Men’s makeup is all the rage on TikTok, Ulta, and Sephora

It often starts small.

A touch of concealer. Tinted moisturizer. Maybe an eyebrow gel that goes from borrowed to purchased. For many men, like Daniel Rankin, makeup has gone from something taboo to a tool to make them look less tired and more put together.

“I remember thinking: ‘Am I really doing this?'” Rankin, a 24-year-old advertising agent from New York who loves shopping at Sephora, told CNBC. “But once I tried it, it became natural.”

In front of bathroom mirrors and in gym locker rooms, more men are now adding cosmetics to their routine, industry experts tell CNBC. The men’s cosmetics market is now one of the most lucrative – and largely untapped – growth opportunities remaining in the beauty space, and specialty retailers such as Alta Beauty And Sephora along with big companies like goal and Walmart Everyone sees the opportunity.

“Men’s beauty is one of the last remaining categories where brands will likely still see easy double-digit growth potential once they emerge,” said Delphine Horvath, professor of cosmetics and fragrance marketing at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Men’s grooming product sales in the United States will reach $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 is expected to exceed $85 billion by 2032, with the largest growth driven by the skin care sector, according to Fortune Business Insights.

A lot of the momentum is coming from Generation 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 ago, according to data from market intelligence firm Mintel.

“This is no longer a niche field,” said Linda Dang, CEO of Canada-based Asian beauty retailer Sokushi. “Men are forming routines, usually starting with skincare and expanding further, and are no longer just buying random products. That’s what makes this market so valuable.”

Unlike one-time personal care purchases, makeup encourages repeat use and experimentation. A man who starts out using concealer will often add a primer, setting powder or tinted SPF over time, said Farah Al-Jamai, global marketing director at cosmetics brand Unleashia.

“When men discover makeup that works, they don’t use it once and never use it again,” Jimai told CNBC. “They’re restocking.”

Market researchers estimate that in 2022, about 15% of American men between the ages of 18 and 65 already use cosmetics and makeup, while another 17% said they would consider doing so, according to Ipsos. Industry experts say these numbers are likely to be higher in 2026.

Openness to cosmetics has grown, with the percentage of American men who say they never wear makeup falling from more than 90% in 2019 to about 75% in 2024, according to Statista polling data.

Beauty conglomerates and startups alike are responding to the growth in men’s beauty.

Alta Beauty Sephora has begun incorporating men’s skin products into its gender-neutral skincare offerings instead of having “men’s” aisles. Horvath said these private displays of sex can feel intimidating or stigmatizing for some men.

Big retailers love Walmart and goal They also expanded their men’s cosmetics or personal care offerings.

For example, in 2025, Target partnered with online streaming group AMP, By Any Means We Can, to launch TONE. The men’s personal care brand debuted in Target stores nationwide in July, tapping into AMP’s massive Gen Z male following across YouTube and Twitch.

Online — where a lot of growth and discovery is happening — many beauty brands are pouring money into influencer partnerships to increase engagement and sales on TikTok Shop and Amazon.

“Many brands are now putting most of their marketing budget into influencer marketing to meet people who are already online and make it easier to click the ‘buy’ button,” said Janet Kim, vice president of brand K-beauty Neogen.

Others are turning to digital education to teach men what the different elements do.

The War Paint brand sells makeup products such as concealer sticks, tinted moisturizers and anti-shine powders that have QR codes on the packaging. Scanning them triggers educational videos explaining what each product does — without forcing customers to ask questions in store.

“The biggest obstacle is not the price, but the uncertainty,” Dang said. “Men want to know what a product does and how to use it without feeling embarrassed.”

But the path to mass adoption is not foolproof.

Industry analysts warn that social stigma remains high and inflation threatens to limit spending on experiential and non-essential goods. Retailers also face a steep learning curve: it is difficult to expand a market when the core customer does not know how to use the product.

While men have worn makeup for centuries, from ancient Egypt to Elizabethan England, the modern commercial makeup movement for men traces its roots back to the mid-2010s.

In 2016, CoverGirl made history by hiring 17-year-old YouTuber James Charles as the first-ever “CoverBoy,” putting a male face on a mass-market cosmetics brand for the first time.

Beauty companies have largely focused on women until recently, Sokushi’s Dang said. There is now a broader cultural reset around masculinity and companies are racing to monetize it, FIT’s Horvath said.

Social media was the single biggest accelerator, Dang said.

On TikTok and Instagram, male creators post step-by-step makeup routines, product details, and before-and-after results that often emphasize subtle changes rather than dramatic looks. Hashtags related to men’s style and makeup have garnered billions of views, with #mensgrooming alone surpassing 26 billion views on TikTok.

“TikTok has democratized how we do this,” Dang said. “You don’t have to ask your sister or guess anymore. Just scroll up and see a guy who looks like you fixing your acne in 30 seconds, then click ‘buy.’ We’ve removed the gatekeepers.”

Generation Z men are more comfortable rejecting strict gender categories and more skeptical of marketing that positions products as inherently masculine or feminine, Horvath said.

At the same time, makeup has been increasingly integrated into a broader culture of health and improvement—sometimes referred to as “looksmaxxing”—which includes fitness tracking, nutritional supplements, hair loss prevention, and life-extension routines.

“Many men have begun to frame grooming and, for some, makeup as maintenance, not vanity,” Horvath said. “This reformulation removes stigma and opens up spending.”

Celebrity influence has accelerated the adoption of these products, with stars such as Harry Styles, Brad Pitt and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson launching their own skincare and makeup brands, reversing the trend of celebrity saturation that is largely seen in spirits.

Johnson’s Papatui brand, which launches at Target in 2024 and covers skin, hair, body and tattoo care, was created in response to persistent questions about his grooming regimen. It now competes directly with established names such as Clinique, L’Oreal, and Kiehl’s.

As the market matures, a debate arises: Do men want “men’s makeup” or do they just want makeup?

Horvath said there is a “bifurcation” in how companies market their products.

Brands like War Paint and Stryx say men need products designed for their thicker, oilier skin, packaged in masculine tool-like containers that feel right at home in a gym bag.

But Gen Z consumers are increasingly gravitating toward gender-neutral brands like LVMH Jointly owned by Fenty Beauty, The Ordinary and Haus Labs. To them, signs that say “for men” can seem outdated or even condescending, Horvath said.

“In 10 years, I don’t think we’ll be talking about men’s makeup anymore,” Horvath said. “We’re just going to talk about makeup. The gender binary in beauty is fading, and sales data is finally catching up with the culture.”