The Next Frontier of Beauty? Straight Men

Last month, Rhode's new "cover girl" elicited a gasp in the Marie Claire office. Forget the women of the moment, Hailey Bieber's beauty brand tapped this year's hottest straight, male actor: Harris Dickinson, of Babygirl fame, to promote her new Glazing Mist. "WHY WOULD A MAN BE THERE! [sic]", wrote one Reddit user in response to the campaign on the forum "LAinfluencersnark", while another added, "What does this have to do with skincare or make-up?"

Initially, yes, it raised an eyebrow coming from Rhode's strain of “clean girl” beauty, which is famed for birthing frivolous foodstuff-related trends, like ‘glazed doughnut nails’, ‘latte make-up’ and ‘strawberry girl blush’. But really, tapping Hollywood in this way makes perfect sense for a brand that has always been ahead of the curve, as their recent $1 billion acquisition from e.l.f. Beauty proves. So, I wondered, was Rhode onto something more? Does Dickinson's appointment signal his demographic's growing interest in the industry?

Mentally scanning my friendship group, I can see a real shift. Dipping a toe in beauty was once by way of brands like Bulldog, who strived to "toughen" up moisturiser so men and boys would actually use it—now, it's a rapidly growing market. Data from a recent YouGov BrandIndex shows that in the past four years, the skincare and cosmetics sector in Britain has grown exponentially amongst young men, aged 18-34, with 65 per cent of this cohort saying that looking physically attractive is important to them.

Indeed, one scan of the popular social satire Instagram accounts Socks House Meeting and Real Housewives of Clapton shows that the elevated man of today prizes his Malin+Goetz Peppermint Shampoo, Aesop Parsley Seed Cleanser and Haeckles Eco Marine Cream just as much as his Salomon trainers and the carabiner he hangs off his denim jorts. And even if the majority of men are not engaging in Patrick Bateman-level multi-step routines, they're making considered purchases, based on real research.

When I ask London-based filmmaker Philip, 35, if he has had a growing interest in beauty, he replies, “Massively so. If anything, I have a suspicion of traditional men’s grooming brands, unless it’s high-end like Kiehl's—I rely more on what my girlfriend uses and recommends. It’s not so much my age, it’s growing awareness. I wish I had started putting effort in far earlier. I just want to age gracefully, and the big change has been understanding SPF. I don’t want to damage my skin.”

A friend who works in PR, Henry, 29, tells me that his current skincare routine came from social media and getting closer to 30. “The algorithm is pushing a gym bro aesthetic that is relentless. My discover page is filled with hyper-masculine features and low body fat percentage, and I feel like I barely even interact.” He now buys curl creme and always keeps a “healthy stock” of The INKEY List moisturiser, caffeine eye cream, retinol and a tea tree face wash. “I have started [buying more beauty products in the past two years], mostly through word of mouth recommendations from female and male friends. Now that I’m almost pushing 30, I feel more of a need to take care of myself and my looks than ever, bizarrely. I think I just wanna be a hot dad.”

For Philip and Henry, this shift has translated into regularly purchasing a few targeted skincare solutions to optimise or slow down age-related concerns, but other men are taking a different approach. Dr Tony Kaliya, the award-winning founder and medical director of the NEU Clinic (who is the expert behind my own Polynucleotide treatments), says there’s been a definite uptick in straight men seeking cosmetic procedures, and that it increases year on year.

“What was once considered a female-dominated space is becoming far more gender-inclusive—men currently make up around 20–30% of my client base. Most are professionals aged between 30 and 55, although I’ve seen a rise in younger men coming in for preventative treatments. Once male patients start cosmetic treatments, almost all of them continue having more once they see the results.” Fellow aesthetics doctor and NHS GP, Dr Ahmed El Muntasar, agrees, saying that there’s been a four hundred per cent increase in (mostly) straight men coming into his clinic for treatments.

“Several factors contribute to this shift,” Dr Kaliya tells me. “Social media has played a huge role in normalising aesthetic treatments for men, and especially masculinising treatments such as chin and jawline filler. Increased visibility of male celebrities and influencers undergoing treatments has also helped break the stigma. And interestingly, the rise of high-definition Zoom calls during the pandemic made men more aware of their facial appearance, particularly lines and wrinkles, increasing the number seeking anti-wrinkle treatments such as Botox. There’s also a growing cultural emphasis on optimisation—looking good is increasingly seen as part of performing well both professionally and socially.”

And while the aesthetics doctor concedes that men have not faced the same scrutiny as women regarding appearance, the gap is closing, especially in competitive industries or highly visible roles. "Men are expected to look youthful, energetic and well-groomed, and the ideal aesthetic has shifted too: strong jawlines, clear skin and well-balanced features are increasingly desirable. Most male clients aren’t looking to look 'done' — they want to look like a more refreshed, well-rested version of themselves. Many are aiming to stay competitive in the workplace or dating scene without it being obvious."

As such, the most popular treatments amongst men, Dr El Muntasar explains, are collagen-stimulating treatments like Polynucleotides and JULAINE, dermal fillers for the under eyes, and Botox for fine lines and wrinkles.

But ultimately, just as the beauty standard for women has grown exponentially since the advent of social media, it's having an effect on men too. Antonio, a photographer in his 30s, started getting Botox a few years ago, on top of overhauling his skincare routine to include SPF moisturiser, body oil and eye retinol. “I want to look a certain way to please myself in front of the mirror," he tells me. "But I guess we’re still in an era of 'filter-isation'. I see a lot of guys face-tuning before posting, and there’s a lot about “face masculinisation” online, where men seek to improve their features to the point of sometimes looking unnatural. I like to take care of myself, but I am influenced by all the beauty tips and routines you see on social media now.”