LEE KYNASTON
‘Although a firm believer that real beauty comes from the inside, Lee sees no harm in giving the outside some TLC.’

The other week a male photographer friend, who’s just celebrated his 38th birthday, asked me if it was OK to use a ‘woman’s moisturiser’. ‘I’ve been using it for years but feel as though I should be using a man’s one,’ he said somewhat sheepishly. ‘Well, does it work for you?’ I asked him, and when he nodded I told him to carry on.

Then, just two days later, a female pal, who’s a food stylist, asked me to recommend a product to soothe the skin on her legs after shaving and instinctively I suggested Clinique For Men’s Post-Shave Soother (£20, Clinique) – one of the best aftershave balms I’ve come across in 17 years of writing about skincare. ‘Is there a woman’s version?’ she asked. To which I replied : ‘Is there a woman’s version of milk? Or kale? Or granola?’

SKIN DOESN’T CARE

Now, I don’t blame either of them – it’s what the female ‘beauty’ and male ‘grooming’ industries have taught us for years: that men and women’s skin are so different they need totally separate products. In truth, men’s skin does have differences (it’s thicker, oiler and, thanks to more densely packed collagen, tends to age at a slightly slower rate) but it has far more similarities than differences.

In fact, what started out as men sneakily purloining their partner’s night cream or concealer (something a third of men have done, according to an escentual.com survey) has now become a bona fide trend. The result is the mother of all make-up bag mash-ups, where the winners are both your skin and your bathroom shelf, which will no longer groan under the weight of two types of everything.

TUBES NOT POTS

Just opt for minimally fragranced or fragrance -free products (they’re less likely to polarise) and choose tubes over pots – the less contact the creams have with different bacteria-laden fingertips the better. Most of all, experiment, have fun and keep in mind the wise old adage – the more we share the more we have.

GO COMPARE

Always look at prices before you purchase as many men’s products are cheaper than almost identical female versions.

SIX PRODUCTS TO SHARE

Face moisturiser, £39 for 118ml, Malin And Goetz

Beard Oil, £9.95 for 50ml, Hawkins And Brimble

Self Tan Lotion, £18 for 150ml, Green People

Prêt-à-powder, £22 for 56g, Bumble And Bumble

Elizabeth Arden Fragrance Free Eight Hour Cream, £27 for 50ml, Boots

Kent synthetic shaving brush, £9.95 John Lewis

Read more: Trends with benefits: Beauty brands that give back