Men’s Grooming Trends: What Are Men Searching For?
Men are searching for more forms of personal care than before. Cosmetics, fragrances, skin care, nail care, and hair care are increasingly being connected with self-care, individuality, and wellness. The latest 2026 Men’s Trend Report shows that Gen Z men are driving more than 62% of male monthly searches, with their searches increasing 17% year-over-year. Grooming is becoming less about occasional products and more about steady, everyday maintenance.
Key takeaways
Gen Z men account for more than 62% of male monthly searches.
“Quiet Upkeep” describes grooming as regular maintenance across skin care, fragrance, nail care, and hair.
Rising searches for SPF, makeup, scent wardrobes, and nail color show opportunities for brands in the men’s personal care market.
The Three-step Face
“Quiet Upkeep” was identified as the overall personal care trend shaping men’s grooming habits. The movement includes The Three-step Face, One-scent Statement, Hand Check, and Precision Grooming.
The common idea is intentionality. Grooming is seen as steady maintenance that helps men look prepared on any day of the week. Men are rethinking their daily routines around what actually matters to them.
Daily skin care routines are being built around three basic steps: cleanser, moisturizer, and SPF. Searches for “sunscreen for men” increased 108% from last year.
The largest increase in the Three-step Face category was for “men skin care products,” which rose 280%. Searches for men’s skin care increased by 165%.
The growing interest in men’s skin care has been linked with a move away from stereotypical marketing toward more inclusive and engaging brand narratives. This has helped reduce the stigma around men’s self-care and position it more as a lifestyle choice.
Social media platforms are giving men access to more information about personal care, contributing to the growth of the market. Data shows that 39% of men use facial skin care every day.
Makeup usually comes after skin care in a beauty routine. Historically, this was not an area men were expected to take part in. Search data now shows a different picture, with “no makeup makeup look” searches surging 217% from last year.
Men’s makeup was once a very niche category, often positioned as edgy or rebellious. Now it is becoming part of a broader men’s grooming ecosystem rather than simply being treated as a novelty.
The next biggest increase was for “red light mask,” which rose 156%. This points to growing interest in tech-based personal care alongside topical products. LED light masks have entered the personal care market with promises around anti-aging and acne care.
Scalp care is another area receiving more attention, and the search data shows that interest is not limited to women. Searches for “scalp care” by men increased 82%.
Other searches showing potential market opportunities included “minimalist face wash,” up 45%, “cinnamon body wash,” up 36%, and “charcoal face wash,” up 33%.
The strong increases compared with last year suggest that growth in men’s personal care is not simply a passing fad. It is becoming a growing part of the industry that brands should be responding to.
Additional market data shows that 39% of male consumers globally use facial skin care products every day. Male-targeted personal care grew by 11% worldwide between July 2020 and June 2025.
One-scent Statement
Interest in fragrance collections is growing among men. Searches for “perfume discovery set” increased 167%, while “mens perfume collection” searches rose 113% compared with last year.
This connects with the trend of scent layering, where Gen Z consumers invest in collections of perfumes and mix and match fragrances to create distinct, experience-based scents.
Searches for “fragrance wardrobe” increased 159%. Men are using scent as a personal statement, with fragrance becoming the finishing touch that makes the whole grooming routine feel complete.
At the same time, signature scents remain popular. Searches for “signature scent” by men rose 111%, showing interest in having one go-to fragrance that becomes an identifying scent.
Other fragrance-related searches included “best lattafa perfumes,” up 80%, “fragrance collection,” up 61%, “cologne collection aesthetic,” up 38%, and “sandalwood scent,” up 25%.
Hand Check
Nail polish has been crossing gender lines in recent years, with colorful nails on men becoming more mainstream. This trend is described as “Hand Check.”
Searches for “nail men design” increased 58% compared with last year.
Men’s hand and nail care is increasingly being positioned as a legitimate form of self-care rather than something taboo. Hand care can be connected with well-being, expression, and self-recognition.
The 2026 Men’s Trend Report points to emotional well-being as another part of this shift. Men are using personal care as a path toward self-expression and wellness, with Pinterest described as a place where men are building real-life communities around taking care of themselves.
For brands looking at nail color solutions for men, the search increases include:
“silver nails men” +87%
“black nails men” +75%
“chrome nails men” +58%
“blue nails men” +29%
“chrome heart nails men” +27%
Additional market data indicates that approximately 37% of men globally use hand or body care products at least once a day.
Precision Grooming
Hair trends are becoming more styled and deliberate, with men paying closer attention to shape and texture as part of their grooming routines. Searches for “soft wolf cut men” increased 1,154%.
Other hair search trends include “modern wolf cut men,” up 553%, “curly wolf cut men,” up 245%, “modern mullet men,” up 223%, “Korean two block haircut men,” up 212%, “loose wavy perm men,” up 228%, and “loose perm men,” up 81%.
For the personal care market, hair care may offer opportunities for tailored products that help support these sought-after hairstyles.
Alongside the report, a new men’s personal care collection was introduced featuring clean, simple formulas across deodorant, body wash, hair care, and lotion.
Men’s grooming is clearly moving across more categories, from the three-step skin care routine to fragrance collections, nail color, and carefully styled hair. The search data shows growing interest in personal care as part of everyday self-expression, wellness, and routine.
