Skincare for men: How relationships are rewriting male grooming habits

I was one of the few single women, amidst a handful of couples, attending the post-wedding dinner party of my best friend’. In front of me were three married men, in their 30s, talking about salmon sperm facials showing up on their Instagram feeds. Soon, we were discussing skincare routines, brands the men loved and the overpriced serums they now cannot live without. At some point, one of them started gushing about the viral Fino hair mask his wife used, and how it is now part of his Sunday shower routine. If you had told me in 2020 that this would be our reality someday, I would have choked on my dalgona coffee.

You have probably heard women expressing annoyance about how their male partners are dipping into their skincare stash. It is not uncommon for men to care about their appearances. “The moment men are in a relationship, they either get influenced or are coaxed or advised to take skincare more seriously by their partners. Men often come for their first appointment with their female partners,” confirms Mumbai-based dermatologist Dr Jaishree Sharad. The hetero man in your life may have last updated his social media profile in 2017, but that does not stop partners from sharing a post or two every once in a while. She adds, “Frequent photo-sharing on social media has made men more aware of how they look. They’re noticing things they never bothered about before, like pigmentation, hair thinning and acne scars. And what do they spot on the bathroom counter? Their partner’s products. That’s often the gateway into becoming curious about proper skincare.”