Mens Makeup Goes Mainstream On TikTok, Ulta, Sephora Capitalize
Mens Makeup Goes Mainstream On TikTok, Ulta, Sephora Capitalize
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A dab of concealer. A tinted moisturizer.
Maybe a brow gel that goes from borrowed to bought. For many men, like Daniel Rankin, makeup has transformed from something taboo into a tool to make them look less tired and put together.
“I remember thinking, ‘Am I really doing this?’” Rankin, a 24-year-old advertising agent from New York who likes to shop at Sephoratold CNBC. “But once I tried it, it just became normal.”
In front of bathroom mirrors and in gym locker rooms, men are now adding cosmetics to their routines, industry experts told CNBC. The men’s makeup market is now one of the most lucrative — and largely untapped — growth opportunities left in beauty, and specialty retailers likeUlta Beautyand Sephora along with big-box companies likeTargetandWalmartall see opportunity.
“Men’s beauty is one of the last categories left where brands can likely still see easy double-digit growth potential simply by showing up,” said Delphine Horvath, professor of cosmetics and fragrance marketing at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Men’s grooming sales in the United States topped $7.1 billion in 2025, up 6.9% year over year, according to market research firm NielsenIQ. The global market was valued at $61.6 billion in 2024 and projected to surpass $85 billion by 2032, with the biggest growth driven by the skin-care sector, according to Fortune Business Insights.
Much of the momentum is coming from Gen Z.
In the U.S., 68% of Gen Z men ages 18 to 27 used facial skin-care products in 2024, a sharp jump from 42% just two years earlier, according to data from market intelligence firm Mintel.
“This is no longer niche,” said Linda Dang, CEO of Canada-based Asian beauty retailer Sukoshi. “Men are forming routines, that usually starts at skin care and then expands further, they are no longer just buying random products. That’s what makes this market so valuable.”
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Unlike one-off grooming purchases, makeup encourages repeat use and experimentation. A man who starts with concealer often adds primer, setting powder or tinted SPF over time, said Farah Jemai, global marketing associate lead at beauty brand Unleashia.
“When men discover makeup that works, they don’t use once and never again,” Jemai told CNBC. “They restock.”
Market researchers estimate that in 2022, about 15% of U.S. heterosexual men ages 18 to 65 were already using cosmetics and makeup, while another 17% said they would consider it, according to Ipsos. Industry experts say those figures are likely higher in 2026.
Openness to cosmetics has grown, as the share of U.S. men who say they never wear makeup has fallen from than 90% in 2019 to about 75% in 2024, Statesman survey data show.
Retailers cater to men
Beauty conglomerates and startups alike are responding to the growth in men’s beauty.
Ulta Beautyand and Sephora have begun integrating men’s complexion products into gender-neutral, skin care-first displays rather than having “Men’s” aisles. Those gender-specific displays can feel intimidating or stigmatizing to some men, Horvath said.
Big-box retailers likeWalmartandTargethave also expanded their men’s cosmetics or grooming offerings.
For example, in 2025, Target partnered with online streaming collective
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Any Means Possible, to launch TONE. The men‑forward personal care brand debuted in Target stores nationwide in July, leveraging AMP’s massive Gen Z male following across YouTube and Twitch.
Online — where much of the growth and discovery is happening — many beauty brands are pouring money into influencer partnerships to increase engagement and sales on TikTok Shop andAmazon.
“So many brands are now putting most of their marketing budget into influencer marketing to meet people where they already are online and make it easier to click ‘buy,’” said Janet Kim, a vice president at K-beauty brand Neogene.
Others are leaning into digital education to teach men what different items do.
The brand War Paint sells makeup products like concealer pens, tinted moisturizers and anti-shine powders that feature QR codes on the packaging. Scanning them launches video tutorials explaining what each product does — without forcing customers to ask questions in a store.
“The biggest barrier isn’t price, it’s uncertainty,” Dang said. “Men want to know what a product does and how to use it without feeling awkward.”
But the path to mass adoption isn’t guaranteed.
Industry analysts warn that social stigma remains high and inflation threatens to curb spending on experimental, nonessential goods. Retailers also face a steep learning curve: It is difficult to scale a market when the core customer doesn’t know how to use the product.
as its first-ever “CoverBoy,” placing a male face on a mass-market cosmetics brand for the first time.
Still, beauty conglomerates largely focused on women until recently, Sukoshi’s Dang said. Now, a broader cultural reset around masculinity is taking place and companies are racing to monetize it, FIT’s Horvath said.
Social media has been the single biggest accelerant, Dang said.
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Author: uaetodaynews
Published on: 2026-01-10 15:12:00
Source: uaetodaynews.com
