Skin concerns are not exclusive to one gender.
Image: Freepik
Spend five minutes in any beauty aisle, and you’ll spot the divide almost instantly.
Soft pinks, pastels and glass bottles on one side, all promising glow and radiance.
Then, everything shifts to blue, grey and black packaging with words like “power”, “fresh” and “extreme” splashed across the labels, and you know that you’ve wandered into the men’s section.
It’s a familiar layout that most of us barely question, even though it has more to do with clever marketing than what our skin actually needs.
And yet, behind closed bathroom doors, plenty of men have quietly been reaching for their partner’s serums and moisturisers for years.
The difference now? They’re no longer hiding it.
Men are paying more attention to their skin than ever before.
Image: RDNE Stock project / Pexels
Men are paying more attention to their skin than ever before, and in doing so, they’re starting to realise something simple: their skin doesn’t actually need its own category.
For years, skincare has been sold as two separate worlds.
One promises simplicity and speed for men. The other offers women multi-step routines and the elusive glow.
But increasingly, that divide is starting to feel more like clever branding than actual science.
“Skin doesn’t have a gender, but skincare marketing does,” says Shannon Dougall, CEO and founder of SKIN Functional.
“The needs of our skin, like cleansing, hydration and sun protection, are fundamentally the same for everyone.”
There are, of course, some biological differences.
Men’s skin is typically a little thicker and can produce more oil. Women’s skin may fluctuate more with hormones and can lean towards dryness or sensitivity.
But these differences aren’t as clear-cut as the labels suggest.
“A man can have dry, sensitive skin, and a woman can have oily, resilient skin,” Dougall explains. “The idea that all men or all women need specific products is a gross oversimplification.”
In reality, most of us are dealing with the same issues: breakouts, dehydration, sensitivity, pigmentation and ageing.
None of these concerns is exclusive to one gender, and they don’t magically respond better to darker packaging or floral branding.
In reality, most of us are dealing with the same issues: breakouts, dehydration, sensitivity, pigmentation and ageing.
Image: Roman Odintsov / Pexels
If gender isn’t the deciding factor, what is?
It comes down to understanding your own skin. Not the label on the bottle, not what’s trending on TikTok, but what your skin actually needs day to day.
“The only question to ask is ‘do I understand my skin type?’ and with this, what products and skincare routine actions you need to be doing daily,” says Dougall.
Whether your skin is oily, dry, combination or sensitive will shape your routine far more than whether you shop in the “men’s” or “women’s” aisle.
Then there are external factors.
Living in South Africa means constant sun exposure, which makes daily SPF non-negotiable.
Add pollution, stress, diet and lack of sleep into the mix, and your skin’s behaviour becomes even more individual.
Even habits like shaving can influence the skin barrier and lead to irritation if not properly managed.
“These are the things that should guide your routine,” Dougall notes. “Not whether a product is labelled ‘for men’ or ‘for women’.”
One of the biggest shifts happening right now is a move away from packaging and towards what’s actually inside the product.
“We’re seeing a move towards what I call ‘skin-tellectualism’. People want to understand the science behind what they’re using,” says Dougall.
And the science is refreshingly straightforward.
Ingredients like niacinamide help regulate oil and refine pores.
Hyaluronic acid boosts hydration.
Salicylic acid clears out clogged pores and targets breakouts.
Vitamin C brightens and protects against environmental damage, while ceramides help repair and strengthen the skin barrier.
“These ingredients don’t check for gender,” Dougall adds. “They respond to what the skin needs.”
Vitamin C brightens and protects against environmental damage.
Image: Vie Studio / Pexels
Once you strip away the marketing noise, skincare becomes far less complicated.
At its core, a solid routine doesn’t need ten steps. It just needs to make sense for your skin.
Start with a gentle cleanser to remove dirt and excess oil.
Follow with a targeted treatment, whether that’s for acne, dryness or pigmentation.
Add a moisturiser to support your skin barrier, and finish with a broad-spectrum SPF during the day.
That’s it. Everything else is optional, and should be added based on your skin’s needs, not your gender.
Because the truth is, your skin isn’t paying attention to labels, colours or which shelf you picked your products from.