What should the ideal men's skin care meet?

We often get the question whether separate skin care products are needed for men. In terms of product composition. Some brands have a separate men's line, some don't. Are those brands not suitable for men? In this blog you can read why it is mainly the ingredients that matter.

Men are from Mars...

Just like a woman, a man can suffer from sensitive skin, acne and skin aging. But due to the influence of the testosterone hormone, among other things, a man's skin differs from that of a woman in a number of aspects.

Thicker skin, but more sensitive to sun

A man's skin is about 20-25 percent thicker than a woman's. The skin contains more collagen, making it look thicker and firmer. The collagen content of the skin and thus the thickness of a man gradually decreases with age. After menopause, a woman's skin suddenly becomes a lot thinner.

You would say that thicker skin is less sensitive to the sun. That does not apply to men, because the subcutaneous fat tissue is thinner, the skin is more sensitive to the sun. Which can cause faster skin aging.

More chance of acne, less chance of dry skin

A man's skin contains more sebaceous glands and therefore more pores (a sebaceous gland opens into a pore) than a woman's skin. The pores are also often coarser. Due to the higher number of sebaceous glands, a man produces twice as much sebum than a woman. As a result, he often suffers more from impurities and acne during puberty. The advantage of a higher sebum production is that an adult man is less likely to suffer from dry skin.

More likely to have dehydrated skin

Men have larger sweat glands and larger pores. And therefore evaporate more moisture.

Less wrinkles, but deep wrinkles

(Deep) wrinkles are caused by a shortage of collagen. Because a man has more collagen, which also decreases more slowly, he gets (deep) wrinkles less quickly. Men's skin ages later, but where skin aging in women is gradual, it goes faster in men. So once the skin shows signs of aging, it quickly adds to it. This can manifest itself in sagging skin, puffy eyes, dark circles and deep wrinkles

Shaving causes skin stress

Anyone who does not grow a beard will soon shave his skin 16,000 times in his life! The skin is less happy with this, it gets stressed. And often skin irritations, minor injuries or ingrown hairs. Shaving removes the top layer of skin cells. Which causes a damaged skin barrier layer, a less protected, therefore more sensitive skin. No less than 40% of men suffer from skin problems due to shaving.

Wishlist for men's skin

It will be clear that a man's skin is slightly different from that of a woman. What are useful skin care products for that skin? And which products or ingredients are not recommended?

Less acne? Prevent clogged pores

Preferably cleanse your skin daily. With a mild cleaner . This way you prevent dirt from ending up in your pores and clogging them. Avoid skin care products containing paraffinum liquidum or petrolatum. Cheap residues from the oil industry, which can disrupt your skin's natural protective function and clog pores.

Shave? Protect the skin

Use mild products for shaving. Preferably without perfumes. Or synthetic preservatives. To burden your skin as little as possible. She's stressed enough already. An oil in your shaving product nourishes and moisturizes your skin and can prevent skin irritation and/or dry skin after shaving. Do not use on the skin aggressive shaving products

Aftershave? Be critical!

Soothe your skin after shaving. And nourishes it with protective anti-oxidants. This way you soothe damaged, stressed skin and ensure that it recovers faster. Ingredients such as aloe vera, chamomile, vitamin E, vitamin A, niacinamide (B3) - reduces inflammatory sensitivity - horse chestnut - strengthens the walls of the blood vessels - and oils such as jojoba or macadamia help with this. Lots of soothing products, moisturize your skin at the same time and make your pores smaller. Our (best-selling) favorite is Abloom's Soothing Lotion .

A nice scent is wonderful, but preferably avoid after shave with (hard) alcohol - dries out your skin, can trigger ache, irritates your skin - and added perfume substances - irritate your skin -. Your skin is thinner and damaged after shaving. You prefer to give them rest. Perfume substances can also cause pigment spots. Examples of hard alcohol are alcohol denat, ethyl alcohol, benzyl alcohol or ethanol. Alcohol types that are great for your skin are, for example, cetyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol or behenyl alcohol. These are greasy types of alcohol, which actually ensure that your skin retains moisture.

Oil cuts oil

It may sound strange, but a skin oil or a greasy cream can actually inhibit sebum production. Because you put a greasy substance on your skin, the skin receives a signal that there is enough greasy substance present. An oil also ensures that your skin retains moisture. Which is a godsend for dehydrated men's skin. With us, the Miracle Oil from Abloom and The Green Goddess Facial oil are the most purchased facial oils by men.

Anti wrinkle

Do you want to slow down wrinkle formation? Then use a sun protection factor. Men's skin is more sensitive to the sun than women's skin. Preferably avoid synthetic sun filters, which can actually harm your skin. Read more about sun protection in the blog ' Sun! Should we protect ourselves or not?'

Your skin becomes weaker and gets (deeper) wrinkles due to a decrease in collagen. You can have it rebuilt from the inside out, for example by using Skin Base or Boost & Lift from LaVieSage. So-called 'nutricosmetics' products. Power food for your skin, which provides the building materials from within to repair or improve it. After all, your skin is built from the inside out!

Special skin care for men?

Moisturizing, somewhat richer skin care (inhibits sebum production), with a sun protection factor is generally good advice for men. In combination with a soothing and protective product for after shaving. Possibly supplemented with products to protect and/or improve the skin from within.

For many men, ease of use is a must. And speed. Preferably it is ready within a few minutes. A combination product is then ideal.

The above do not necessarily have to be special men's products. Ingredients and effect are the most important. Men's lines are often more compact, which makes 'grabbing a product' easier.

Beloved men's products at INDISHA

Don't feel like stressing about choice or searching for hours? The following products/product lines at INDISHA are very suitable for men's skin and are often bought by/for men. All meet our 'Don't put on your skin what you can't eat' criterion.

Men's line: Dr Baumann has a special compact men's line . With a shaving mousse, after shave lotion. moisturizing liposome product, nourishing and protective cream and a body lotion. Accessible online by logging in once with code INDBauM&06

Shaving: According to many of our female customers, De Werfzeep shaving soap is the only shaving product that their husbands have gotten from the Gillette.

After shaving: Abloom Soothing Lotion is an absolute must for after shaving. We have a lot of male fans for this. Soothing due to the base of Aloe Vera. Antibacterial, antiviral. Helps against ingrown hairs. If you have acne-prone skin, the Soothing Lotion is also suitable as a day and night 'cream'; Dr Hauschka's Facial Lotion Special is also widely purchased.

Cleaning: Dr Baumann's Cleansing Gel or the richer Facial Cleanser are easy to use in the shower, hypoallergenic and without fragrances.

Cream/oil: For dehydrated skin, the Liposome of the Dr Baumann Men's line is our advice. Your skin is optimally hydrated within 21 days. Abloom's Miracle Treatment Oil protects, nourishes and repairs your skin. And gives a nice glow. And ensures that your skin retains moisture better.

Anti wrinkle - sun protection: Men mainly buy the (non-tinted) Raw Elements sun protection cream in tube, can or as a stick. Useful to build a basic (SPF 7) sun protection from the inside + to strengthen your skin barrier are the SkinProtect + SkinBalance from LaVieSage. Also helps against sun allergies. Don't feel like deep wrinkles? With Boost & Lift powder from LaVieSage you build collagen from the inside out.