Young men have stopped showering. Bring back Brylcreem and the well-groomed man
There was a simpler time, now long since #cancelled, in which children would disappear inside Enid Blyton's evocative language of a Britain of times gone by: "lashings of ginger beer" and pillowy egg sandwiches devoured "with relish". Now, Gen Z would call it picnicmaxxing, perhaps with a side of ginger shotmaxxing. The social media trend for "maxxing" has been one of the more tiresome side effects of a life lived entirely online among the younger generation in 2026. You can't brush your hair without calling it "looksmaxxing", eating a chicken salad is "proteinmaxxing" and nodding off is "sleepmaxxing", all curated in reels (but very much not real) for a TikTok audience. Like the philosophical quandary about a tree falling in the forest, if you get dressed without broadcasting it to all, did it ever really happen?
Now the maxxing trend has reached its dark and odorous nadir. Videos surfaced across social media earlier this month of young men declaring their dedication to "pheromone maxxing": a belief, perhaps spurred on by the toxically masculine pockets of the internet , that to wash is to obliterate those all-important natural pheromones that will attract the opposite (or same) sex. There's a smidgen of science to it, given that we all emit chemical odours, but that's not at the expense of basic hygiene. As if teenage boys needed any more excuse to avoid the shower.
It's up there with the trend for young men shearing their eyelashes – yes, you read that correctly – in the belief that they're overly feminised ( Kemi Badenoch made her opinions on Andy Burnham's very clear ) and should therefore be cut off, with scissor blades perilously close to the retina, eye infections incoming any moment now. The pheromone maxxing nonsense decrees that all forms of ablutions are an affront to old-school masculinity and that a natural musk, spotted visage and greasy hair are just the ticket for performing the mating dance. Because nothing's more appealing than the stench of stale sweat, obviously. Who needs a splash of Dior Sauvage cologne when you could emit Eau de Armpit?
Which is a mighty shame, because experimenting with men's grooming products is a rite of passage for young men, and always has been. Think of the Bright Young Things and their slicks of pomade, or the Brylcreem craze of the 1950s, fuelled by Elvis and his swaggering quiff.
A 1954 Brylcreem advert promotes the slicked-back look with a pair of brushes - Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
The Eighties saw hairsprayed crests as sported by Duran Duran, and the Nineties ushered in a golden era of men's grooming, fuelled by the Footballer Formerly Known as Golden Balls. David Beckham heralded the arrival of the metrosexual, with young men up and down the country experimenting with gel-spiked hair and spritzing on the CK One before a night in a sticky regional nightclub (as yours truly was prone to do).
David Beckham helped usher in the era of the metrosexual in the Nineties, inspiring young men to experiment with their grooming - Justin Goff Photos\\Getty Images
Part of growing up is finding your groove grooming-wise, through trial and error: the lacklustre, meagre wisps of a wannabe moustache, the hairstyles (mine was so crispy with gel that it could crack like brittle), the scents that run from Old Spice to acrid, the skincare routines .
It's also unfortunate that men should opt out of any form of morning routine, because the rituals of grooming are something to be enjoyed. It's also a case of basic hygiene and self-respect, for yourself and others.
Here are a few basic tenets to adhere to if you're finding your way in all matters of ablutions.
Face products
Clinique For Men Moisturising Lotion, £33, John Lewis ; Hydrating face wash, £8, Harry's
It never fails to astonish me that there are still men in 2026 who don't moisturise, if only because our understanding of the importance of SPFs is so widely known nowadays. Any starter kit for daily bathroom routines should involve a cleanser and, once or twice a week, an exfoliator. Then it's basic maintenance to moisturise; men tend to be oilier in their skin make-up, so light, water-based moisturisers fare best. From there, you can consider other elements such as serums or under-eye creams, but get into a routine with these basics first.
Hair care
Miracle Hair Oil, £15, Josh Wood Colour ; Murdock Texture Paste, £16, The Grooming Clinic
It goes without saying, but there's a whiff to unwashed hair that has something of the student digs about it. That said, it's not generally advised that you wash your hair every single day – once or twice a week is fine. Otherwise, it can strip the hair of oils and leave it straw-like and dry. Try a conditioner instead; run it through to soften the hair and negate any stagnant odours.
Next up: waxes, pomades and all things in between. Whatever you choose, the important thing is not to slather on too much; matte clay and waxes will leave hair looking more natural, gels give a wetter look, or just add a hair oil for a touch of texture if you're unbothered about holding it in place.
Shaving
Melograno aftershave cream, £41, Santa Maria Novella ; Simulated Horn shaving set, £135, Geo F Trumper
Old-school barbershops would advise on the full accoutrement of shaving bowl, badger hair brush and the like, but the reality is that most men don't have time for such pageantry; it's a Gillette-and-go situation most mornings. One point to keep in mind is that shaving gel lifts the stubble to make it easier to shave, rather than oils. Then always apply a balm to negate the sting.
Scents
Cedro Virtuoso, £180, Acqua di Parma ; Winter 26 Lighthouse, £89, Ffern.co
The final flourish, and something that's personal for men. It's standard practice for scents to come via birthday and Christmas gifts, which is all fine and dandyish, but it's worth exploring colognes beyond the standard Duty Free usual suspects; there's an enjoyment to finding one that's entirely yours. A colleague of mine in his 60s – a father of two teenagers, rarely prone to affectations regarding beauty routines – happened to catch a whiff of a Byredo scent I was wearing and liked it so much he promptly made it his go-to, an occasional indulgence every few months that acts as a daily pleasure. You don't get that from a Neanderthalic social media trend, do you?
