Men's Care Trends 2026

Men’s personal care has evolved far beyond basic grooming and shaving products. The category has expanded into a sophisticated market covering skin care, beard care, scalp care, age prevention and wellness-led routines.

Today’s male consumers want effective routines without unnecessary complexity, lightweight textures that absorb effortlessly, and products that deliver visible results while fitting into their lifestyle.

For formulators, this creates exciting opportunities — but also new challenges.

In the lab, we've been exploring the key considerations when formulating for men, the trends shaping the category, and prototype ideas to inspire your next men’s care project.

Men’s skin behaves differently to women’s, making the formulation approach especially important.

• Thicker Skin

Men’s skin is typically 20–25% thicker than women’s due to higher collagen density and testosterone levels. This often means the skin remains firmer for longer during early adulthood.

However, when signs of ageing do appear, they tend to present more suddenly and deeply.

For formulators, this means products should focus not only on hydration, but also on long-term skin resilience, barrier support and preventative care.

• Higher Sebum Production

Male skin generally produces more sebum, which often leads to:

- Oilier skin types

- Larger visible pores

- Increased shine

- Increased likelihood of breakouts and acne 

Making lightweight emulsions, quick-breaking textures, matte finishes and fast absorption usually preferred - especially for products designed to be applied under facial hair.

• Facial Hair Challenges
  

Shaving and beard maintenance can cause irritation, dryness, ingrown hairs and even barrier disruption. This makes soothing and barrier-supportive ingredients especially important.

1. Keep Textures Lightweight

2. Focus on Functional Actives

Popular ingredients for men’s skincare include; niacinamide, salicylic acid, panthenol, allantoin, Centella asiatica and azelaic acid. These ingredients help target oiliness, post-shave irritation and early ageing concerns.

3. Fragrance Still Matters

Fresh, woody, herbal and citrus fragrance profiles continue to resonate strongly in men’s care. At the same time, many brands are moving towards more naturally inspired fragrance concepts and simpler ingredient lists.

4. Simplicity Wins

Many male consumers prefer uncomplicated routines and multifunctional products. Clear messaging, easy application and fewer steps often outperform overly complex routines.

1. Self Care

Social media, online education and changing cultural attitudes have helped normalise skincare routines for men.

More male consumers are recognising the connection between grooming, confidence and self care  - whether that’s using calming scents to alleviate stress or transforming shaving into a wellness ritual.

There is growing interest in:

• Preventative skincare – with daily routines to help prevent acne & ageing
• Simpler formulations, natural ingredients
• Wellness-led routines – that help them feel, as well as look good
• Confidence-boosting fragrance

2. Facial Hair & Grooming Innovation

Facial hair remains one of the defining categories within men’s care.

Beards and moustaches require dedicated maintenance routines that care for both the hair itself and the skin underneath.

Unlike scalp hair, facial hair is often coarser, more irregular in growth pattern and more prone to trapping excess oil and debris. Consumers are increasingly looking for products that soften facial hair while caring for the skin underneath.

Taking the category beyond simple shaving foams into beard cleansers, beard balms and oils.

3. Gen Z is Changing Men’s Grooming

Generation Z has reshaped the beauty and personal care industry.

As the first fully digital-native generation, Gen Z consumers have grown up with skincare education through social media, influencers and online communities.

While previous generations often entered men’s care through shaving products, Gen Z consumers frequently begin with skincare itself.

The focus has shifted from correction to prevention, wellness and self-expression.

For formulators, this means creating products that move beyond traditional gender norms whilst balancing efficacy, transparency and authenticity.

Inspired by these trends, we couldn't wait to create some new prototypes using our range of natural ingredients.  Discover our three new formulation ideas below..

We thought these existing prototypes from our formulation library would also lend themselves to a perfect men's grooming routine...