The 9 Grooming Products We’re Excited About This May

I would venture to guess that most of you, like me, are super picky about what kind of moisturizer you wear during the day. Personally, if something is even a tiny bit too heavy or shiny, I reserve it for nighttime (or just move on completely). But I also don’t want to sacrifice hydration for comfort. This new moisturizer checks all the boxes for me. It’s surprisingly lightweight for a cream that’s this hydrating. There are peptides to help plump and firm the skin and hydrosella to hydrate dry skin for up to 72 hours, according to the brand. I can’t confirm the exact amount of hours it hydrates my skin, but I can say for sure that as long as I use it, I never feel dry.

It’s not new, but I recently rediscovered this serum-ish product that helps to brighten and hydrate your skin. It’s one of the most iconic skincare products in South Korea (think the equivalent of La Mer cream or Old Spice aftershave) and generations of smooth visaged people can’t be wrong, right? It’s watery, refreshing, and meant to be applied right after cleansing to help energize, hydrate, and plump the skin as well as aid in the absorption of the other products you put on afterward. I’ve been doing just that and have seen a noticeable difference in how healthy and fresh my skin looks, no matter what I apply later.

Last month I expounded on the benefits of retinol for the body (TLDR: the same anti-aging, acne-fighting, skin cell-boosting benefits as for your face) and yes, I’m still a fan. The minute I tried this new lotion I knew it was a winner for me. It contains 0.1 percent encapsulated retinol as well as 10 percent alpha hydroxy acids to help exfoliate and smooth the skin. I’ve been using it every other night as directed and within two uses saw a drastic difference in the post-inflammatory acne marks on my back and shoulders—and also couldn’t believe how much smoother my skin felt. With results like that, it sealed the deal as a permanent product in my rotation.

Body exfoliation is key for a lot of reasons: controlling body acne, reducing dryness and flakiness, helping tattoos look more vibrant, the list goes on. But one thing about body exfoliation is that it can feel like a hassle. Often you need to do it in addition to cleansing, which means extending your shower—and we don’t always have time for that. To help with that dilemma, I’ve been reaching for this new exfoliating body wash that contains exfoliating beads to gently smooth away dead skin cells but is still just as moisturizing as you expect from a good body wash. Best of all, it’s gentle enough to use every day, so you don’t have to do mental arithmetic to remember when you last exfoliated.

I’m a huge fan of L’Object’s home and apothecary fragrances, so when I found out the brand was launching wearable fragrance, I knew it would be something special. It did not disappoint. The new collection has four luxurious scents, but my favorite is Bois Sauvage for its crisp freshness and woody snap from notes of cypress (think a more elegant version of pine). Some might consider this a winter scent—and it really does conjure the vibe of walking through a snow-laden forest—but I’ve been wearing it around lately to amp up the green vibes of the spring plants blooming around me. To say it’s been a crowd pleaser is an understatement.

I’m a pretty active guy, so my bathroom is packed to the brim with different paint relieving creams and potions. They all serve their purpose, but when I tried this new spray it immediately moved to the front of the shelf. It’s ideal for hard-to-reach places like your back that can be a pain (literally) to apply cream to, and it has an instant cooling effect that soothes soreness and feels incredible. I especially love it because it dries so quickly that I don’t need to walk around my apartment waiting for it to dry before I sit on any furniture or put clothes on.

I’m not using a ton of hair products right now because my hair is so short, but even buzz cuts can benefit from a little pomade—especially when they start to grow out and can look a little scraggly. I’ve been using this natural clay to great effect because it’s surprisingly lightweight for a thicker, clay-based product and gives my hair a little hold with no shine at all. While I can’t speak to how well it works with longer hair, I love the way it makes my hair look better and smoother, but not like I’m using any product at all.

Even though I try, and use, a ton of grooming products, I’m always on the lookout for things that will minimize and streamline my routine without sacrificing the effects I want. Enter this serum, which contains retinol (a cornerstone to my routine, and hopefully yours, too) but also has niacinamide in the mix (to help even skin tone and brighten dark spots) and hexylrescorcinol (to help brighten skin and stimulate collagen production). I’ve found that using it at night is just as effective in improving how my skin looks as my typical routine of two or three different serums.