Gen-selfie groomed for men's makeup

Online retailer ASOS last week launched a male-only beauty range from MMUK. Illustration / Rod Emmerson

By Katie Morley in London

Men's makeup counters could be a reality within five years, the British boss of L'Oreal says, as it is no longer a taboo for the "selfie generation".

Vismay Sharma, the cosmetics giant's UK managing director, said demand for makeup was growing fast among men.

He said male-targeted counters in department stores and chemists could be a reality in "five to seven years".

According to Sharma, taboos are changing and makeup is becoming more accepted for men among what he describes as the "selfie generation".

He said: "Today you have a very small proportion of men who want to use make-up products, but that proportion is growing and it will continue to grow.

"I think it's just awareness - two things are happening: men know they can use makeup, and they know what it does when you use it. The second thing is that the taboos are going, so between my generation and my son's generation the taboos are very different."

Online retailer ASOS last week launched a male-only beauty range from MMUK, while Tom Ford has launched a small collection of male grooming products, including an eyebrow maintenance kit and a concealer set.

Makeup artists who usually only cater for women are also starting to post tutorials specifically for men on their websites.

Last year, Gary Thompson, a 26-year-old beauty blogger, became the first man to star in a makeup advert - for L'Oreal's True Match Foundation.

At the time, he said: "I think we've come far with accepting men wearing makeup. If you look at it five years ago, if you thought of men wearing makeup you'd think of extreme sparkly eyeshadow, but today it doesn't have to be like that. You could wear a good foundation, a good contour, a natural base and it doesn't have to be extreme."