Grooming gifts for your last-minute Father’s Day shopping

— and how about fragrance that is a glorious Italian holiday in a bottle, capturing both fresh sea air and summery citrus in one formula

Fragrance and skincare make great last-minute Father's Day gifts. Image by Chanel.

Fathers are perhaps the hardest family members to shop for, and if they made wish lists I’m not sure skincare and fragrance make many top tens. However, there are some wonderful buys in both categories that may leave the dad in your life pleasantly surprised, or at least a little softer, smoother and better protected from UV rays.

UV protection can be challenging for a men, who deal with all the undesirables of SPF product — white films, eye irritation and shiny finishes — without makeup to cover up. And without as broad a range of ingredients in the creams.

Dermalogica Invisible Physical Defence SPF30, €59 at Arnotts and selected pharmacies, is weightless and dries to an imperceptible finish. The protection — which includes blue light as well as UV defence — is mineral-based and gentle on the eyes. The fragrance-free formula uses mushroom and camellia extract to soothe skin and reduce redness, while hyaluronic acids can help improve the natural moisture barrier. It also contains antioxidant-rich green tea to help defend skin against free radical damage.

Clarins Men Energizing Gel, €43 at Brown Thomas

'Energising' is a word used frequently in the marketing materials for men’s skincare. It doesn’t have consistent meaning in this context: sometimes it’s a reference to a product’s promised de-puffing action, sometimes it is about hydration or exfoliation. Clarins Men Energizing Gel, €43, is a water-based antioxidant moisturiser with red ginseng, so this time the energising is about hydration and brightening. Ginseng root delivers numerous antioxidant compounds to the skin and is reportedly a decent source of B vitamins. Independent research, as well as Clarins' own studies, has shown that topical application of ginseng root boosts skin hydration, diminishes rough texture, helps fade uneven skin tone, and help visibly improve wrinkles by working within skin to support its natural firmness. My main issue with this gel is that it contains a relatively minor amount of the ingredient that Clarins makes such a song and dance about, there is far more shea butter, squalane and bamboo extract in this product than ginseng. Still, as men’s moisturisers go, it’s comparatively non-sticky and quite pleasant.

Lab Series is my favourite skincare line aimed specifically at men, the products are generally fragrance-free and have interesting formulas. The brand does lack a decent retinol product but this is also the case with many lines aimed at women. Retinol products aren’t as commercial as they might be, despite Vitamin A’s incomparable anti-aging chops. Plus, I think it would be difficult to sell men on the idea that the 'retinol uglies' (that period where one experiences redness and peeling while the skin adjusts to Vitamin A) are worth it, so many women don’t want to persist with them and we can cover them up relatively easily. Lab Series does have a nice anti-ageing option in its new MAX LS Age-Less Power V Lifting Cream, €75 at Next and larger Boots. The lengthy ingredients list includes peptides proteins and an impressive mix of antioxidants. Apple, pea, coffee seed, cranberry and blueberry extracts are all in the mix, as are soothing murumuru butter and St Paul’s Wort.

Chanel Boy de Chanel Anti-Shine Toning Lotion, €58, is one of this summer’s most distinctive skincare launches. Boy is both a mattifying toner and a perfecting primer of sorts. Recommended for oily skin, this watery gel-textured lotion contains very fine, light-reflecting powders that stay on skin’s surface, and blur imperfections. I like that it works with the skin’s natural oily patches rather than seeking to dry them out or slough them off. Hyaluronic acid hydrates the skin, plumping and comforting it. Allantoin reduces inflammation, while Costa Rican green coffee, which has antioxidant properties, protects skin from pesky free radicals.

Tom Ford Costa Azzurra, €90 for 50ml at Brown Thomas

Finally, there may be endless fragrance options for men but my favourite launch of 2021 so far is quite visibly golden. Tom Ford Costa Azzurra, €90 for 50ml at Brown Thomas, is a glorious Italian holiday in a bottle, capturing both fresh sea air and summery citrus in one formula. The fragrance opens with top notes of driftwood, seaweed, oud, ambrette and cardamom, bringing a spicy bite to the maritime breeze. The heart is a complex blend of lavender, lemon, juniper, mandarin, Artemisia and myrtle. Warm woody scents of vetiver, oak, olibanum, incense and vanilla make up the base. As with all Tom Ford fragrances, a little goes a long way and lasts for some time.