Is the era of make-up "for her and him" over? It could be for some products | Sali Hugues
In principle, I don't like the term "unisex" when it comes to a lot of beauty. It's sometimes relevant, but for the most part, the genre of perfume and its packaging by marketers is an acquired mindset based on Victorian stereotypes. And when it comes to skincare, that's plain nonsense. Human skin is human skin, although that of young men is more likely to be oily, that of postmenopausal women generally prone to other hormone-related symptoms.
The new openly inclusive skincare brands shouldn't need to declare common sense, but their audience is growing.
The actor Idris Elba shared his wife Sabrina's care during lockdown and wondered how they had always been convinced they needed separate diets. Sable Labs is their answer, and I admire the thought that has gone so clearly into the tightly edited range. There's a cleanser (£28), a good glow-enhancing exfoliating toner (£35) and a lovely baobab moisturizer (£50), with soothing niacinamide and other fair trade ingredients like butter of shea which, it must be said, is generally more successful on drier types. Packaged in matte grey, S'able Labs is simple yet practical, smart and almost 100% recyclable.
The tobacco-colored glass and retro composition of Soho's new Soho Skin tubes House the happy medium between functionality and luxury (it's skincare for the person who keeps a bottle of Aesop hand soap in the kitchen sink). The star of Soho Skin is the 24/7 Treatment, an instant skin booster containing my own non-negotiables like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and squalane, plus high quality exfoliating acids (lactic and mandelic ).
This very pleasantly moist, light and soothing serum instantly woke up my skin with no irritation, so if your eyes are still watery because of the price (£72), its contents should help to see them straight. But where these two otherwise very good ranges stumble is at the first hurdle - cleaning. Because for better or worse - and Harry Styles cool types aside - cleaning isn't neutral.
Overwhelmingly, women still wear makeup, while most men have to wash off oil, sweat and sunscreen. A man is likely to find both S'able Labs Granular Cleanser and the very nice Soho Skin Cream Cleanser - albeit misleadingly named (it's actually a £55 facial cleanser for a huge 200ml) perfectly satisfying, but any woman looking to change her foundation may find herself with a laundry closet full of stained towels.
In principle, I don't like the term "unisex" when it comes to a lot of beauty. It's sometimes relevant, but for the most part, the genre of perfume and its packaging by marketers is an acquired mindset based on Victorian stereotypes. And when it comes to skincare, that's plain nonsense. Human skin is human skin, although that of young men is more likely to be oily, that of postmenopausal women generally prone to other hormone-related symptoms.
The new openly inclusive skincare brands shouldn't need to declare common sense, but their audience is growing.
The actor Idris Elba shared his wife Sabrina's care during lockdown and wondered how they had always been convinced they needed separate diets. Sable Labs is their answer, and I admire the thought that has gone so clearly into the tightly edited range. There's a cleanser (£28), a good glow-enhancing exfoliating toner (£35) and a lovely baobab moisturizer (£50), with soothing niacinamide and other fair trade ingredients like butter of shea which, it must be said, is generally more successful on drier types. Packaged in matte grey, S'able Labs is simple yet practical, smart and almost 100% recyclable.
The tobacco-colored glass and retro composition of Soho's new Soho Skin tubes House the happy medium between functionality and luxury (it's skincare for the person who keeps a bottle of Aesop hand soap in the kitchen sink). The star of Soho Skin is the 24/7 Treatment, an instant skin booster containing my own non-negotiables like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and squalane, plus high quality exfoliating acids (lactic and mandelic ).
This very pleasantly moist, light and soothing serum instantly woke up my skin with no irritation, so if your eyes are still watery because of the price (£72), its contents should help to see them straight. But where these two otherwise very good ranges stumble is at the first hurdle - cleaning. Because for better or worse - and Harry Styles cool types aside - cleaning isn't neutral.
Overwhelmingly, women still wear makeup, while most men have to wash off oil, sweat and sunscreen. A man is likely to find both S'able Labs Granular Cleanser and the very nice Soho Skin Cream Cleanser - albeit misleadingly named (it's actually a £55 facial cleanser for a huge 200ml) perfectly satisfying, but any woman looking to change her foundation may find herself with a laundry closet full of stained towels.
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