Oily skin, visible pores: what a men's skincare routine really needs to address

For a long time, men had only two options for skincare: nothing at all, or a body wash that could also be used on the face. Things have changed, but often in the opposite direction—an entire aisle of “men’s-only” products promising to solve everything at once.

Between the two, there is a simpler reality: men's skin has specific biological characteristics, and it is these characteristics—not marketing—that should dictate what we apply to it.

Thicker, oilier skin with more noticeable pores

It’s not just a feeling. On average, men’s skin is 20 to 25 percent thicker than women’s, with a higher concentration of collagen. The most significant difference lies in the sebaceous glands: under the influence of testosterone, which is locally converted into DHT, these glands are more numerous and more active—resulting in higher sebum production, skin that becomes shiny sooner in the day, and pores that appear larger, not because they have “dilated,” but because the influx of sebum simply makes them more visible. This same excess sebum has a positive side as we age: a richer hydrolipidic film provides better protection against dryness, and oily skin often shows wrinkles later than dry skin.

Shaving: a form of irritation that women's skin doesn't experience

There’s one factor that most “women’s” routines don’t take into account: the daily—or nearly daily—passage of a razor blade across the skin—an average of 16,000 times over the course of a lifetime. Each pass removes a thin layer of surface cells and creates micro-cuts invisible to the naked eye. This repeated mechanical stress accounts for much of the discomfort that is mistakenly attributed to poor hygiene: temporary redness, tightness, and ingrown hairs. The skin isn’t dirty—it’s simply under double strain, from excess sebum and from the razor blade.

Men's skin isn't a problem that needs to be fixed. It's a different kind of skin, which calls for a different approach.

The classic mistake: drying out skin that's already oily

When faced with shiny skin, the most common instinct is to reach for drying products—alcohol-based gels, “cooling” lotions, or daily exfoliators. While this choice is based on sound intuition, it often has the opposite effect: deprived of moisture, the skin interprets this stress as a sign of dehydration and compensates by producing even more sebum. Oily skin still needs to be moisturized—simply with lighter, non-comedogenic formulas that don’t add an extra oily film.

What a Basic Routine Should Really Include

Once these two realities are established—more abundant sebum and daily shaving—the actual needs boil down to just a few things: effective cleansing that removes excess sebum without stripping the skin, a routine that regulates sebum production and refines the appearance of pores over time, rather than trying to “tighten” them, and protection for the skin barrier, which is particularly important after shaving. Three steps, then, not ten: cleanse, regulate, protect.

Niacinamide Serum — VIBRE PARIS

This is exactly the approach that guided the development of the VIBRE PARIS routine: three steps designed to work equally well for both oily and dry skin, with no “men’s” or “women’s” versions. We explained in more detail what enlarged pores really are—and why they can’t be “tightened”—in a previous article.

Sources

• French Society of Dermatology (SFD) — Physiology of Male Skin
• MSD Manual — Anatomy and Function of the Skin
• Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD) — Sex-Related Skin Differences