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There is a distinct, borderline metaphysical comedy in the way the modern FilipinoFilipinoThe national language of the Philippines, widely used for communication, education, media, and culture.Go to Filipino Glossary man approaches his own face and hair. We are currently living through an unprecedented boom in masculine vanity. According to data from MarketResearch, the men’s grooming market in the Philippines has spiked to a multi-billion-peso industry.
We are buying serums. We are financing mattifying sunsticks on TikTok Shop. Yet, if you walk into any office in Bonifacio Global City, you will find a man who spent his hard-earned pesos on premium pomade, only to style his hair with a cracked plastic pocket comb rescued from his tito’s cabinet drawer.
We must consider our mistakes. More importantly, we must consider the cardinal grooming sins that persist despite our newfound aesthetic enlightenment.
Oil’s Well That Ends Well
FilipinoFilipinoThe national language of the Philippines, widely used for communication, education, media, and culture.Go to Filipino Glossary hair is historically thick, famously stubborn, and uniquely subjected to equatorial humidity that behaves like an invisible sauna. In response, many men treat their scalp like a sizzling sisig platter. They apply heavy, oil-based pomades under the impression that completely suffocating their hair equals control. The result? By 2 p.m., the tropical heat liquefies the product, sending a slow, chemical avalanche down their forehead. This clogs pores and creates a greasy mess that makes you look less like David Beckham and more like someone who just survived a typhoon. Switch to water-soluble clays for a grooming routine that can better handle the heat. Your skin will thank you.
Face the Sun
There is a stubborn, almost mythic belief among Pinoy men that our melanin renders us immune to UV rays. It does not. Skipping sunscreen in Manila doesn’t make you rugged; it just ensures that your face will eventually take on the texture of an artisanal leather shoe that’s been stretched and patinated beyond recognition. To keep your face from turning into a raisin, try some City Skin Age Defense Broad Spectrum SPF50.
One-Bar-To-Rule-Them-All
The average male shower routine in the Philippines is an exercise in terrifying efficiency. There exists a widespread, almost religious devotion to the humble bar of antibacterial soap. This solitary block is expected to wash the feet, scrub the torso, cleanse the face, and (heaven forbid) substitute for shampoo. Utilizing a harsh body soap on your face strips away your skin’s natural protective barrier, triggering an emergency overproduction of sebum. You are not cleaning your face; you are provoking it into declaring martial law.
Grooming is not an act of submission to superficiality. It’s an ongoing negotiation between the climate, your biology, and the person staring back at you in the mirror. Put down the body soap. Invest in a proper cleanser for your visage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common mistakes include using heavy oil-based pomades that liquefy in humidity and clog pores, skipping sunscreen due to a belief that melanin provides UV protection, and using a single bar of antibacterial soap on the face, body, and hair instead of proper skin-specific products.
Heavy, oil-based pomades melt under tropical heat and humidity, sliding down the forehead and clogging pores by midday. Water-soluble clay-based products are recommended instead, since they offer hold without the same breakdown and greasiness in high-humidity conditions.
Yes. Melanin does not make skin immune to UV damage. Skipping sunscreen accelerates premature aging and leathery skin texture over time, regardless of natural skin tone, making daily SPF an essential rather than optional step in a grooming routine.
Yes. Using harsh antibacterial body soap on the face strips away the skin’s natural protective barrier, triggering overproduction of sebum as a defensive response. A dedicated facial cleanser is recommended instead of using the same bar soap for face, body, and hair.
According to Euromonitor International data cited via MarketResearch, the Philippine men’s grooming market has grown into a multi-billion-peso industry, reflecting a broader rise in Filipino men’s spending on skincare, haircare, and grooming products.
Peejo Pilar
With nearly two decades of production and publishing experience, managing editor Peejo Pilar runs GQ Philippines' daily operations like a finely tuned Wacky Races car engine—aligning and collaborating with writers, editors, and creatives. He assists the editor-in-chief and deputy editor in overall management and editorial campaigns as well as keeping the storytelling efficient and sharp, proof that you can manage creative chaos without losing your mind. You can contact him at [email protected].
