Updated February 2026
Good skin isn't complicated. But finding clear, honest advice without wading through 12-step routines designed for someone else? That part's harder.
This guide cuts through it. Whether you're starting from zero or just trying to do this right, here's what you actually need: by skin type, by time of day, and without the fluff.
Table of Contents
- Why Men Need a Skincare Routine
- The Core Three: What Every Routine Needs
- Morning Routine vs. Night Routine — What's the Difference?
-
Skincare by Skin Type
- When to Level Up Your Routine
- The Questions Men Actually Ask
Why Men Need a Skincare Routine
Men's skin isn't just "tougher." It's structurally different: higher oil production, thicker dermis, and daily shaving that removes roughly a third of the top skin layer every time you do it. That's a lot of repair work your skin is quietly doing whether you help it or not.
The result of doing nothing: clogged pores, persistent irritation, premature fine lines, and the kind of rough, uneven texture that no amount of sleep fixes. None of that is inevitable. It's mostly maintenance that got skipped.
The result of a consistent routine: skin that holds up, stays clear, and doesn't announce itself the wrong way in a meeting or on a first date. It's not vanity. It's showing up in the best version of yourself.
"Men's skin produces significantly more sebum than women's — that means more potential for congestion, breakouts, and enlarged pores. But the same biology that makes skin oilier also makes it more resilient. A consistent routine doesn't need to be complicated to work. It just needs to be right for your skin." — Alex Bruzzese, Henkey's In-House Esthetician
The Core Three: What Every Routine Needs
Regardless of skin type, every effective men's skincare routine is built on three steps. Everything else — serums, eye creams, masks, treatments — layers on top of this foundation.
1. Cleanse A face wash removes oil, sweat, pollution, and dead skin cells that build up throughout the day (and night). This isn't optional. Skipping it means everything else you apply sits on top of that buildup instead of absorbing into clean skin.
What to look for: gentle but effective surfactants, nothing that leaves your face feeling tight or stripped. Tight = overstripped = your skin compensating by producing more oil.
2. Moisturize Every skin type needs moisture (including oily skin). The goal isn't to add grease; it's to support your skin barrier, the protective layer that keeps moisture in and irritants out. When your barrier is compromised, skin gets reactive, sensitive, and inconsistent.
What to look for: lightweight textures for oily or combination skin, richer formulas for dry or post-shave skin. Ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and niacinamide are workhorses across all skin types.
3. Protect (SPF) UV damage is the single biggest driver of premature skin aging: wrinkles, dark spots, rough texture, and loss of elasticity. Most of it accumulates gradually from daily incidental exposure: driving, walking to the car, sitting near a window. You don't need to be at the beach for sun damage to happen.
What to look for: SPF 30 minimum, daily. A moisturizer with SPF built in keeps the routine efficient.
Shop Face Wash → Shop Moisturizers → Shop SPF →
Morning Routine vs. Night Routine — What's the Difference?
The steps are similar, but the purpose is different and that changes what products belong where.
Morning routine goal: Protect.
You're preparing your skin to face the day, things like sun, pollution, sweat, stress. So you want to use lightweight, fast-absorbing products. SPF is non-negotiable.
Night routine goal: Repair.
While you sleep, your skin goes into recovery mode — cell turnover accelerates, repair mechanisms activate. This is when you give it ingredients that support that process: deeper hydration, actives like retinol or hyaluronic acid that work best without UV interference.
Morning routine (quick version):
- Cleanse — rinse away overnight oil and anything from your pillow
- Moisturize — lightweight formula
- SPF — every day, no exceptions
Night routine (quick version):
- Cleanse — this is the more important wash; remove the full day
- Treatment (if using one) — retinol, serum, or active goes here
- Moisturize — richer formula is fine at night; your skin can absorb it
One note on cleansing: you don't need a heavy lather at night to get the job done. A gentle cleanser used consistently beats a harsh one used occasionally.
Skincare by Skin Type
The biggest mistake guys make in skincare is buying products designed for someone else's skin. What works for dry skin actively makes oily skin worse. Getting this part right is the whole game.
Not sure which type you are? The simplest test: wash your face with a gentle cleanser and wait 30 minutes without applying anything. Oily skin will look shiny, especially on the forehead and nose. Dry skin will feel tight or look dull. Combination skin — shiny in the T-zone (forehead, nose, chin), drier on the cheeks. Sensitive skin reacts: redness, stinging, or blotchiness after products or shaving.
Oily Skin
What's happening: Your sebaceous glands are overproducing oil, which leads to shine, congestion, and breakouts. Ironically, over-washing and harsh products can make it worse because if you strip the skin, it compensates by producing more oil.
What to focus on: Oil control without stripping. Ingredients like niacinamide regulate sebum production, salicylic acid clears pores, and clay absorbs excess oil without disrupting the barrier.
Products that earn their place for oily skin:
One thing to skip: Heavy, cream-based moisturizers. Your skin doesn't need them and they'll work against you.
Shop Oily Skin →
Dry Skin
What's happening: Your skin isn't producing enough oil or can't retain moisture effectively. This leads to tightness, flakiness, rough texture, and a dull, flat appearance. Cold weather, indoor heating, and frequent hot showers all make it worse.
What to focus on: Hydration and barrier repair. Humectants (hyaluronic acid, glycerin) pull moisture into the skin; emollients (squalane, oils) seal it in. You want both.
Products that earn their place for dry skin:
One thing to add: A humidifier in your bedroom in winter makes a measurable difference if dry skin is persistent.
Shop Dry Skin →
Sensitive or Reactive Skin
What's happening: Your skin barrier is compromised or naturally reactive meaning it responds to products, weather changes, or shaving with redness, stinging, or blotchiness. Important to note that this can overlap with any other skin type.
What to focus on: Calming and barrier support. Fewer ingredients, gentler formulas, nothing with high fragrance load or harsh actives. Look for niacinamide, aloe, oat extract, allantoin... these are all ingredients that soothe rather than stimulate.
Products that earn their place for sensitive skin:
One thing to avoid: Introducing multiple new products at the same time. If your skin reacts, you won't know what caused it. One new product at a time, two weeks between additions.
Shop Sensitive Skin →
Signs of Aging
What's happening: Collagen production slows significantly after 30. Fine lines, loss of firmness, uneven tone, and a hollowing around the eyes are the first visible signs. Sun damage compounds all of it. UV exposure is responsible for roughly 80% of visible facial aging.
What to focus on: Prevention first (SPF, every day), then targeted repair. Retinol is the most clinically proven ingredient for stimulating collagen and accelerating cell turnover. It goes on at night only — UV exposure degrades it and increases photosensitivity. Antioxidants in the morning (vitamin C, resveratrol) protect against daily oxidative damage.
Products that earn their place for aging concerns:
-
Night treatment: Blu Atlas Overnight Recovery Bio-Retinol — bio-retinol alternative that delivers collagen-stimulating results with less irritation than traditional retinol; good starting point if you're new to the ingredient
-
Moisturizer: Comune Hydra Shroom Cream — reishi mushroom, hyaluronic acid, and squalane; dense hydration that supports elasticity without heaviness
-
Eyes: Blu Atlas Restorative Eye Stick — a cooling rollerball that targets dark circles and puffiness with caffeine, niacinamide, and vitamin C; the thinnest skin on your face ages first, and this is the easiest way to address it
"Retinol works, but consistency matters more than concentration. Start two nights a week, let your skin adapt, then increase frequency. The guys who see the best results aren't using the strongest formula — they're using something they stick with." — Alex Bruzzese
Shop Anti-Aging →
When to Level Up Your Routine
Once your core three are consistent — cleanse, moisturize, SPF every morning, cleanse and moisturize every night — that's when add-ons start making sense.
Eye cream: The skin around your eyes is thinner than anywhere else on your face and shows fatigue and aging first. Worth adding once the basics are locked in.
Serum: A targeted treatment that delivers concentrated actives — vitamin C for evening skin tone, hyaluronic acid for deep hydration, niacinamide for oil control and redness. Goes on after cleansing, before moisturizer.
Retinol: The most clinically proven ingredient for collagen production and cell turnover. Goes on at night only, after cleansing, before moisturizer. Start two nights a week and build from there because skin needs time to adjust. Worth adding once you're consistent with the basics.
Exfoliant: Removes dead skin cell buildup that makes skin look dull and blocks products from absorbing properly. 1-2 times per week maximum. Chemical exfoliants (AHA/BHA) tend to work better and more evenly than physical scrubs for most skin types.
Mask: A weekly reset for congestion, hydration, or uneven tone depending on your skin type and the formula.
The rule: nail the foundation before adding anything. A consistent three-step routine beats an inconsistent eight-step one every time.
The Questions Men Actually Ask
Can I use my partner's skincare products? You can, but they're likely formulated for different biology. Men's skin is oilier, thicker, and shaving creates unique sensitivity. Products built for men's skin tend to perform better for men's skin.
Do I really need to wash my face twice a day? Yes. Morning removes overnight oil and whatever's on your pillow. Night removes the full day — pollution, sweat, SPF, product buildup. Skipping one or both means everything else works less effectively.
I have oily skin. Why would I add more moisture? Because dehydrated skin produces more oil to compensate. The goal is balance, not stripping. A lightweight, non-comedogenic moisturizer signals to your skin that it doesn't need to overproduce.
When do I use retinol vs. SPF? Retinol at night only — it breaks down in UV light and increases photosensitivity. SPF every morning, regardless of season or whether you plan to be outside. These two don't coexist in the same routine step.
How long before I see results? Skin cell turnover takes roughly 28 days. Give any new routine at least a month before evaluating whether it's working. Hydration improves faster; texture and tone take longer.
I've never done this. Where do I start? Face wash and moisturizer with SPF. That's it. Do those consistently for 30 days before adding anything else. Simplicity is the point.
Every product mentioned in this guide meets the Henkey's Standard: built on solid ingredients, proven to perform, and confidence-boosting. If something doesn't earn its place, it doesn't make the list — and if it doesn't work for you, return it. We'll refund your money. That's The Confidence Guarantee.
Shop Skincare for Men →
Skincare for Men: The No-Nonsense Guide to Getting Started
Updated February 2026
Good skin isn't complicated. But finding clear, honest advice without wading through 12-step routines designed for someone else? That part's harder.
This guide cuts through it. Whether you're starting from zero or just trying to do this right, here's what you actually need: by skin type, by time of day, and without the fluff.
Table of Contents
Why Men Need a Skincare Routine
Men's skin isn't just "tougher." It's structurally different: higher oil production, thicker dermis, and daily shaving that removes roughly a third of the top skin layer every time you do it. That's a lot of repair work your skin is quietly doing whether you help it or not.
The result of doing nothing: clogged pores, persistent irritation, premature fine lines, and the kind of rough, uneven texture that no amount of sleep fixes. None of that is inevitable. It's mostly maintenance that got skipped.
The result of a consistent routine: skin that holds up, stays clear, and doesn't announce itself the wrong way in a meeting or on a first date. It's not vanity. It's showing up in the best version of yourself.
"Men's skin produces significantly more sebum than women's — that means more potential for congestion, breakouts, and enlarged pores. But the same biology that makes skin oilier also makes it more resilient. A consistent routine doesn't need to be complicated to work. It just needs to be right for your skin." — Alex Bruzzese, Henkey's In-House Esthetician
The Core Three: What Every Routine Needs
Regardless of skin type, every effective men's skincare routine is built on three steps. Everything else — serums, eye creams, masks, treatments — layers on top of this foundation.
1. Cleanse A face wash removes oil, sweat, pollution, and dead skin cells that build up throughout the day (and night). This isn't optional. Skipping it means everything else you apply sits on top of that buildup instead of absorbing into clean skin.
What to look for: gentle but effective surfactants, nothing that leaves your face feeling tight or stripped. Tight = overstripped = your skin compensating by producing more oil.
2. Moisturize Every skin type needs moisture (including oily skin). The goal isn't to add grease; it's to support your skin barrier, the protective layer that keeps moisture in and irritants out. When your barrier is compromised, skin gets reactive, sensitive, and inconsistent.
What to look for: lightweight textures for oily or combination skin, richer formulas for dry or post-shave skin. Ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and niacinamide are workhorses across all skin types.
3. Protect (SPF) UV damage is the single biggest driver of premature skin aging: wrinkles, dark spots, rough texture, and loss of elasticity. Most of it accumulates gradually from daily incidental exposure: driving, walking to the car, sitting near a window. You don't need to be at the beach for sun damage to happen.
What to look for: SPF 30 minimum, daily. A moisturizer with SPF built in keeps the routine efficient.
Shop Face Wash → Shop Moisturizers → Shop SPF →
Morning Routine vs. Night Routine — What's the Difference?
The steps are similar, but the purpose is different and that changes what products belong where.
Morning routine goal: Protect.
You're preparing your skin to face the day, things like sun, pollution, sweat, stress. So you want to use lightweight, fast-absorbing products. SPF is non-negotiable.
Night routine goal: Repair.
While you sleep, your skin goes into recovery mode — cell turnover accelerates, repair mechanisms activate. This is when you give it ingredients that support that process: deeper hydration, actives like retinol or hyaluronic acid that work best without UV interference.
Morning routine (quick version):
Night routine (quick version):
One note on cleansing: you don't need a heavy lather at night to get the job done. A gentle cleanser used consistently beats a harsh one used occasionally.
Skincare by Skin Type
The biggest mistake guys make in skincare is buying products designed for someone else's skin. What works for dry skin actively makes oily skin worse. Getting this part right is the whole game.
Not sure which type you are? The simplest test: wash your face with a gentle cleanser and wait 30 minutes without applying anything. Oily skin will look shiny, especially on the forehead and nose. Dry skin will feel tight or look dull. Combination skin — shiny in the T-zone (forehead, nose, chin), drier on the cheeks. Sensitive skin reacts: redness, stinging, or blotchiness after products or shaving.
Oily Skin
What's happening: Your sebaceous glands are overproducing oil, which leads to shine, congestion, and breakouts. Ironically, over-washing and harsh products can make it worse because if you strip the skin, it compensates by producing more oil.
What to focus on: Oil control without stripping. Ingredients like niacinamide regulate sebum production, salicylic acid clears pores, and clay absorbs excess oil without disrupting the barrier.
Products that earn their place for oily skin:
One thing to skip: Heavy, cream-based moisturizers. Your skin doesn't need them and they'll work against you.
Shop Oily Skin →
Dry Skin
What's happening: Your skin isn't producing enough oil or can't retain moisture effectively. This leads to tightness, flakiness, rough texture, and a dull, flat appearance. Cold weather, indoor heating, and frequent hot showers all make it worse.
What to focus on: Hydration and barrier repair. Humectants (hyaluronic acid, glycerin) pull moisture into the skin; emollients (squalane, oils) seal it in. You want both.
Products that earn their place for dry skin:
One thing to add: A humidifier in your bedroom in winter makes a measurable difference if dry skin is persistent.
Shop Dry Skin →
Sensitive or Reactive Skin
What's happening: Your skin barrier is compromised or naturally reactive meaning it responds to products, weather changes, or shaving with redness, stinging, or blotchiness. Important to note that this can overlap with any other skin type.
What to focus on: Calming and barrier support. Fewer ingredients, gentler formulas, nothing with high fragrance load or harsh actives. Look for niacinamide, aloe, oat extract, allantoin... these are all ingredients that soothe rather than stimulate.
Products that earn their place for sensitive skin:
One thing to avoid: Introducing multiple new products at the same time. If your skin reacts, you won't know what caused it. One new product at a time, two weeks between additions.
Shop Sensitive Skin →
Signs of Aging
What's happening: Collagen production slows significantly after 30. Fine lines, loss of firmness, uneven tone, and a hollowing around the eyes are the first visible signs. Sun damage compounds all of it. UV exposure is responsible for roughly 80% of visible facial aging.
What to focus on: Prevention first (SPF, every day), then targeted repair. Retinol is the most clinically proven ingredient for stimulating collagen and accelerating cell turnover. It goes on at night only — UV exposure degrades it and increases photosensitivity. Antioxidants in the morning (vitamin C, resveratrol) protect against daily oxidative damage.
Products that earn their place for aging concerns:
"Retinol works, but consistency matters more than concentration. Start two nights a week, let your skin adapt, then increase frequency. The guys who see the best results aren't using the strongest formula — they're using something they stick with." — Alex Bruzzese
Shop Anti-Aging →
When to Level Up Your Routine
Once your core three are consistent — cleanse, moisturize, SPF every morning, cleanse and moisturize every night — that's when add-ons start making sense.
Eye cream: The skin around your eyes is thinner than anywhere else on your face and shows fatigue and aging first. Worth adding once the basics are locked in.
Serum: A targeted treatment that delivers concentrated actives — vitamin C for evening skin tone, hyaluronic acid for deep hydration, niacinamide for oil control and redness. Goes on after cleansing, before moisturizer.
Retinol: The most clinically proven ingredient for collagen production and cell turnover. Goes on at night only, after cleansing, before moisturizer. Start two nights a week and build from there because skin needs time to adjust. Worth adding once you're consistent with the basics.
Exfoliant: Removes dead skin cell buildup that makes skin look dull and blocks products from absorbing properly. 1-2 times per week maximum. Chemical exfoliants (AHA/BHA) tend to work better and more evenly than physical scrubs for most skin types.
Mask: A weekly reset for congestion, hydration, or uneven tone depending on your skin type and the formula.
The rule: nail the foundation before adding anything. A consistent three-step routine beats an inconsistent eight-step one every time.
The Questions Men Actually Ask
Can I use my partner's skincare products? You can, but they're likely formulated for different biology. Men's skin is oilier, thicker, and shaving creates unique sensitivity. Products built for men's skin tend to perform better for men's skin.
Do I really need to wash my face twice a day? Yes. Morning removes overnight oil and whatever's on your pillow. Night removes the full day — pollution, sweat, SPF, product buildup. Skipping one or both means everything else works less effectively.
I have oily skin. Why would I add more moisture? Because dehydrated skin produces more oil to compensate. The goal is balance, not stripping. A lightweight, non-comedogenic moisturizer signals to your skin that it doesn't need to overproduce.
When do I use retinol vs. SPF? Retinol at night only — it breaks down in UV light and increases photosensitivity. SPF every morning, regardless of season or whether you plan to be outside. These two don't coexist in the same routine step.
How long before I see results? Skin cell turnover takes roughly 28 days. Give any new routine at least a month before evaluating whether it's working. Hydration improves faster; texture and tone take longer.
I've never done this. Where do I start? Face wash and moisturizer with SPF. That's it. Do those consistently for 30 days before adding anything else. Simplicity is the point.
Every product mentioned in this guide meets the Henkey's Standard: built on solid ingredients, proven to perform, and confidence-boosting. If something doesn't earn its place, it doesn't make the list — and if it doesn't work for you, return it. We'll refund your money. That's The Confidence Guarantee.
Shop Skincare for Men →