Gender-Neutral Beauty Products and the Rise of Inclusive Formulations
Let’s be honest. For decades, the beauty aisle was a place of strict segregation. Pink bottles and floral scents on one side. Dark, “macho” packaging and astringent smells on the other. It was a system that told you exactly who you were supposed to be before you even moisturized. But that? That’s all changing. And fast.
We’re now in the midst of a quiet revolution, one that’s less about breaking down walls and more about simply ignoring them. The rise of gender-neutral beauty products isn’t just a trend; it’s a fundamental shift in how we think about self-care, identity, and the very essence of what makes a product “for you.” It’s a move towards something far more powerful: inclusive formulations.
Beyond the Binary: What “Gender-Neutral” Really Means
First, let’s clear something up. Gender-neutral beauty isn’t about erasing femininity or masculinity. It’s not about making everything beige and boring. Honestly, it’s the opposite. It’s about expansion.
Think of it like this: it’s moving from a world with only two restaurants (one that only serves steak, another that only serves salad) to a massive, incredible food hall. You get to choose what you want, based on your mood, your needs, your desires—not based on a sign on the door. A gender-neutral product is simply designed for human skin, full stop. It focuses on what the formulation does, not who it’s for.
The Engine Behind the Shift: Why Now?
This movement didn’t come out of nowhere. It’s been fueled by a perfect storm of cultural and consumer shifts.
A More Fluid Understanding of Identity
Younger generations, especially Gen Z and millennials, are championing a more fluid, non-binary approach to personal identity. They reject the rigid boxes of the past. For them, a product that says “for men” or “for women” feels instantly outdated, even exclusionary. They demand brands see them as individuals.
The Skincare Boom
The global obsession with skincare cracked the door open. Skincare is largely about science and results—addressing concerns like acne, aging, dryness, or oiliness. These are universal human concerns, not gendered ones. This focus on ingredient efficacy naturally led consumers to ask: “Wait, why does my moisturizer need to be ‘for men’? Good ingredients are just good ingredients.”
The Power of Social Media
Platforms like TikTok and Instagram have democratized beauty. You see people of all genders sharing their routines, their favorite hyaluronic acid serums, and their sunscreen holy grails. This cross-pollination of ideas made the old marketing categories seem, well, silly.
More Than Marketing: The Core of Inclusive Formulations
Here’s the real heart of the matter. True inclusivity isn’t just slapping a minimalist label on an existing product and calling it a day. That’s just gender-neutral marketing. The real work—the rise we’re talking about—is in inclusive formulations. This means creating products that genuinely work for a wider spectrum of people.
This involves some serious R&D. Brands are now considering:
- Skin Physiology: While skin is skin, factors like beard growth, hair texture, and hormonal differences can affect product performance. Inclusive products might offer a richer balm for areas prone to razor burn or a gel-based formula that doesn’t cling to or white-cast on darker skin tones.
- Fragrance: Ditching the overtly “masculine” musk and “feminine” florals for complex, unisex scents—or going fragrance-free altogether to be more accessible for sensitive skin.
- Shade Ranges: This is huge. Foundation and concealer lines are exploding with shades that cater to an incredible diversity of undertones and depths, moving far beyond the old limited options.
- Packaging & Design: Moving away from stereotypical color codes to focus on aesthetics like minimalism, sustainability, and functionality. A pump bottle is for everyone.
The Brands Leading the Charge
It’s one thing to talk about it, another to see it in action. A handful of brands, both new and established, are truly walking the walk.
| Brand | Their Approach | Key Product Example |
| Fenty Beauty | Pioneered the 50-shade foundation range, setting a new industry standard for shade inclusivity that forced everyone else to catch up. | Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation |
| Milk Makeup | Born from a downtown NYC vibe, their messaging is fiercely community-driven and inclusive, with products designed for all genders and identities. | Hydro Grip Primer |
| Jecca Blac | Originally launched as a makeup line for the transgender community, focusing on products that help correct and camouflage, their products are now used by everyone. | Correct & Conceal Palette |
| Aesop | The O.G. of gender-neutral aesthetics. They’ve always used apothecary-style packaging and botanical-based formulas that appeal to a universal sense of wellness. | Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm |
| Fluide | A makeup brand built explicitly on the principles of being LGBTQ+ owned and operated, celebrating self-expression for all. | Durable Liquid Lipstick |
What This Means for the Future of Beauty
So, where does this leave us? Well, the genie isn’t going back in the bottle. The demand for inclusive beauty products is only going to grow. We’re heading towards a future where the entire concept of gendered marketing in beauty will seem like a quaint relic.
The focus will permanently shift to what actually matters: ingredient transparency, skin-specific solutions, sustainable practices, and authentic brand stories. The winner won’t be the brand that can target “women 18-34” the best, but the brand that can create the most effective, thoughtfully designed product for a person’s specific need—whatever their gender.
It’s a more honest way of doing business. And a more exciting way to explore what beauty can be. Because at the end of the day, self-care isn’t a gendered act. It’s a human one.
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