Paul Rudd tops male beauty icon list, beating Harry Styles in skincare study

Actor Paul Rudd has been named as the ultimate male beauty icon, influencing men's skincare choices. Photo: AFP

A new multifaceted and more inclusive form of masculinity is striving to break down the many preconceptions surrounding virility.

Change is slowly but surely underway in the fashion and beauty industries, driven by icons who help push the boundaries. This is the case of Paul Rudd and Harry Styles, who have risen to become the world's most popular male beauty icons.

They're two different men with two different styles from two different generations, but both reflect the changes that have been taking place in the beauty industry for several months.

Rudd and Styles are now considered the ultimate male beauty icons, and more specifically, sources of inspiration in the field of men's skincare.

So reports a study conducted by men's skincare experts Humanery. No less than 100 male celebrities were studied via Google data analysis to determine which ones influence men's beauty routines the most, and make the grade as world-class skinfluencers.

Read more: How men are overshadowing women when it comes to red carpet fashion

Rudd clearly stands out, taking first place in the ranking, with no less than 8,400 annual searches associating the American actor with the term "skincare".

This goes to show that the invisibility of people age 50+ is well and truly coming to an end, for men as well as women.

It also reflects how these male celebrities are intent on deconstructing many of the myths surrounding masculinity, and especially virility.

The Humanery ranking suggests that it is a more multifaceted and inclusive form of masculinity – whether in terms of age, body type, origin or gender – that appeals to the public today.

Casting inclusivity in a masculine light

In second place comes Styles (8,400 searches), who, for the past three years, has been breaking down many preconceived ideas in the fashion industry, and has even launched his own gender-neutral beauty brand.

He is followed by the British-American actor Andrew Garfield (4,800 searches) and the British actor Idris Elba, who also just turned 50.

David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, John Legend and Brad Pitt complete the ranking, which is testament to a certain diversity when it comes to skinfluence.

"Our Google study shows that, apart from having great skin, there isn’t one preferred ‘type’ of male celebrity skinfluencer. There is a real mix of ages, skin colours and professions, all encouraging men to up their skincare game," explains Thomas Watson, a skincare expert at Humanery.

"This can only be a good thing, as for years now, more men have needed to take better care of their skin, and if it's celebrities helping to make that happen, then we’re here for it."

Read more: How beauty brands are innovating with customised services for men

This phenomenon is also being seen in the field of fashion, although still in its infancy.

Otherwise, the study reveals that searches for "men's skincare" have jumped by 124% in the last three months, showing once again that men want to shake off certain cliches once and for all.

Humanery compiled a list of over 100 male celebrities based on their mentions in news articles that covered "age defying celebrities" and "hottest celebrities".

The celebrity names were then analysed in Google Keyword Planner to find the number of searches made in the last 12 months for [celebrity] + [skincare]. Data correct as of February 2023. – AFP Relaxnews