Men’s Skincare

MEN’S SKINCARE

Long relegated to grooming products consisting of head and facial care revolving largely around hair, the landscape of the male beauty ritual is shifting. With tougher, oilier, and generally thicker skin, men confront a different set of skin challenges.

Veteran chemist Marie Veronique Nadeau and skincare specialist Kristina Holey debuted men’s skin health brand Louis Pierre | M. Veronique ($12–$65; marieveronique.com) in summer 2018 to satisfy demand. “Having studied men and their skincare habits for years, we discovered an unrecognized phenomenon: most men either don’t know, or think they’re not supposed to care about their skin,” explains Holey. Their suppositions were originally cemented during the launch of their first collaboration, Marie Veronique, a skincare line of biomimetic reparative serums crafted for their largely female clientele. Created using ingredients organically found in the skin, Louis Pierre (named for Nadeau’s father) offers a five-step program—cleanser, shaving oil, aftershave tonic, finishing oil, and sunscreen. “Healthy skin is just as important for men. Plus, a good complexion is a handsome thing,” says Holey.

Skin health isn’t skin deep according to Christina Mace-Turner, founder and CEO of Mab & Stoke (mabandstoke.com), a direct-to-consumer company that formulates herbal dissolvable tablets called Mab Tabs ($78 for a 28-day supply). While the epidermis plays an important role, Mace-Turner looks internally to “amplify wellness,” she says. Culled from over two dozen highly concentrated organic herbal extracts, each tin of Mab Tabs is engineered with a specific user in mind. Prepared from the results of a playful yet telling Mad Libs–style online questionnaire, each daily supplement features a unique blend. Although not exclusively marketed to men, Mace-Turner explains that she purposefully sourced herbs that can be dialed up for men’s Mab Tabs like Oatstraw, a stress regulator that “can be helpful for skin due to its macronutrient content. Burdock, which aside from general support for skin health, is also frequently used to treat skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and acne. Ashwaganda, an adaptogen, has anti-inflammatory benefits that aid skin health and is also cardioprotective, so it’s especially useful for men over the age of 40.”