Beauty brains

It’s time to share your favourite products with your other half, says Annabel Jones

Annabel Jones on skincare products for him and her

Let’s face it, men and women have been nicking each other’s products since the year dot. Faced with dark circles, many men will head straight for their partner’s hyaluronic-infused eye patches, or steal a smear of Touche Eclat. Leave your posh salon shampoo on display and it will go down twice as fast. Women know that razors marketed for men tend to outshine their pink-handled equivalents, and that a pot of hair wax is just as suited to your tousled waves as it is to his choppy crop.

Whether it’s accepting reality, or just savvy marketing, the beauty industry is now jumping on the bandwagon. Industry insights suggest that we’re on the cusp of adopting genderless regimes. In the future, haircare and make-up won’t be targeted at men or women, but speak to the general concern or the aesthetic one wishes to emit. After all, a good vitamin C serum or retinol night cream works for everyone.

Plenty of brands are already crossing the gender divide.

And Dr Barbara Sturm’s monochromatic range of skincare is, to my mind, the best example. Take to her Instagram page and you’ll see posts on how to use her products by men and women from all generations – just as well, considering the high price points. Products worth sharing are the Enzyme Cleanser (right) and Face Cream, £135 (drsturm.com).

Augustinus Bader’s The Serum will sort out every skin ill. A recent 12-week clinical trial showed that skin hydration improved by 291 per cent, evenness improved by 264 per cent and fine lines and wrinkles reduced by 33 per cent – all of which might make the investment more tolerable, especially when it’s split 50/50.

Men shopping in the make-up aisle is not unusual these days, especially when it comes to products such as concealer and sunless tanning. Tom Ford’s non-shimmery Bronzing Gel for Men is a hit across the board for its ability to warm up one’s skin tone ever so slightly, as are Drunk Elephant’s D-bronzi Anti-pollution Sunshine Drops, £30 (boots.com), a product I’ve mentioned here more than once, they’re that good at giving a healthy glow.

Meanwhile, the new holistic approach to hair health is to be welcomed across genders. According to research company Arizton, the hair-loss market is set to grow by six per cent between now and 2025. Which may explain why Cult Beauty has seen sales of hair-loss treatments, from scalp care to thickening products, up by 166 per cent, with bestsellers like Gain’s Grow supplements and Davines’ Calming Superactive Scalp Serum proving popular with both men and women.

It seems our quest for wellness is undiminished. But could it now be that the couples who self-care together stay together?here are five suits-all skin buys to try.

Helen Mirren and her husband Taylor Hackford at this year’s Venice Film Festival