Women may be the vainer sex but men sure are catching up fast.

Even macho men have faced up to the need for basic skincare products like cleansers and moisturisers. And now, anti-ageing creams and health supplements for men are all the rage.

Since the beginning of the year, at least five brands, including Biotherm Homme, Clinique Men and Lab Series, have launched anti-ageing skincare creams and serums for men.

Dior Homme has just hit the shelves in Singapore with a range of anti-ageing products for men in their 30s.

Beauty supplement brand Imedeen has also launched anti-ageing pills for men.

'Men start noticing their skin changing from the age of 30. When they start to age, it is dramatic,' says Arnaud Champenois, brand manager for Biotherm Singapore. The company launched Force Supreme Rebuilder, a serum in a nifty roll-on applicator which targets sagging skin, eye bags and double chins, in April.

'That is when they want to solve the problem and they want something efficient that shows results fast,' he says, explaining why anti-ageing products are quickly becoming an essential weapon in a guy's grooming arsenal.

The launches this year are in line with recent studies.

One done by research firm Euromonitor International in June last year on men's grooming products in Singapore found that the growth in sales was due mainly to skincare products, with many men showing an interest in anti-ageing ones.

According to figures from the Singapore Association of Perfumes and Cosmetics Distributors, the men's skincare market grew by 12.6 per cent from 2008 to 2009, compared to an 8.1per cent growth in the women's market over the same period.

With the guys' skincare market taking up only 4 per cent of the total beauty market, there is plenty of room for skincare companies to muscle in for a bigger share.

While some question the need for a separate range of anti-ageing products for men, experts say the differences in their skin require different formulations.

Men's skin is generally 20 to 30 per cent thicker than women's and has higher collagen and elastin levels which make their skin firmer, says dermatologist Eileen Tan of Eileen Tan Skin, Laser and Hair Transplant Clinic at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre.

Although this makes them more resilient to ageing, when lines, wrinkles and sagging start to show, they are more prominent and harder to treat, says Leona Low, a training manager for Clarins.

As a result, men's skincare products need to provide deeper cleansing to prevent clogging of pores, says Dr Yeak Hwee Lee, medical director of Singapore Aesthetic Centre, a subsidiary of Singapore Medical Group.

While the anti-ageing ingredients may be the same as those in women's products, 'a higher concentration may enhance penetration' as the male skin is thicker, Dr Yeak adds.

Besides, as Dr Eileen Tan observes, her male patients say they are attracted to 'more macho' packaging in their products.

Not only are image-conscious men contributing to the growth in the grooming market, aesthetics doctors are also seeing an increase in male patients, according to a quick check with three clinics.

While men used to undergo simple treatments such as microdermabrasions to unclog pores and polish skin, now they 'do not shun more dramatic quick fixes such as Botox and lasers', says DrLow Chai Ling, medical adviser for The Sloane Clinic.

Over the past two years, the chain has seen a 30 per cent rise in male patients, she says.

As the beauty industry rushes to embrace men's skincare needs, one point it might want to note is that a bloke still wants things quick and simple.

'They may not be willing to invest as much time and effort as a woman but if you can offer them a simple, effective treatment, men are as likely to undergo the anti-ageing treatment as women,' says The Sloane Clinic's Dr Low.

'That's progress.'

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This article was first published in Urban, The Straits Times.