5 Men's Skincare Myths You've Been Believing for Years

You might have the impression that here at Laani, we have a very feminine vibe, and to a large extent, you’d be right. But we do have one incredible man among us, and for a small team, that’s a full ¼ of our workforce.

And the other 75% of us have fathers, brothers, sons, and husbands too!

This means that while talking about Father’s Day and how to pay tribute to the wonderful men in our lives, we came across many examples of how men treat their skin differently than women.

Recognising that there are some real differences between the skincare needs of men and women, though, we also realised that many of the men in our lives don’t pay nearly enough attention to their skincare regime. So, for this Father’s Day, we thought we would debunk some of the myths surrounding men’s skincare and encourage men to treat their skin with the love it deserves.

Myth 1: “Squeaky-clean skin is good for me.”

Sadly, this isn’t true, and as satisfying as it can be to have that squeaky-clean feeling after a shower, it means you’ve stripped away from your skin’s natural moisture barrier that protects it from damage.

If you find yourself with squeaky-clean skin that feels tight after showers, consider switching to a product with more natural (rather than chemical) ingredients or one with hydrating properties.

Myth 2: “Men’s skin is oilier than women’s skin, so we don’t need moisturiser.”

It’s a little more complicated than that. While there is a consensus that men have more active sebaceous glands, our natural oils do not serve as a replacement for moisturiser.

If you find that difficult to believe, picture the way oil and water do not mix. Yes, oily skin can still be lacking in hydration.

To make matters worse, believing they have oily skin, men will sometimes use harsh and astringent (drying) products on their skin to “prevent” the oily shine. All this does is further strip skin of much-needed hydration while triggering oil glands to work harder and produce more oil in response.

Myth 3: “Our skin is thicker than women’s skin, which makes us more resilient to aging and sun damage.”

Again, not the whole story. Over decades, a range of studies has produced varied findings, some finding a slight difference between the two, and some find that thickness varies according to where it’s measured.

One study that did find a difference found that while men do have thicker skin than women on average, their skin also starts thinning from the age of 20. In contrast, the thickness of women’s skin remained relatively stable until menopause.

So men’s skin is not immune to the signs of aging and remains vulnerable to sun damage and rough treatment!

Myth 4: “Men are more prone to skin problems like blackheads and acne.”

Sorry gentlemen, this isn’t true either.

This one might be hard to hear, but you know we’re only saying it because we care!

If you struggle with breakouts and clogged pores, we challenge you to think about your skincare routine.

Do you exfoliate (with a natural scrub), and if so, how regularly? Is there a mild moisturiser worked into your skincare routine, or do you often “skip” it because of Myth 2 or because you don’t like the idea of being “sticky”?

Anecdotally, men spend less time on skincare than women, either because they believe they don’t need as much care or because they think it’s just too much effort.

This leads us to our final myth.

Myth 5: “Skincare is too complicated to do right, might as well not bother.”

Skincare can be complicated, and it’s definitely not a one-size-fits-all situation, but here at Laani, we have always advocated the idea that less is more.

Just like our products are not stuffed with nasty fillers, you can pare down your skincare routine to a few basic steps that are all you need; a cleanser that is thorough yet gentle, the occasional exfoliation to remove surface build-up and dead skin, and a lotion or moisturiser that locks in skin hydration without clogging pores.

We hope that by debunking some of these myths, we’ve encouraged you to think about your skincare regime and how you can improve it.

And we’d like to wish all the incredible men in our lives, especially the daddies – Happy Father’s Day!