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Gianni Casagrande comenzó a usar maquillaje hace unos tres años.

The 22 -year -old, resident of Middlesbrough, in northern England, says he suffered a "really bad acne" and started using a concealer to hide it.

Impressed by the results, it began to use a prebase (first cream that is applied before makeup to increase its duration) to exit at night and a eyebrow gel to control yours, which you consider “dense”.

"There is definitely still a stigma around makeup for men, but I think it is becoming more normal now," says the strategist of social networks and beauty blogger.

"Many of my friends use it, both homosexuals and heterosexuals, makes you feel much more comfortable and safe," he says.

Male makeup has earned attention thanks to television figures, beauty bloggers that promote cosmetics and brands that defend that trend.

In August, the head of L'Oreal in the United Kingdom, Vismay Sharma, said it was no longer a taboo for the "selfie generation" to use cosmetics and that we could see makeup posts for men in large stores in some “five to seven years".

Eyeliners and correctors

Maybelline, una marca de L’Oreal, usó a un hombre por primera vez en enero pasado para aparecer en un anuncio de un rímel.

It was the star of social networks Manny Gutiérrez.

A growing number of brands such as Yves Saint Laurent and Tom Ford sell makeup specifically for men, including eye eyeliners, tanning creams and correctors.

Charlotte Libby, beauty analyst at Montel's research firm, says that makeup "will never be for all men", but that there is definitely a growing audience.

“To put it in global context, makeup for men represents less than 1% of the market.But the stigma that weighs on well -arranged men and who take care of their appearance is decreasing and cosmetics brands are benefiting from that, ”he says.

Los hombres no siempre fueron tan tímidos para usar cosméticos.

The ancient Egyptians used eye eyeliner, the Romans wore blush and some English from between the 16th and 17th centuries applied facial powders.

The custom declined in the Victorian era and more recently has been limited to some in the LGBT community, and artists like David Bowie and Boy George.

But in 2017, the Asos digital store launched its first makeup line for men and said it saw a growing number of boys "venturing" the use of concealers and bases.

He suggested, however, that the majority managed to borrow the products of their sisters, girlfriends or wives.

“Queremos desafiar las convenciones históricas y usar nuestra influencia para ayudar a nuestros clientes a sentirse cómodos presentándose de la forma que les parezca más conveniente”, dice Alex Scolding, jefe de compras del área de rostro y cuerpo de la firma.

Varied uses

The Asos digital store offers MMUK products.This brand was born in 2011 with a collection of 12 specific products for men.

Now it offers more than 40, which vary between concealers, liquid bases and beard stuffed.

The sales of this company based in Brighton, the United Kingdom, grew from US $ 55.000 in 2012 to US $ 104.000 in 2015.

La vocera de MMUK, Lucy Atkinson, dice que inicialmente la empresa dirigió sus productos a la comunidad gay, pero luego se dio cuenta de que este grupo representaba “aproximadamente un tercio” del mercado.

"About 25% of our clients are professional heterosexual gentlemen, eager to maintain some healthy and youthful aspects of the help in their careers," he details.

"And another 25% is composed of young men between 15 and 21 years old who use our makeup to cover common skin conditions, such as acne and acne scars, and the rest uses it for television and theater," he adds.

Like Sharma de l’Oreal, Atkinson says that madness for public social networks is causing interest in male makeup.

Just as they use filters in the photos, "men are eager to have a daily filter in real life, in the form of makeup," he says.

Focus change

The promotion made by popular personalities on the Internet has also helped.

American makeup bloggers such as Patrick Starr and James Charles have accumulated millions of followers on YouTube and Instagram, where they frequently publish makeup tutorials and publish products.

But we still have to see how popular male makeup will be in five years, says Libby, from Mintel.

He adds that men can always use products aimed at women, but that many still feel a stigma about it.

"The makeup is promoted among girls as they grow, not entering boys, so that a change of focus by brands and retailers will need," says.

Casagrande also wants to see more cosmetics aimed specifically to men.

He has used women's products in the past, but says they do not take into account physiological differences, such as facial hair.

"It is good to know that a beauty brand focuses on the needs and requirements of men," he says.

"I think we will see many male makeup stands in the next five years," he says.