Canadian actor Hudson Williams attends the 83rd annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on Jan. 11.MICHAEL TRAN/AFP/Getty Images
It isn’t breaking news that men are into skin care – a fact that’s not lost on the many male celebrities who have launched their own product lines. There’s Brad Pitt’s Beau Domaine, Idris Elba’s S’ABLE Labs and Pharrell Williams’ Humanrace, to name just a few.
You can’t blame them for trying to get a piece of the pie: In 2024, Mintel reported that 52 per cent of men use facial skin care, up from 31 per cent in 2022. The global men’s grooming market is expected to reach US$115-billion by 2028, according to Statista. And a quick glance at GQ’s website affirms that subjects such as the best vitamin C serums, wrinkle creams and LED masks have a willing audience.
All of that aside, some men aren’t doing enough. A 2023 study by CeraVe revealed that 65 per cent of men don’t even wash their faces daily.
Heated Rivalry proves that consent is sexy
Then there’s Hudson Williams. The 24-year-old Heated Rivalry star detailed his extensive skin care routine for an article in The Cut last month – just a few weeks after the Crave series premiered – and the actor is doing a lot for his skin. Perhaps even too much.
“Overall, I think he’s got a lot of steps in here,” said Alexandra Fox, head esthetician at Sous La, a facial and body treatment spa in Toronto.
Williams starts his day with an oil cleanser to dissolve dirt and sebum from the skin, which Fox is in favour of. “For men, oil cleansing is one of the best things for their pores. Even if you just do two minutes on the nose – you don’t have to do it everywhere. It just gets all those blackheads out," she explained.
Hudson Williams walks the runway at the Dsquared2 fashion show during Milan Fashion Week on Jan. 16.Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images
Williams also uses several tools: A gua sha stone, microcurrent electrical device to tone and lift the skin and Clarisonic facial cleansing brush, the latter of which Fox doesn’t recommend. “They harbour so much bacteria and are too harsh for your skin barrier,” she said. Hudson, if you’re reading this: Drop the Clarisonic. “He has enough exfoliation in his routine,” she added.
That’s evident from the AHA toners (chemical exfoliants that dissolve dead skin cells) he’s using after he cleanses. From what she sees in his routine, Fox thinks he’s “definitely afraid of [clogged] pores and acne.”
Williams mentions the numbuzin No. 3 toner. “It’s a great Korean brand – good ingredients with a lower price point," Fox said.
If he still has blackheads, Williams follows up with cult favourite CosRx BHA Blackhead Power Liquid, another chemical exfoliant that penetrates deeper into the pores to clear oil.
Fox was impressed by the actor’s use of a vitamin C serum, which is a great product to apply in the morning. “It can prevent pollution, and also helps with [defending against] UV rays and those sorts of environmental factors,” she said. From the article, we also know he’s wearing a respectable SPF 50. Bless our Huddy, as co-star Connor Storrie calls him.
Hudson Williams, right, and Connor Storrie co-star in Crave series Heated Rivalry.HO/The Canadian Press
Williams also mentions pimple patches and spot treatments, a slate of moisturizers, clay masks and retinol. But does the average 20-something guy really need to take all of these steps?
Fox doesn’t think so. Ultimately, she said, a person only needs three things: “Something to remove the dirt, something to treat the skin with hydration and something to protect the skin.” In other words, a cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen.
But “there’s no reason males can’t have glowy, beautiful skin with anti-aging goals or protection goals,” she said. “I think it’s a wonderful thing.” And it’s not as complicated as the beauty industrial complex would have us believe.
One thing that’s negating all of the effort Williams is putting into his skin care? Those occasional cigarettes. “The skin is directly correlated to your lungs,” explained Fox. “So, if he’s finding that he’s having issues with pores and acne, it’s very possible that that is coming from all of the smoking and the tars and toxins.”