Market research company Statista estimates that the worldwide male grooming market to be worth $193 billion by 2028 – an increase of around $60 billion in just four years. But blokes’ interest in beauty might be older than you realise…
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Antiquity. Men have been shaving for around 100,000 years, with our Stone Age ancestors using clam shells – as tweezers rather than blades – to keep themselves neatly trimmed, until they learned to sharpen flint. Being clean shaven was a sign of high social status in Ancient Egypt, and some Roman teenagers offered the hairs from their first shave to the gods.
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Barbers. Around since antiquity, for centuries, barbers were among the most respected members of society. And by the Middle Ages, barbers weren’t just trimming hair and shaping beards but serving as chemists concocting and dishing out potions, lotions and tonics, as well as being surgeons, too.
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Cologne. Scented substances have been used by humans – both for personal grooming and as gifts to their gods – for at least 6,000 years, likely originating in the Middle East, but cologne, specifically, is more recent. Though it originates from the German city of the same name (obviously), it was created by a 17th-century Italian apothecary called Giovanni Paolo Femmis and first sold as a medicinal drink.
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Dandy. The original boundary-pushing rebel influencers, dandies were kicking back against social ‘norms’ more than two centuries ago. The term ‘dandy’ first came into prominence in Britain in the 1700s in reference to fashionable and well-groomed men, pioneered by George ‘Beau’ Brummel, a socialite and friend of George, Prince of Wales (later King George IV).
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E-boy haircut. A modern riff on the classic curtains haircut, the e-boy’s medium-to-long strands are parted in the middle and usually tousled. Some shave the sides to create a mushroom-like shape. A youthful-looking cut that works best with blokes with thicker locks, it works with straight or curly hair that some to choose to jazz up with some highlights or bright, block colours.
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Foundation. The male makeup industry is booming, with Ipsos reporting that 15% of heterosexual US men aged 18–65 currently using male cosmetics and makeup, with an additional 17% considering using it in the future. But men across civilisations have been wearing makeup for millennia – including cavemen. In 2010, archaeologists discovered ground-up minerals believed to be the earliest cosmetics dating from 50,000 BCE.
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Growing greatness. To the Ancient Greeks, facial hair symbolised wisdom, authority, and intellect, hence they were sported by the likes of Socrates. But it was the Victorian Brits that really perfected facial fashion by cultivating magnificent, imaginative moustaches, sideburns, and beards. They even created the first beard competitions!
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Hair products. Natural – and preferably organic – reigns supreme when it comes to skin- and haircare, but the Ancient Egyptians took it to quite literal levels by using hair gel made from animal fat.
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Ice baths. Now aged 39, soccer icon Christiano Ronaldo might no longer be at the peak of his powers but he’s still going strong, with ice baths playing a prominent role in his recovery regime. Others that swear by them include basketballer LeBron James, former quarterback Tom Brady, and of course the Iceman himself, Wim Hof.
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Jojoba oil. Some Native Americans traditionally used oil from the seeds of the jojoba plant to treat wounds, and such is its versatility that it has also been used to lubricate everything from vehicle engines to machine guns. However, it’s now among the most common bases for beard oil said to not only hydrate, moisturise and protect, but possibly even stimulate hair growth.
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Kohl. A traditional eye makeup that has been worn for thousands of years across North Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The black eyeliner, perhaps most associated with the Ancient Egyptians, is made from finely ground minerals and is said to protect the wearer from harm.
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Leonardo. Da Vinci’s iconic drawing, the Vitruvian Man, was sketched towards the end of the 15th century and is said to represent the ideal male form. The figure is standing in two superimposed positions giving the initial impression of having two arms and two legs. The part-art, part-mathematical diagram explores the human body’s symmetry and mechanics, aiming to show that “everything connects to everything else”.
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Metrosexual. Long before Harry Styles graced magazine covers while wearing dresses, David Beckham was described as “the ultimate metrosexual”, making headlines by wearing sarongs and matching leather outfits with his wife, Victoria. The Times described metrosexuals as “straight urban men willing to embrace their feminine sides”.
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Nail art. From David Bowie through to Steven Tyler to Kurt Cobain and Johny Depp, men have experimented with nail art, but now it’s becoming more mainstream thanks to brands like Pleasing (founded by Harry Styles) selling gender-neutral beauty products. “I feel like men should be able to do nail art without feeling feminine,” rapper A$AP Rocky tells Vogue.
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Old Spice. Perhaps the most iconic name in old-school men’s grooming, Old Spice started life as a women’s perfume created by William Schultz to mimic potpourri. Following some tinkering, it was rebranded in its classic white bottle and sold as an aftershave that became popular among the US soldiers of the second world war, cementing its reputation as the ultimate man’s fragrance.
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Pretty Boys. Or to give it its full title, Pretty Boys: Legendary Icons Who Redefined Beauty (and How to Glow Up, Too), is a tome by journalist David Yi (who also founded the Very Good Light website for beauty- and fashion-conscious young men) that celebrates beauty as a form as selfcare. Yi tells GQ that he wanted to explore the idea that “men and masc-identifying folks have always tried to amplify their power through cosmetics and skincare and beauty”.
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Qi Ao. A poem from the ancient Chinese text The Book of Poetries which compares a beautiful man to green bamboo, “tall, straight and robust”.
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Razors. Though shells served as the original ‘razors’, blades as we would recognise them today were first crafted from copper in India and Egypt around 5,000 years ago.
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Smooth. Manscaping is the term used to describe the tidying up of one’s body hair. A study by Men’s Health found that 62% pf guys trim ‘downstairs’, while research by Chicago’s Advanced Dermatology found 72% of men trim or shave their chest, rising to 78% for the back. Probably the most important piece of advice for those attempting to do this at home is to never use the same razor on your body and face!
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TikTok. This has been a huge driver in popularising male beauty products, with plenty of ‘how to’ clips and around half-a-billion hits for #menskincare two billion views of #mensgrooming.
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Undercut. Popularised in part by the show Peaky Blinders in recent times, the undercut is another modern take on an old-school look, that sees the back and sides of the head shaved or cut extremely short to contrast against longer, often slicked back locks on top.
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Vikings. Big, hairy and brutish they might well have been, but the Norse seafaring warriors were also big on self-care, regularly visiting natural hot springs to bathe their whole bodies at a time when Anglo Saxons believed nakedness was sinful.
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Wigs. Wigs were worn throughout most ancient civilisations but fell out of favour until their widespread use in Europe from the 17th century onwards when they were adopted by the likes of Louis XIV – the leading style icon of his day – and became associated with high status. Another significant driver of wigs’ popularity was the spread of syphilis which was back then treated with mercury which led to hair loss.
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Xotics. Founded by legendary Jamaican-born US barber Curtis Smith, Xotics uses high-quality, all-natural ingredients “derived from the Earth’s gifts” to produce luxury health and beauty products. Curtis, a Gillette Man of Style, winner has served as a personal groomer to the likes of Usher and rapper Pras Michel of The Fugees.
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YSL. In 1971, fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent caused a scandal by posing for a black and white nude shot to promote the launch of his first fragrance for men, called Pour Homme.
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Zedders. The digital natives are behind much of the shift in attitudes towards male beaty standards and how they are achieved, whether it be the promotion of plus-size models or embrace of gender-neutral products. “Stereotypical male aesthetics and behaviours are changing,” professor of anthropology, Alexander Edmonds, tells BBC Culture. “They’re no longer the ideal for younger people, Generation Z champion androgyny.”
