Image via Lancôme

Dear Wendy,

What's the deal with skin products aimed at men? Are they really any different than most of the products (primarily) targeted to women? I know that, generally, when a company produces a "men's line," they offer one cleanser, one lotion, one shave cream/gel, a soap, and one exfoliator. Why? I'm pretty sure that guys have different skin types, too. So either the beauty industry doesn't develop men's products because there traditionally hasn't been a market (though, one would think if they're releasing manscara, some products offering TLC would definitely have a place), we all have the same skin type, they're picking the middle of the road product from their other lines and repackaging it, or one formulation actually works on all skin types (unlikely). --Michael

Oh Michael, it's such a sexist answer that I can hardly say it, but they only offer one cleanser because they honestly believe that guys don't have the patience to figure out what kind of skin they have and are too embarassed to stand in front of a shelf full of products, trying to puzzle it out. It's the sad truth and terribly short-sighted, in my opinion, because why would the addition of a Y chromosome suddenly mean that you don't care about your appearance?

Now, the deal is: guys really do need to use some products that are formulated for men. You see, man skin tends to be oilier, more acidic and have bigger pores with smaller sebaceous glands, so girly cleansers and moisturizers just don't cut it. In addition, guys have thicker skin due to more collagen, so they don't show aging as early as we do but when they start to get lines, there's some serious wrinkle action.

Plus, on top of that, you're probably shaving 50 percent of that skin, scraping away protective top layers every single day! Ouch. Armed with that knowledge, you can try just about anything that doesn't load you up with too much moisture but also deals with sensitive skin. Things like eye creams, sunscreens and serums are pretty gender neutral, and teenage skincare lines are great for not walloping with oil or clogging pores but you might have to deal with a girly scent and package, like in Mark's See Things Brightly moisturizer, which is oil-free but smells like freesia. If you'd rather stick with the boring grey tubes and jars, might I suggest Lancôme's Ultimate Cleansing Gel, with the totally lickable spokesman Clive Owen (ok, the line is decent too) or the totally Product Fiend-approved Dermalogica, which is completely an asexual line.