From Justin Bieber to Harry Styles: The rise of gender-neutral beauty
From Justin Bieber to Harry Styles, men are increasingly wearing cosmetics and using skincare. And beauty brands are taking notice.
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The fashion industry has been breaking down stereotypes one boyfriend blazer at a time – and now cosmetics brands are following suit, with the rise of genderless beauty.
From Justin Bieber’s groomed brows and subtle cheek highlighter to Kid Cudi’s heavy eyeshadow and Harry Styles’ multi-coloured nail polish, men are increasingly wearing makeup and using skincare – and beauty brands are taking notice.
Chanel’s Boy de Chanel and Tom Ford’s For Men grooming lines have long released grooming and skincare products targeted at men (from lip balm to bronzing gel and matt nail varnish) but the rise of gender-free beauty takes it a step further, beauty experts say.
“More and more beauty brands are no longer targeting people from a gender standpoint,” said Net-a-Porter’s global beauty director Newby Hands.
“Certainly not a trend but inclusivity has been a huge focus for us and the rest of the beauty industry this year,” Hands said.
The men’s grooming industry alone is valued at $US70.15 billion ($A93 billion), and it’s due to reach $US80 billion ($A106 billion) by 2024, according to market analyst Statista.
And, like many beauty trends, it’s being fuelled by Hollywood and the influence of Generation Z consumers.
“While it may have been the case many years ago, nowadays gender is less of a guide for people’s purchasing habits when it comes to their beauty regimen,” said Vogue Australia senior beauty and health editor Remy Rippon.
“Fragrance led the charge with a rise in gender-neutral fragrances and now make-up and skincare are also developing and marketing their products in a less-prescriptive fashion,” she said.
“This shift is likely being driven by the Gen Z consumer, who recognise gender as a fluid concept and are drawn to brands that speak to them more broadly.”
Wearing a suit from his label Drew, Bieber had a luminous complexion at the recent Met Gala. The singer’s put-together-yet-undone appearance once led GQto declare, “Justin Bieber Has Mastered The Art of Dirtbag Grooming”.
Bieber has his eyebrows shaped at celebrity salon Anastasia Beverly Hills, whose clients also include his wife, Hailey Bieber, and the Kardashians.
Styles – who is known for blurring the lines between men’s and women’s fashion – recently fuelled speculation that he is launching a non-gendered beauty line.
In May, Styles was listed as a director of Pleased As Holdings Limited with the UK’s registrar of companies, with the business described as a “wholesale of perfume and cosmetics”.
“I don’t think people are still looking for this gender differentiation. Even if the masculine and feminine exist, their limits are the subject of a game,” Styles previously told L’Officiel.
At the Met Gala, rapper Kid Cudi – dressed in a clear vinyl Louis Vuitton skirt – sported heavy eyeshadow and a subtle slick of black lipstick, from celebrity makeup artist Pat McGrath’s range (including Pat McGrath’s Mothership I: Subliminal eyeshadow palette in Xtreme Black and the brand’s Lip Fetish Balm in Noir).
It was a look dubbed “emo beauty” by US Vogue, which said the “acid green dye job and sooty eye makeup nodded at Dennis Rodman’s ’90s party days or the pop-punk revival”.
The emergence of gender-neutral beauty has led global luxury retailer Net-a-Porter to expand its makeup and skincare ranges to “include more skin tone shades and haircare for all hair types”.
“We are looking at our entire offering to ensure we provide beauty solutions for all different needs, be it hair types, skin types and skin tones,” Hands said.
Mr Porter’s deputy editor Ashley Clarke said best-selling brands among male consumers included 111Skin, Augustinus Bader, Tata Harper, Dr Sebagh, Dr Barbara Sturm and Dr Dennis Gross, which can be used by all.
“Their products target skin concerns for both men and women,” Clarke said.
Milk Makeup co-founder Georgie Greville said the brand’s male customers were “primarily 20-to-30-something urbanites who are attracted by the brand’s more subtle, skin-enhancing products”, per Vogue.
Milk doesn’t have a dedicated line men’s products – each product is designed to be used by whoever wants to, and its packaging is minimalist, so that it’s inclusive.
Greville attributed Milk’s popularity with men to its “non-gendered packaging and low maintenance application”.
The brand’s Cooling Water (a gel stick for de-puffing the eyes) and Blur Stick (a matt primer to minimise pores) are among the most popular products with male customers.
GENDER-NEURAL BEAUTY
Milk Makeup Cooling Water Undereye Gel Stick, $43
Infused with caffeine to reduce puffiness and seawater to soothe and hydrate. It can be used under eyes or all over your face and body for a quick refresh.
Free The People Superfood Cleanser, $55
A daily green juice-esque cleanser for your face. It’s formulated with kale, spinach, and green tea extracts. This antioxidant-rich formula is sulfate and alcohol-free to cleanse skin without drying it out.
Mario Badescu Facial Spray, $10
Infused with aloe vera, green tea and cucumber, this nutrient-rich spritz hydrates, cools and invigorates dull, tired skin. It can be used before moisturiser to tone or during the day.
Augustinus Bader The Cleansing Balm, $95
A solid salve that turns into a milky cleanser to dissolve the daily build-up of impurities and gently cleanses. It contains avocado-olive fruit oil complex, vitamin E and Squalene, as well as the patented TFC8® complex, which plumps and smooths the skin.
Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask, $104
This facial mask contains a concentrated formula of natural BHA from white willow bark and pomegranate enzymes to gently exfoliate, absorb oil and minimise the look of pores, while evening skin tone.
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