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Exit the stereotypes, makeup is officially no longer the prerogative of women, taking up more and more space in the daily life of these gentlemen. Popularized by personalities, and made accessible by several cosmetic brands, makeup for men – or better unisex – is anything but a utopia, and intends to establish itself as a strong trend in 2023.
Bases, foundations, concealers, mascaras, nail polishes, and lipsticks are no longer reserved for women, far from it, now also benefiting men. Nothing extraordinary if we consider that these gentlemen already wore make-up in Antiquity, except that over time beauty treatments have become exclusively feminine, colliding head-on with stereotypes and injunctions surrounding the masculinity, and even more so virility. But it was without counting on the new generations, determined to break the codes, and to shatter all sorts of diktats, starting with those related to the notion of gender.
As we have seen in recent years, beauty has gradually freed itself from these shackles. The men kissed first skincareand this almost everywhere in the world, pampering their skin like their female counterparts, then they succumbed to hair removal, whatever the part of the body, then to treatment in an institute. There is no longer any question for these gentlemen of not taking care of themselves, in the same way as women, and the phenomenon now goes even further since it is for them in turn to appropriate the codes of make-up, now considered as an art or a form of self-expression, more than an embellishment.
World famous influencers
On social networks, make-up has already gained many followers with a host of tutorials, inspirations, and key trends. The hashtag #makeupformen has accumulated nearly 120 million views to date, while #boysinmakeup has already reached 275 million views. A strong demand which has resulted in the proliferation of make-up influencers who now distill their techniques and advice for both women and men, like the French Fabian who made make-up a true art, James Charlesone of the first men to have embodied a make-up brand, or even Patrick Starrr followed by millions of people on social networks.
So many influencers who have helped to democratize makeup for men, like many personalities who no longer hesitate to put on their best looks for their public – or private – outings. We know of course Harry Styles, Lil Nas X, Pete Davidson, or even Travis Barker, who have largely contributed to popularizing eyeliner, mascara, and even more manicure for these gentlemen, but we can add the fashion designer Olivier Rousteing or Channing Tatum. More recently, it was Pierre Niney who shared behind the scenes of a shoot for Citizen K magazine where he posed in make-up.
Booming makeup for men
Several of these personalities have gone even further by launching their own beauty brand for men. Harry Styles with his gender-neutral cosmetics brand Pleasing, including skincare and make-up, Machine Gun Kelly with his UN/DN LAQR nail polish brand, and Tyler, The Creator with his Golf Le Fleur nail polish and fragrance line, are among the celebrities who have helped make makeup more accessible – and less clichéd – for men.
But other brands of cosmetics, much more popular still, now follow one another to offer a host of make-up products to these gentlemen. As we know, Chanel, MAC Cosmetics, or even CoverGirl, are among the pioneers in this field, but today there are many brands that offer make-up for men, or more simply make-up for everyone. This is the case of the Dior house, which uses its range of classic make-up to enhance its male models on the catwalks, MMUK, War Paint For Men, or ALTR London. A real evolution in the cosmetics sector, although most of these products, if not all, do not need to be intended for one or the other of the two sexes… Beauty being ultimately everyone’s business .