Lab Series MAX LS Age-Less Face Cream for Real Men (& the Chicks Who Love Them)

April 01, 2010

While women have never had so many skincare lotions and potions to choose from, the overall beauty market is less than lustrous, with flat-to-declining sales. However, the market catering to the segment with a Y chromosome is currently enjoying double digit growth. "Men’s skin care products have increased at three times the rate of the overall market and this is expected to keep growing," confirms L'Oreal.

No longer afterthoughts or subordinate to women's products, these are formulated specifically for fellas (men's skin is around 10x thicker than a woman's), in no-nonsense packaging designed to appeal to Real Men (RM), with lines like Jack Black, Zirh, Anthony Logistics & Lab Series - which recently launched MAX LS Age-Less Face Cream.

An effective balance of texture, delivery, and "aesthetic performance" (ie. it absorbs and doesn't leave you greasy or disco-ball shiny), it goes on lightly and does absorb quickly. Also, a very small amount goes a very long way (I’ve been using my tester for almost four weeks and there is barely a dent in it). My skin felt smoother after the first application, and over time, the telltale skin around the eyes and cheekbones became firmer and my skintone more even; overall, a noticeable difference. An unexpected side benefit: with the extra hydration my now-firmer skin was receiving, I started getting closer shaves in the morning.

While a beard and hormones make men's skin different than women's, it's more important to focus on matching a product to skin type (oily, dry, or combination) than gender. In the end, a good moisturizer is a good moisturizer, as my wife proved when she raided my stash of MAX LS and raved about how fabulous her skin felt, too. My response: she has hundreds to choose from...this is mine!

Lab Series MAX LS Age-Less Face Cream is available at LabSeries.com, Sephora and better department stores.

- Mark Behnke, Men's Style Editor

(image at top: source)