Generation Z and social media are pushing men’s makeup into the mainstream. The beauty industry is trying to capitalize

A little concealer. A tinted moisturizer. Maybe an eyebrow gel that goes from borrowed to purchased. For many men, like Daniel Rankin, makeup has gone from something taboo to a way to make them look less tired and more polished.

“I remember thinking, ‘Am I really doing this?'” Rankin, a 24-year-old advertising agent from New York who enjoys shopping at Sephora, told CNBC. “But once I tried it, it just became normal.”

In front of bathroom mirrors and in gym locker rooms, more and more men are adding cosmetics to their routines, industry experts told CNBC. The men’s makeup market is now one of the most lucrative – and largely untapped – growth opportunities in beauty and specialty retailers such as Ultimate beauty and Sephora along with major companies such as Goal And Walmart all see opportunities.

“Men’s beauty is one of the last categories where brands can likely still see easy double-digit growth potential simply by showing up,” says Delphine Horvath, professor of cosmetics and fragrance marketing at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

According to market research firm, sales of men’s grooming products in the United States reached $7.1 billion in 2025, up 6.9% year over year NielsenIQ. The global market was valued at $61.6 billion in 2024 and is expected to surpass $85 billion by 2032, with the biggest growth driven by the skincare sector, according to Fortune business insights.

Much of the momentum comes from Generation Z.

In the US, 68% of Gen Z men aged 18 to 27 used facial care products in 2024, a sharp increase from 42% just two years earlier, according to data from a market research firm. Mintel.

“This is no longer a niche market,” said Linda Dang, CEO of Canada-based Asian beauty retailer Sukoshi. “Men are forming routines, which usually start with skin care and then expand. They no longer just buy random products. That’s what makes this market so valuable.”

Unlike one-time care purchases, makeup encourages repeated use and experimentation. A man who starts with concealer often adds primer, setting powder or tinted SPF over time, says Farah Jemai, Global Marketing Associate Lead at Beauty Brand. Unleash.

“When men discover makeup that works, they don’t use it once and never again,” Jemai told CNBC. “They are replenishing their supplies.”

Market researchers estimate that by 2022, about 15% of American heterosexual men aged 18 to 65 already used cosmetics and makeup, while another 17% said they would consider doing so. Ipsos. Industry experts say these figures are likely to be higher by 2026.

Openness to cosmetics has increased as the share of American men who say they never wear makeup has fallen from over 90% in 2019 to around 75% in 2024. Statesman show survey data.

Beauty conglomerates and startups alike are responding to the growth of men’s beauty.

Ultimate beauty and Sephora has begun integrating men’s skin products into gender-neutral, skin-care-focused displays instead of “men’s” aisles. Those gendered displays can feel intimidating or stigmatizing to some men, Horvath said.

Big box retailers love it Walmart And Goal have also expanded their range of men’s cosmetics or care products.

For example, in 2025, Target partnered with the online streaming collective AMPAll possible means, to start SHOW. The men’s personal care brand debuted in Target stores nationwide in July, tapping into AMP’s massive Gen Z following on YouTube and Twitch.

Online – where much of the growth and discovery happens – many beauty brands are pouring money into influencer partnerships to boost engagement and revenue on TikTok Shop and Amazon.

“So many brands are now putting the majority of their marketing budgets into influencer marketing to meet people where they are already online and make it easier to click ‘buy,’” says Janet Kim, vice president at K-beauty brand. Neogene.

Others lean on digital education to teach men what different items do.

The brand War paint sells makeup products such as concealer pens, tinted moisturizers and anti-shine powders with QR codes on the packaging. Scanning them opens video tutorials that explain what each product does, without forcing customers to ask questions in a store.

“The biggest barrier is not price, but uncertainty,” Dang says. “Men want to know what a product does and how to use it without feeling uncomfortable.”

But the path to mass adoption is not guaranteed.

Industry analysts warn that social stigma remains high and inflation threatens to curb spending on experimental, non-essential goods. Retailers also face a steep learning curve: it’s difficult to scale a market if the core customer doesn’t know how to use the product.

While men have been wearing makeup for centuries, from ancient Egypt to Elizabethan England, the modern commercial men’s makeup movement has its roots in the mid-2010s.

In 2016, CoverGirl made history by naming the then 17-year-old YouTuber James Charles as the very first “CoverBoy,” putting a male face on a mass-market cosmetic brand for the first time.

Still, until recently, beauty conglomerates largely focused on women, Sukoshi’s Dang said. Now there’s a broader cultural reset around masculinity and companies are rushing to cash in on it, FIT’s Horvath said.

Social media has been the biggest accelerator, Dang said.

On TikTok and Instagram, male makers after step-by-step makeup routinesproduct breakdowns and before-and-after results that often emphasize subtle changes rather than dramatic looks. Hashtags related to men’s grooming and makeup have been viewed billions of times #menscare over 26 billion views on TikTok alone.

“TikTok has democratized the how-to,” Dang said. “You don’t have to ask your sister or guess anymore. You just scroll, see a guy who looks like you and clears up his acne in 30 seconds, and click ‘buy’. It removed the gatekeepers.”

Gen Z men are also more comfortable rejecting rigid gender categories and more skeptical of marketing that labels products as inherently masculine or feminine, Horvath said.

At the same time, makeup has increasingly become part of a broader wellness and optimization culture – known as ‘looksmaxxing’ – that includes fitness tracking, supplements, hair loss prevention and longevity routines.

“Many men have come to view their grooming and, for some, makeup as maintenance, not vanity,” Horvath said. “That reframing takes away the stigma and frees up spending.”

Celebrity influence has further accelerated acceptance, with stars such as Harry Styles, Brad Pitt and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson are launching their own skincare and makeup brands, reflecting the celebrity saturation trend largely seen in spirits.

Johnson’s brand bill, which was launched at Goal in 2024 and includes skin, hair, body and tattoo care, was created in response to ongoing questions about his care regimen. It now competes directly with older names like Clinique, L’Oréal and Kiehl’s.

As the market matures, a debate arises: do men want ‘men’s makeup’, or do they just want makeup?

Horvath said there is a “dichotomy” in the way companies market their products.

Brands like War Paint and Stryx argue that men need products designed for their thicker, oilier skin, and packaged in masculine, tool-like containers that feel at home in a gym bag.

But Gen Z consumers are increasingly drawn to gender-neutral brands like LVMH co-owned by Fenty Beauty, The Ordinary and Haus Labs. For them, labels that say “For Men” can feel old-fashioned or even patronizing, Horvath says.

“Ten years from now, I don’t think we’ll be talking about ‘men’s makeup,’” Horvath said. “We’ll just talk about makeup. The gender binary in beauty is disappearing, and sales data is finally catching up with the culture.”