Cosmetics are meant to make the skin more
beautiful. A perfect skin serves to emphasize our social status and our
attractiveness for potential partnerships. What exactly entails the definition
of attractiveness is subjective and variable depending on the cultural
background and the period in which we live. We have seen many trends passing
by: from tribal tattoos over the white lead paste with plaster faces to the "UV tanning salon fashion”, We are
now in the era where a healthy intact skin symbolizes the so badly desired
image of vitality and youth. Get rid of
wrinkles, spots and sagging skin. Every face is now full and smooth and tight. Logically,
men desire a young and vital appearance too. The question now is whether other
cosmetics than women are needed for men.
Strictly speaking, a good cosmetic cream acts
as a unisex "medication" to improve the skin texture. It is neither male
nor female. Each skin is unique and therefore presupposes knowledge of the skin
condition of the customer followed by appropriate solutions. The assumption
that there’s a typical men's skin and a typical
woman's skin is so generalizing that many of each sex will be cut off from a
good treatment. A man with thinner skin shops best in the women’s section,
while a coarse woman’s skin will find suitable products in the men's section. The
best solution is obviously cosmetics tailored to your skin type and not the
classical "female" or
"male" products.
The marketing problem is that the male audience
does not identify themselves with female role models. They'd rather get advice
on TV from a tennis player or a boxer than from specialized dermatologists. This
is why male and female cosmetics came to the market. This marketing strategy serves
mainly the manufacturer, not really the consumer.
The future is obviously in tailored unisex
cosmetics advised after a thorough skin analysis.