THE JOURNAL

Skincare in 2019 may as well be a religion. You would think that washing your face and slapping on some cream to make you look alive should be a rather straightforward process, but you’d be wrong. Skincare has true devotees – men and women who dedicate minutes of their mornings and evenings to the ritualistic practice of, for instance, fizzing their dead skin off with acids, applying undereye serums like they’re war paint, or using an LED robot mask to blast away their acne. Have you ever browsed through the skincare threads of Reddit? People take this stuff seriously. Frankly, even for this writer, who sits at a desk boxed in with grooming samples, the skincare world can be an intimidating place.
Still, we all want great skin, right? But with all the parameters defining what we think we should be using, it’s difficult to know where to start. The Grey Men’s Skincare, whose range features five accessible grooming products, is refreshingly unintimidating. “I think using skincare is becoming more of a choice than just a thing you do,” says Mr Gregor Jaspers, the brand’s founder. “That choice, especially for men, should be something they can relate to. Compare it to buying the latest designer sneakers or your favourite perfume. The brand needs to be appealing, it needs to be easy to use and deliver on its promises. Men often lack a woman's patience when it comes to their skincare results.”
This means The Grey’s range is easy to understand, and, perhaps more importantly, easy to use – the brand’s 3 In 1 Face Cream works as a day cream, night cream and eye cream, so you don’t have to worry about overcrowding your bathroom shelves. “The scent is masculine, but not in the way you’d expect,” says Mr Jaspers. “It’s a little bit more subtle, a tad more sophisticated. Its formula is comforting, nourishing and leaves your skin looking like skin, in a good matte kind of way. It slightly adjusts to your skin tone so no need to worry about white traces overstaying their welcome in your beard.”
Still, even though it’s user-friendly, that doesn’t mean that this is bare-bones skincare. Quite the opposite: “We’ve bundled rich moisture and science-based efficiency in a one-stop-shop formula,” says Mr Jaspers. “Men love to keep things simple, but that’s why we made sure our formulas are not. I remember bringing my toiletry bag to the lab and pulling out all my face creams saying, ‘I need a cream that combines all of these products I use.’ The team laughed a bit nervously. It took three years and I probably drove the development team mad after rejecting 20 formulas, but it was more than worth the blood, sweat and tears. The end result exceeded my wildest expectations.”
Also see the brand’s Exfoliating Toning Pads, which are an addictive addition to any routine. Made from rigid woven cotton that won’t come off on your stubble, they’re soaked in an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA), which leaves skin buffed and glowing. “These are great for when you hit the gym as they easily wipe off any excess sweat or dirt,” recommends Mr Jaspers. “And for the guys drinking protein shakes, which tend to make skin oilier, this clears up pores like nobody's business. Throw them in your gym bag or use them at night.”
Along with the polymath moisturiser and toning pads, The Grey’s range also includes a face wash, scrub and serum, plus a set of multivitamins. It’s satisfyingly streamlined, but still leaves room for you to experiment with the more cutting-edge side of skincare, such as AHAs (and look out for a soon-to-be-launched sleep mask).
“Men are becoming more aware of the fantastic products that are out there,” says Mr Jaspers. “We want our own routine, using products that feel good on our skin by taking control over what we put on it.” Consider us proselytized.