Our pick of the best cult buys you can’t go wrong with.

Grooming products can be notoriously discriminatory: what works to transform one person into an oil painting may not have quite the same effect on another. But there are certain products that transcend such limitations. So to save you from the tedious (and often rather expensive) trial-and-error approach when it comes to looking your freshest, we’ve picked out eight eminently reliable products that have revolutionised the grooming game.

…for eerily smooth skin

If grooming products had Instagram followers, La Mer’s legendary Crème de la Mer would be a mega-influencer. It’s a silky moisturiser with a deserved army of devotees, and is also cloaked in numerous conspiracy theories – there are rumours that La Mer’s formula (made from a fermented juice called Miracle Broth) is played a tape of carefully selected soundwaves to boost its efficacy, for instance, and that re-creating the unique formula after its founder’s death involved contacting him from beyond the grave to obtain the recipe. We can neither confirm nor deny such hearsay, but we can tell you for a fact that it’s a world-beating moisturiser.

…for youthful hair

There are few products around that specifically cater for greying hair, which makes Oribe’s Silverati Shampoo all the more special. It’s formulated with blue and silver pigments to brighten grey hair and neutralise any yellowy tones, and is stuffed full of natural ingredients, including coconut oil to nourish and cleanse, and watermelon and lychee to protect against pollution and redress further signs of premature ageing.

…for a sophisticated aroma

Le Labo is an achingly cool perfume brand based in New York and known for its intuitive and natural approach to its fragrances, which contain no parabens or preservatives. The brand also never pays for advertising, instead relying on word-of-mouth to spread its popularity (it works). While Le Labo is best known for its Santal 33 fragrance, there’s another one on the roster that is slowly gaining a storied reputation: Thé Noir. The black tea scent combines the freshness of fig with the depth of hay and tobacco to create a well-rounded, heady fragrance that’s curiously alluring without being overpowering.

…for age-defying looks

Dr Nicholas Perricone has built a brand laser-focused on anti-ageing, anti-inflammatory skincare that’s based on years of groundbreaking, medical-grade research. The gold standard in anti-ageing moisturiser, then, is its Cold Plasma. Although it sounds like something you might encounter in a Sir Ridley Scott movie, Cold Plasma is not all that intimidating, and works like a standard face cream, promising smooth, brightened skin.

…for perfectly shaped locks

Patricks’ products are predicated on luxury and efficiency, but they’re also fortified with the brand’s trademark Patricks Recovery Compound (PRC), created to minimise male hair loss and enhance volume. The brand’s M1 Pomade has a matte finish and a light hold, and works particularly well on short-to-medium-length fine hair, but also does a good job of taming thicker locks. Oh, and it smells great thanks to a mix of silver fir and vetiver. Not bad for a one hair product.

…for combating pollutants

From accelerating the ageing process to dulling the complexion, pollution is bad for your skin. A sad fact for those of us whose lives play out under the smog of the city, but something easily remedied thanks to Dr. Barbara Sturm. The dermatologist’s Anti-Pollution Drops are made with cocoa seed extract, which works as a barrier to block out the elements and other environmental aggressors.

…for windswept hair

A simpler, more effortless hair product there never was. SACHAJUAN’s Ocean Mist Texturizing Spray is a 10-second way to give hair that beach-blown texture, and will add a bit of thickness and definition. It’s also a great shade of sea blue, but exercise caution when leaving it out – one of our MR PORTER colleagues mistook it for mint breath spray and, well, let’s just say it works better as a hair product.

…for a smooth face

Despite all of the grooming technology that’s been developed in recent years, an irritation-free super-close shave still evades many a modern man. Baxter of California solves the problem with its appositely named Super Close Shave Formula, a cream infused with peppermint and tea tree oils that makes shaving a doddle thanks to their soothing properties. Much better.

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