The Best Men's Grooming Brands — and Which Products to Buy | Gear Patrol (2024)

Home / Grooming / Buying Guides

Even if your skincare routine starts and ends with face wash, you’ve probably been overwhelmed by the sheer amount of options there are — and that’s just a single category. A complete skincare routine encompasses washing, moisturizing, applying sunscreen, adding a retinoid and applying an antioxidant serum, meaning the total routine — referring to both skincare and grooming — is a whopping 12-step ordeal if you include body washing and moisturizing, shampooing and conditioning and shaving and applying after-shave.

Simplify Your Routine, Buy From One Brand

I don’t recommend picking a shampoo from one brand, a moisturizer from another and so on and so forth. It’s not that products from different brands can’t coexist, but you never know, and it’s easier to be certain they can work together and effectively, too. Buy everything from one source and seek out specialized items from other labels only when necessary.

Unsurprisingly, though, there aren’t that many brands with that kind of catalog. Sure, Dove definitely makes hair and body products, but the soap giant doesn’t sell serums. On the contrary, artisanal, all-natural label Caldera+Lab makes excellent creams, but they don’t sell shampoo, deodorants or deep-cleaning body washes, for example. Do you get what I’m saying? There’s a shortlist of brands you can truly count on for the entirety of your everyday skin, hair and body routine — deodorants, moisturizers, pomades and more. But, fret not; we’ve found them.

Maapilim

Face Cleanser

• $18.00 at Maapilim

Infused with aloe vera, this option’s gentle and boasts notes of bergamot, jasmine and cedarwood.

Courtesy

Lip Balm

• $9.00 at

Skip the stick! Be sure to wash your hands before you apply this butter-soft lip balm.

Courtesy

Mountain Glow Golden Serum

• $84.00 at ursamajorvt.com

Ursa Major’s new Glow Golden Serum is formulated with 44 active ingredients, resulting in a potent product for all skin types.

Courtesy

Citrus Riot Body Wash

• $24.00 at ursamajorvt.com

Instead of cool mint, try citrus for deep cleaning. It has a similar effect, but the freshness is compounded by actual fruit ingredients — like lime peel, which encourages cell renewal.

Courtesy

No. 106 Charcoal Body Soap Bar

• $2,024.00 at marloweskin.com

The Charcoal Cleansing Bar clears dry skin and purifies the skin’s surface, all while leaving a fresh, woodsy scent.

Courtesy

No. 170 Original Water Pomade

• $12.00 at marloweskin.com

  See Also

  Keep your hair looking its best in 2024 with these productsThese Are the Absolute Best Hair Products for Men25 Best Men’s Grooming Products That Every Man Needs | FashionBeansAll The Best Grooming Products For Men: 2024 Edition

Style essentially any haircut with this water based pomade, which is easy to work in and reactivate.

Courtesy

Clarifying Body Wash

• $14.00 at

A clarifying shampoo cleans deep down by clearing flakes and other debris from the scalp and encouraging even oil distribution down through the ends each of hair.

Lumin

UV-Defense Moisturizing Balm

• $16.00 at Lumin

  $32.00(50% off)

It’s important to always apply SPF. It doesn’t always need to come via sunscreen, though. This UV-defending balm, for example, acts like a hydrator but has protective properties.

Bravo Sierra

Deodorant Body Spray

• $10.00 at Bravo Sierra

Unlike with Axe, there are no aerosols at play here. This is a pure, proprietary spray that delivers the potency of a stick deodorant without the irritating stickiness.

Bravo Sierra

Shaving Foam

• $9.00 at Bravo Sierra

It’s hard to describe this shaving foam. I mean, shaving foam does a good job, but the texture of this option is superior to so many others I’ve tried — and it’s only $9.

Amazon

FW1 | Anti-Aging Foaming Face Wash

• $88.00 at Amazon

This sleek cylinder is packed with potent anti-aging ingredients that encourage cell regrowth. The vessel, a green tea-infused foaming cream, lathers on nicely and washes off without fuss.

Amazon

BW1 | Body Wash

• $45.00 at Amazon

There’s serious depth to this body wash’s scent. Notes of cognac and bergamot complement a clean, amber aroma. But it doesn’t just smell nice. Green tea, coconut oil and vitamins A, C and E clear dirt and renew the skin’s surface.

Oars and Alps

Wake Up Face Serum

• $49.00 at Oars and Alps

Using a “proprietary combination of 15-percent encapsulated vitamin C, hyaluronic acid and vitamin E,” Oars and Alps face serum invigorates and awakens the skin both at the surface level and deep down, actively undoing signs of aging.

Oars and Alps

Hydrating Conditioner

• $14.00 at Oars and Alps

If you’re not one to sweat a ton or wear a heat-trapping hat, it’s not likely you need to shampoo every single day. But, conditioning between washes is important. Conditioners keep the hair hydrated, as is the case with this option, fresh and healthy.

Sephora

Intense Therapy Lip Balm SPF 25

• $10.00 at Sephora

You (should) know to apply SPF all over, every day. And that means on your lips, too.

Jack Black

Charcoal Body Buff Exfoliating Cleanser

• $36.00 at Jack Black

This cleanser employs charcoal as an exfoliant. The natural additive does just as the name implies: buffs the skin’s surface so as to clear the pores, remove impurities from the surface and leave the skin ready for post-shower moisturizers and serums.

Scotch Porter

BLACK-OWNED BRAND

Twist & Curl Gel Cream

• $12.00 at Scotch Porter

Work this lightweight cream into your curls or waves for better definition. But, fear not: This option doesn’t dry out or flake, and it’s super easy to wash out.

Scotch Porter

BLACK-OWNED BRAND

Exfoliating Face Scrub

• $14.00 at Scotch Porter

Not just for acne-prone or oily skin, this face scrub clears dead skin sells and opens pores, which regulates oil production and reduces the visibility of blemishes.

MALIN+GOETZ

Rum Bar Soap

• $16.00 at MALIN+GOETZ

The brand’s cult-favorite bar soap comes in three scents (at least right now), Peppermint, Lime and Rum. It’s our pick because it’s less boozy than it is dark and brooding.

MALIN+GOETZ

Replenishing Face Serum

• $70.00 at MALIN+GOETZ

Even though skincare products are already designed for sensitive places (your face), they can still irritate those with skin issues like eczema. This replenishing face serum is specifically formulated not to, as the founder bases the products off what works for him, because he is someone that deals with eczema, seborrhea and fragrance allergies.

Jack Henry

Cleanse+

• $28.00 at Jack Henry

Cleanse+ is “superfood for your skin,” the brand proclaims. And, honestly, if there is such a thing, this might be it. It features a prebiotic blend that helps balance your skin’s pH, vitamins to encourage tightness and an even tone and the obvious additions to help clear pores and clean the skin’s surface.

Jack Henry

Super Face Oil

• $68.00 at Jack Henry

This face oil goes on easy and not greasy, hydrates and tones and helps the skin “digest” daily sun.

Amazon

Daily Fortifying Shampoo

• $33.00 at Amazon

A fortifying shampoo does the work of your usual soap but without stripping the hair and scalp of all of its natural oils. You need them to keep peace (balance).

Ulta Beauty

After Shave Balm

• $14.00 at Ulta Beauty

  $20.00(30% off)

Even if you’re using a nice shaving cream, you still need to consider your post-shave routine. It should absolutely include an after shave, which can help prevent clogged pores, razor bumps and ingrowns.

Hawthorne

Sensitive Skin Body Wash

• $15.00 at Hawthorne

This ready-to-order body wash emphasizes users with sensitive skin — even the “ultra” sensitive, they say. It’ll cleanse and clear without stripping, always promising to do more good than harm.

Hawthorne

Papaya Enzyme Exfoliator

• $19.00 at Hawthorne

Instead of rough particulate, Hawthorne uses papaya extract and other enzymes to unclog pores and lift dead skin cells.

Grown Alchemist

Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser

• $52.00 at Grown Alchemist

Look at this ingredient list: chamomile, bergamot and willow bark, polyphenols and mucilages from cold-pressed rose petals, polysaccharides from aloe vera. All of this to say, this cleanser clears using a suite of skincare’s best bioactive ingredients.

Grown Alchemist

Body Cream

• $75.00 at Grown Alchemist

Some lotions are too thick, making them hard to lather and even harder to dissolve into the skin. This cream’s more subtle yet super effective — and nice-smelling.

Bloomingdale’s

Citrus Melange Body Cleanser

• $47.00 at Bloomingdale's

The citrus tingle, affordable by lemon and grapefruit rind, makes you feel even cleaner after using this.

Aesop

Bitter Orange Astringent Toner

• $35.00 at Aesop

Meant for folks with oily skin, an astringent toner, like this one with bitter orange, works to even skin tone and clear caked on buildup caused by sweat and oil.

Harry’s

Body Wash

• $7.00 at Harry's

Harry’s does broad basics well — like 2-in-1s and body washes. Available in four scents, this option cleans without stripping and doesn’t feel like a drastic departure from the gel-like ones we all used to (used to, right?) use.

Harry’s

Targeted Blemish Treatment Gel

• $8.00 at Harry's

The brand even covers specialized items like targeted treatment gels. This one works on acne, dark spots, red patches, plus general rough spots.

Necessaire

The Body Oil

• $40.00 at Necessaire

Cold-pressed and free of any additives, The Body Oil, as it’s plainly called, delivers your skin a shortlist of much-needed nutrients.

Necessaire

The Hand Cream

• $25.00 at Necessaire

Don’t forget about your hands — especially when seasons change or reach their real extremes.

Kiehl’s

Skin-Strengthening Hyaluronic Acid Super Serum

• $145.00 at Kiehl's

Trust Kiehl’s for classics like body wash and shampoo, even hand lotion, but also luxe extras like hyaluronic acid serums.

Kiehl’s

Amino Acid Conditioner

• $23.00 at Kiehl's

Coconut and jojoba oils contrasts this conditioner’s amino acid base, an element that cleans with unmatched efficiency.

Related Topics