Skincare For Men—3 great brands to have on your radar

Beyond the bare basics of suncream and aftershave, there’s a wealth of incredible skincare for men products on the market. Here are three brands that I think are great for different reasons and that should be, if not on your bathroom shelf, then definitely on your radar.

Skincare for men - men's cosmeticsAnyone who thinks men’s cosmetics is just a flash in the pan or only for a small proportion of the male population has their head in the sand (however exfoliating that might be!).

Over the last couple of decades, the men’s cosmetics industry has grown year on year to the point where it’s projected to be worth USD67.2 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 9.1% annually*.

But just a quick look around drugstores, chemists and at men’s lifestyle sites will tell you just how big this industry has become.

And there’s a reason that the men’s cosmetics market is growing all the time: we’ve started to realise that taking care of our head skin makes us look better. There’s nothing effeminate or silly about it—and even if it were, who cares?

In fact, of the three brands I’m talking about here, only one is specifically made for and marketed at men.

*Figures according to research company GVR.

Shakeup hybrid skincare

Skincare for men - men's cosmetics - Shakeup Let's Face It, Shakeup Eye Eye Captain, Shakeup You Do The Mask, Shakeup Hydrate In A Hurry

The UK’s number one selling men’s hybrid skincare range, Shakeup combines multiple features of modern cosmetics to be more attractive to blokes (we do love a multi-tool) while still delivering high-quality results.

They’re all vegan-friendly and cruelty-free, give SPF protection and use active ingredients like hyaluronic acid and vitamin E. They’re also subtle, undetectable and give a natural matte finish—in case you’re worried someone might notice!

I love their Hydrate in a Hurry moisturising stick, which is perfect for travel as it’s a solid. It smells fresh thanks to its cucumber extract and goes on really easily.

There’s a lovely coconut and charcoal purifying clay mask, also in travel-friendly stick form (though I’m less likely to use this one on the plane) and super-hydrates your skin in 10 minutes, and goes on and washes off really easily.

Other products like Shakeup’s Let’s Face It tinted BB cream, which also has 25SPF, their Eye Eye Captain under-eye roll-on concealer and moisturiser, and Lip Life To The Full lip gel, which moisturises and adds volume to your gob, are great too.

Mukti Organics

Skincare for men - men's cosmetics - Mukti Botanique Wash, Mukti Balancing Cleansing Gel

Owned and made here in Australia, Mukti has been around for over 20 years. Mukti products use native Australian actives and other functional plant-based ingredients as well as vitamins and peptides that have anti-ageing benefits, boosting skin health and vitality.

Over the years, Mukti has developed an enormous range of skin and haircare products.

I use their Balancing Cleansing Gel every day. It’s so important to clean off all the sweat and suncream before you go to bed, and it’s way better than using soap or shower gel on your face in the morning too.

Talking of shower gels, the Mukti Botanique Wash is lovely. Scented with native lemon and snowflower, it really gives you that day spa aroma. It is also sodium lauryl sulfate free, so it still foams but doesn’t dry out your skin.

AHC Beauty

Skincare for men - men's cosmetics - AHC Youth Focus Toner, AHC Youth Focus Emulsion, AHC Luminous Glow Eye Cream For The Face

Why do women generally have better skin than men as we get older? It’s an open secret—they use really good skincare products.

AHC—the most popular skincare brand in Korea—is fairly well-known in Australia these days (especially since it’s available in Priceline), so most women will have at least heard of it, but it’s an unknown to most fellas.

The brand has been around since 1999, but for a long time was only available in private spas and clinics.

It’s pretty serious stuff using the likes of retinoids, peptides, Adenosine and hyaluronic acid as (very effective) active ingredients as well as hosts of other plant derivatives too.

I haven’t launched myself into this one yet, but Christina insists that the AHC Youth Focus Toner and Emulsion, and the AHC Luminous Glow ‘real eye cream for face’ products are truly incredible, so I’m looking forward to seeing the results once I get started.

I’m actually quite excited about using the Luminous Glow cream. I’ve never understood why companies don’t just make all skincare the same as the eye cream that you only get a tiny tube of. If it’s that good, I want it for my whole face please!

Skincare for men - men's cosmetics

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