is important for good skin maintenance. You have to look after your liver as it affects your face, especially in terms of black bags under the eyes. If I’m going out for the night I take 12 drops of Milk Thistle and when I come home I take a vitamin B tablet.
“You are what you eat. I have a green smoothie every day and drink plenty of water. Men should drink at least two litres a day. Cardio exercise is really important too. Sweating is good for the skin and tones the facial muscles.”
McCabe is a walking advert for the organic side of male grooming. His skin is ludicrously glowing for an almost-40-year-old. It wasn’t always the case. It glowed with acne until he was 18.
“I only use ‘pure’ or organic products. Sixty percent of what you put on your face is absorbed into the body, so I don’t use anything with chemicals or fragrances.
“I start the day by showering with Seavite. It’s an Irish product made from seaweed. If I’m using a shampoo, it’s a non-chemical one: Faith in Nature. I use Clinique for shaving and always apply soap before applying shave gel.
“ I apply a facecream (Phyts) and Trilogy rosehip oil. I also use Dr Hauschka Day Cream and eye cream.”
Personally, I draw the line at using eye cream, but I steal some of my wife’s moisturiser when she’s not looking. You can call that vanity. I call it ‘face value’. I grew up in the ’80s when a splash of Brut and a flannel under the armpits was the height of sophistication.
Waxing – or ‘manscaping’ – is absolutely out of bounds. Not even my legs, let alone back or, er, other places. A recent survey by Braun claims over 70% of men admit to trimming their body hair to look like Daniel Craig. But back to skin: are Irishmen taking more care of their faces? Oliver McCabe doesn’t think so.
“They wait until the damage is done and then pick up products while rushing through airports, or the supermarket. The average guys’ bathroom cabinet is full of out-of-date stuff bought that way or given to them by their girlfriends. With respect, girlfriends don’t have men’s skin, so what do they know?”
He has a point. Men’s skin is different to women’s.
“It’s 20% thicker and denser than women’s skin so it’s more resilient and heavier,” says Marrita Coyne, PR manager for Clarins Ireland, which has been selling men’s skincare products for the past 10 years.
“It produces more collagen and generates more cellular activity which means it’s firmer and renews itself faster.
“To fuel this cellular activity, men’s skin has a much denser network of blood capillaries with an increased blood flow that provides it with the huge supply of oxygen and high energy nutrients it needs.
“Men’s skin also ages differently to women’s skin. It produces more protective sebum (a mix of perspiration and natural oils) and firming collagen so it ages more slowly. However, when a man’s skin does start to show signs of ageing, its weight makes it all the more pronounced.
“And because men’s skin tends to be oilier, it’s more prone to blocked pores and shaving makes it more vulnerable to dehydration and sensitivity.”
Sounds grim, but help is at hand – or face – in terms of the number of products out there designed to beat the wrinkles.
“The volume of male products on the market is testament to the growth in interest in male grooming. Also, magazines like Tatler are writing about male grooming now, so there is much more awareness.”
Coyne’s advice is not to steal your wife’s products. “Use products that specifically address your skin concerns — hydration, anti-ageing etc. Seek professional advice from a trained beauty advisor, and establish a regular routine and stick to it.”
So lads, there you are: it’s okay to stock up the bathroom press with moisturiser. And if your girlfriend complains, just turn around, smile and say: “Here comes the groom”.
