English

Change language

Is Men's Skincare Actually Different from Women's?

Men's skin is thicker, gets shaved, and sees more sun without protection, but its basic biology matches women's. Here is what is really different, and why you should choose products by skin concern, not by the colour of the bottle.

By Abhishek Jain 24 Oct 202610 min read

Illustration of a young Indian man with water drops on his face after rinsing at a bathroom basin, with a woman patting moisturizer onto her cheek in the background

Men's skin is about 10 to 20% thicker, often oilier, and gets shaved most mornings, but it is built the same way as women's skin. The real gap is in habits: men shave, skip sunscreen, and see more sun on the commute. So choose skincare by your skin's problem (oil, pimples, tan, dryness), not by whether the pack says "men".

Your sister left her face wash in the Pune flat after Diwali. It sits on the shelf next to yours. One morning yours is finished, so you use hers. Nothing happens. Your face does not fall off.

Still, the question stays with you. The ads tell you men need "men's" products. The packs are black and grey, and they smell like a forest fire. Hers is pink and smells like a fruit shop. Are they different, or is it just the colour?

The short answer

Men's and women's skin is built the same way. Men's is thicker, and in many studies it makes a little more oil.
The bigger gap is what men do to it: shaving most days, more sun, and almost no sunscreen.
A good face wash, serum or moisturizer works on the skin problem, not on the gender.
Pick by concern: oily and pimple-prone, or dull and tanned. Then follow four steps.

How Is Men's Skin Different From Women's Skin?

Think of skin as the same phone in two settings. The parts are the same. The hormones change the settings.

A 2018 review of 57 studies sums it up. Men's skin is "generally higher" in water content, water loss, oil, blood flow, pigment and thickness. Women's skin has a higher pH, which is how acidic or alkaline it is. One scan study in that review found men's skin 10 to 20% thicker.

The settings come from hormones. Androgens, the male hormones such as testosterone, act on the oil glands, hair growth and the skin barrier. That is why a man's skin often looks shinier by lunch.

Age works on it in a different way too. The same review cites a UK study in which men's skin got thinner every year from age 20. Women's stayed about the same until around 50. The review also links men with deeper forehead wrinkles after middle age.

What about Indian skin? A 2018 IJDVL study of 500 healthy Indian volunteers in Bhavnagar measured water loss, hydration, elasticity, oil and pH. Males were higher on all of them except oil, which was "equal in both genders". So the gap is real, but smaller than the ads suggest.

The base design does not change. Even a men's skincare paper starts by saying the basic structure and function of skin is similar in both. If you want the full picture of what each layer does, the skincare routine guide for men walks through it.

Diagram of a cross-section of human skin showing the epidermis, dermis, fat layer, hair follicles, oil glands and sweat glands — Every face has these same layers. In men the layers run a bit thicker and the oil glands near the hair roots get a stronger push from hormones. (Photo Credit: BruceBlaus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0)

Which Gender Has More Oily Skin?

Usually men, but by less than you think. DermNet, a dermatology reference, says adult males produce "slightly more sebum" than adult females. Sebum is the oil your skin makes. In boys, oil can rise up to fivefold at puberty.

Pimples follow the same pattern. A 2018 Kerala study of 110 adults with acne found 80.9% were women. The authors note that teenage acne hits males more often, but adult acne mainly affects women.

So the "men are oily, women are dry" rule is too simple. Some men have dry skin. Many women fight oil. Your face, not your gender, decides. If the shine and the blocked pores are yours, the oil control range is built for that, and the guide on what causes oily skin in men explains the glands.

Is Men's Skin Darker Than Women's?

In the studies that measured it, slightly, yes. The 2018 review cites studies from Iran and Korea in which men's skin had a higher melanin index. Melanin is the pigment that gives skin its colour. None of those studies were on Indian skin.

Skin colour is not a problem to fix. What matters is how your skin reacts to the sun. Indian skin tans fast and marks easily, so a pimple or a nick can leave a dark spot for months. That is uneven tone, not colour. If tan and dark spots are your concern, start with the range for brighter, more even skin.

The Real Difference: Shaving, Beard and Sun

Here is where men and women split. It is not the skin. It is the razor and the habits.

Shaving. A razor scrapes off the top layer along with the hair. In a 2023 study on lab-grown human skin, a razor-like scrape caused swelling and a weaker barrier. Shaving foam before, or moisturiser after, reduced the damage. That was a lab model, not real faces, but the advice matches the American Academy of Dermatology:

Wet your skin and beard first to soften the hair.
Use a shaving cream and shave in the direction the hair grows.
Rinse the blade after each stroke, and change it after five to seven shaves.
Put moisturizer on right after.

For a light one after shaving, the oil control moisturizer has salicylic acid, mandelic acid and green tea. If you get bumps, the razor bumps guide goes deeper.

The beard. A beard does block some sun. In a 2012 study with mannequin heads, facial hair cut UV at the skin to about one-third. The authors still called that protection "not very high". Your forehead, nose and cheeks have no beard at all.

Sunscreen. In a Mumbai survey of 2,037 adults, men and women were equally unaware of sunscreen, at 61% each. But 45% of men, against 26% of women, believed sunscreen makes skin fair. It does not. It blocks UV, the rays that tan and burn. The AAD advises a broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher. SPF is the number that tells you how well a sunscreen blocks burning rays.

Illustration of a young Indian man shaving his foam-covered jaw with a safety razor at a round bathroom mirror — Wet beard, foam, one direction, a rinse between strokes. The razor is the biggest daily difference between men's skin and women's, so the shave is where a routine starts. (AI-generated image)

So Do Men Need Different Skincare Products?

No. Men need products that match their skin problem. The THERŌ FAQ says it plainly: the formulas "target skin concerns, not gender. Anyone can use them."

What a "made for men" product can do is suit how men live. That means a light texture for oily skin, one product in place of three, and calm on freshly shaved skin. The mandelic acid in the oil control serum is "the mildest AHA", a gentle acid that loosens dead skin. Its page says it stays "comfortable on sensitive, freshly-shaved skin."

So skip the pack colour and ask two questions. Is my skin oily, shiny or prone to pimples? Or is it dull, tanned and spotted? Not sure which you are? The guide on how to identify your skin type takes five minutes.

A Simple Skincare Routine for Men

Four steps. The same four would work for your sister.

Cleanse, morning and night. Use a pea-sized amount of face wash with lukewarm water. For oil and pimples, try the niacinamide face wash with salicylic acid. For dullness, the vitamin C face wash has glycolic acid and kojic acid. The AAD also says wash after exercise.
Treat, at night to start. Use 3 to 5 drops of serum on a clean face and neck. The vitamin C serum for dull skin has 10% stabilized vitamin C, and its page promises "visibly brighter skin in 4 weeks". The oil control serum has 5% niacinamide, a form of vitamin B3. Patch test any new serum on your jaw first.
Moisturise, after every wash and shave. The vitamin C moisturizer and the oil control one both carry DustShield™, a barrier against fine pollution particles like PM2.5.
Protect, every morning. Broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher, even on cloudy days. You need it more with vitamin C or acids in your routine.

New to all of this? The bestsellers are a good place to start.

THERŌ Intense Bright Vitamin C Serum in a dark amber dropper bottle with orange slices and a splash of clear liquid — The treat step is where the two ranges split, by concern and not by gender. This one is the vitamin C serum for dullness, tan and dark spots. (Image: THERŌ)

Myths Men Still Believe About Skincare

"Women's products are too soft for men." Your face does not know who made the bottle. The 500-person Indian study found equal oil in men and women. Pick a face wash by skin type.

"My beard is my sunscreen." It cuts some UV where it grows. The rest of your face gets the full dose on every bike ride.

"Sunscreen is a fairness cream." It is not. It blocks UV so the tan and dark spots do not build up.

"Real men use the bathing soap on their face." The single bar that does hair, face and body is a national institution. Your face still deserves its own wash. The soap versus face wash guide explains why.

When to See a Dermatologist

See a skin doctor if you have deep, painful or scarring pimples. Also go for bumps after shaving that keep coming back, sudden or spreading dark patches, or a rash that itches. A new spot or mole that itches, bleeds or changes colour needs a check soon, says the AAD. Go if nothing improves after 8 to 12 weeks of a steady routine. Do not use a steroid or "fast result" cream from the chemist without a prescription.

FAQ

Does male skin differ from female skin?

Yes, in the settings, not the design. Men's skin is thicker, often a little oilier, and holds more pigment in the studies so far. The layers and the way they work are the same.

Which gender has more oily skin?

Men, on average, by a small margin. But a study of 500 Indian adults found oil equal in both sexes. Your own face is the better guide. If yours shines by noon, look at the oil control collection.

Is men's skin darker than women's?

Studies from Iran and Korea found slightly more melanin in men's skin. It is a small, normal difference, not a problem. What you can change is tan and dark spots from the sun.

Can men use women's skincare products?

Yes. A face wash, serum or moisturizer works on the skin's problem. Choose by concern, check the ingredients, and ignore the pack colour. The same goes the other way: THERŌ's formulas suit anyone with the matching concern.

What's the worst age for acne?

The teens, for most boys, when oil can rise up to fivefold at puberty. Adult acne is more common in women. Men in their twenties and thirties still get pimples, and the guide to pimples for men covers what helps.

The Takeaway: Men's Skincare Is Different in Habits, Not in Biology

Your skin is thicker, a bit oilier, and it meets a razor most mornings. It is still skin. Tonight, wash with a face wash that suits your concern. Put on a serum, then a moisturizer. Tomorrow morning, add sunscreen. If you are not sure where to begin, the face wash collection is the first step.