The Men's Health 2019 Grooming Awards
The men’s grooming section at the drugstore (or Amazon or Target or Whole Foods-or even your local grocery store) contains hundreds more products than it did even a few years ago. To help you sort through shelf after shelf of retinols and pastes, tanners and toners, we at Men’s Health called on our most kempt staffers to test them-and comedian/actor Ben Schwartz, too! Turns out the future looks amazing.
The latest innovation in grooming is the absence of certain ingredients-like natural deodorants without harsh chemicals that work just as well as the old-school sticks, and mineral sunscreens that your skin absorbs just as easily as the ones you’re used to.
Hair products today don’t look like they used to. Now your pomade is a foam, so it won’t weigh your hair down; your shampoo is dry, so you can clean your hair at your desk; and your conditioner also improves your scalp, so your hair can be healthier, not just softer.
Colognes used to be all about one thing: seduction. But now the coolest ones out there are about a vibe. They’re meant to evoke stuff like the wind over a sun-scorched New Mexico desert. They smell like flowers, fruits, smoke, and-if you really use your imagination-sky. They’re meant to transport and inspire, not just arouse. They’re for you, not for anyone else.
For years, you could get that really clean feeling in your mouth only by visiting a dentist. These days, you can experience it more frequently than once every six months. Professional-quality toothbrushes and whitening devices are now available for the home and are as easy to use as opening an app. (Though you should still go to the dentist.)
We get it: Building a skin- care routine can be daunting. That’s why so many of us still rely on the same acne wash we had as teens. But making small changes, like applying a retinol cream at night or a sheet mask once a week, can mean big changes in your skin’s health (and look) with minimal effort. The products may seem a little outside the box-until you start using them.
Sometimes the most exciting grooming products are elevated versions of what we already use. A great shaving cream, for instance, simply means a richer lather, a silkier texture, and a subtle scent that negates the need for an aftershave or even cologne.
What makes something an innovation? When you didn’t even know you needed it until you try it. This year, grooming innovations came from every category: razors that actually make your face feel great, blow dryers that don’t make your hair crispy, and hell, even a mask that makes you look like an evil robot, but also makes your skin amazing. These products address our grooming problems in ways we never thought possible and man, are we happy they’re here.
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