The traditionally female-focused make-up market is steadily opening up to a new demographic – but what are the driving forces behind the male beauty movement? Canvas8 spoke to David Yi, the founder of Very Good Light, to understand how brands can tap into men’s growing interest in cosmetics.

While people may associate erectile dysfunction and baldness treatments with older men, Hims is targeting a younger market. By using a tone of voice that’s more approachable than a regular pharma firm, it’s helping to guide them around the pain points that impact personal health and self-care.

Over three-quarters of people in the UK believe that traditional gender roles are now irrelevant, so the idea that make-up is only a women’s game has become outdated. The world of contouring, highlighters, and lipstick is no longer reserved for females, and as more men express an interest in painting their faces, beauty brands are opening up to a much wider pool of potential make-up addicts.

“Beauty is just being your authentic self,” proclaims David Yi, founder of men’s beauty publication Very Good Light. “And beauty to the modern man is all about being confident.” Indeed, as the hyper-masculine and somewhat archaic narrative around what it means to be a man starts to disintegrate, the beauty industry is growing to cater to the ‘modern male’. Through moisturisers that promise to combat the signs of ageing and subscription boxes that keep hair loss at bay, global sales of men’s grooming products are predicted to reach $60.7 billion by 2020, up from $47.2 billion in 2015.