How Pharrell’s Entrance to the Beauty World Might Be What We Need.

Boys will be more kind to their skin. Hopefully.

2020 has been unarguably the wild ride for everyone in every aspect, from business to personal lives. But amidst the chaos of it all, celebrities are launching a beauty line, particularly a skincare line left and right, from Jennifer Lopez’s JLo Beauty to Alicia Keys’ Keys Soulcare. What stood out the most among these brands is a brand created by a sole men celebrity in the skincare game as of right now, Humanrace by Pharrell Williams.

Skin First

What 2020 brings is the decline in makeup sales but a massive rise in skincare sales as people jumped on the self-pampering trend more. According to Vogue Business, various skincare, from Vitamin C serums to beauty tools, are becoming more popular now than ever. The new normal online life allows people to casually put on a hydrating cream instead of a foundation, put on a sheet mask while studying with a camera off, and so on. So how does Pharrell’s Humanrace might be another force pushing the skincare sales in the future?

The answer is rather simple; Humanrace is going to be more appealing to the men audience than any other skincare brand attracting more customers to the beauty space. Skincare is typically marketed towards women with spokesperson being women or sometimes alienating men by catering a specific line for them within the brand while offering far fewer options comparing to the regular lines. This caused men to see taking care of themselves as something rather feminine leading to them opting for the 3-in1 found at the local supermarket instead. However, the skin is the largest organ in our bodies and everyone should be taking care of their skin. Seriously, put on a moisturizer at least. But with Humanrace boys might stop using the 3-in-1. And fortunately, this is something achievable as men are more into skincare now than ever. Men’s skincare market is rising astronomically and expected to worth $18.92 billion by 2027. And with Pharrell’s brand that is more masculine than most brands, we can expect more men exfoliating their skin and putting on a dab of moisturizer. As men are more likely to be influenced by and take the advice of each other, just like how women tend to stick together. Who knows, we might see more male celebs take a role as beauty moguls soon.

Skin Deep

But Pharrell’s arrival to the skincare scene might also imply something much bigger than just sales numbers. This growing number of male customers, male influencers, and male celebrities in the skincare realm can be interpreted as the gender stereotype being broken down and cleanse away like dead skin cells. The stereotype that skincare and pampering will no longer be tied to only women and the stereotype that men are tough will also soften up. Boys will hopefully learn that taking care of themselves is not an activity associated with certain genders only, but is universal and necessary.

Skincare can be treated as almost a ritual where we put ourselves before anyone else and giving our body, our skin, some love. In a society where self-love is harder to find than ever, this little act of slathering on a nice, foamy cleanser might be what we, all genders, need at the end of the day. And when we are kinder to ourselves, we tend to look at the world in a more darling light, a more vibrant color, and a kinder place.

Of course, a set of cleanser, exfoliator, and moisturizer won’t put a stop to the patriarchy and misogyny women face daily. But maybe Humanrace is a gateway drug that will put men on the same wavelength as women. Maybe after they learned that it’s nice to relax and don’t have to act tough all the time, they will be kinder. Beauty is skin deep, and maybe learning to love their skin first might be what men needed.