Cosmetics are meant to make the skin more beautiful. A perfect skin serves to emphasize our social status and our attractiveness for potential partnerships. What exactly entails the definition of attractiveness is subjective and variable depending on the cultural background and the period in which we live. We have seen many trends passing by: from tribal tattoos over the white lead paste with plaster faces to the “UV tanning salon fashion”, We are now in the era where a healthy intact skin symbolizes the so badly desired image of vitality and youth. Get rid of wrinkles, spots and sagging skin. Every face is now full and smooth and tight. Logically, men desire a young and vital appearance too. The question now is whether other cosmetics than women are needed for men.
Strictly speaking, a good cosmetic cream acts as a unisex “medication” to improve the skin texture. It is neither male nor female. Each skin is unique and therefore presupposes knowledge of the skin condition of the customer followed by appropriate solutions. The assumption that there’s a typical men’s skin and a typical woman’s skin is so generalizing that many of each sex will be cut off from a good treatment. A man with thinner skin shops best in the women’s section, while a coarse woman’s skin will find suitable products in the men’s section. The best solution is obviously cosmetics tailored to your skin type and not the classical “female” or “male” products.
The marketing problem is that the male audience does not identify themselves with female role models. They’d rather get advice on TV from a tennis player or a boxer than from specialized dermatologists. This is why male and female cosmetics came to the market. This marketing strategy serves mainly the manufacturer, not really the consumer.
The future is obviously in tailored unisex cosmetics advised after a thorough skin analysis.
