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My Boyfriend and I Tried Gender-Neutral Products for a Week — Here's What Happened

"What the heck is serum?" he wanted to know.
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Over the past few months, unisex — or genderless — beauty products have started to become very popular, with brands like Context and Panacea releasing skin care lines that aren't solely marketed to one specific group of people. It makes sense, given our culture's shift towards gender neutrality.

In 2015, the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs did a study that found that women's personal care products cost 13 percent more than men's. My hope is that the more we support genderless beauty products, the more it could lead to all of us to paying less for essentials like facial cleanser and shaving cream.

Which is exactly why I decided to shed some light on this very important beauty issue. For seven days, my boyfriend and I followed the same skin care routine, using gender-neutral beauty products to primp and prep our complexions. Keep reading to find out what went down.

Image via Christina Heiser

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The Experiment
I've worked in the beauty industry for 10 years and I've dated my BF for just as long. Ever since I got my first gig in 2008 (as a beauty intern for a magazine when I was in college), I tried to get Greg to hop on the skin care bandwagon and use some of the many products I brought home with me from the office every day. No matter how much I begged, he wouldn't budge. Sure, he'd apply sunscreen if we went to the beach and lip balm if his lips were chapped, but his routine pretty much ended there. That is until I roped him into helping me out with this very story. The two of us used Context's facial cleanser, serum, eye cream, moisturizer with SPF and face mask for a week.

Image via @contextskin

This gel cleanser features a host of good-for-your-skin ingredients, including jojoba oil, avocado oil, cucumber oil, chamomile oil, lemon and rose hips extract, and vitamins A and E.

What I thought: For starters, I really like the sleek black and white packaging on all of Context's skin care products. The cleanser was really gentle and didn't dry out my skin, which is something that usually happens when I use gel cleansers. Overall, my face looked refreshed after washing it. I'll definitely keep this one around.

What Greg thought: "It felt good to get into a routine. Christina has told me about the importance of washing my face but I haven't used a face wash since I was in my teens. I didn't really notice a difference in my appearance, but my skin did feel slightly softer. I'll probably go back to just rinsing my face off in the shower because I'm lazy, but I could see myself using this from time to time."

The skin-nourishing ingredients in this serum's formula, such as cucumber extract, aloe and vitamin E, soothe and hydrate all skin types.

What I thought: I'm a big fan of serums, especially ones with antioxidants like this one. The serum sunk into my skin almost instantly and my face looked brighter. Another thumbs up from me!

What Greg thought: "I had no idea what a serum was before trying this. My face felt smoother after using it, though. It kind of felt like a moisturizer but lighter. I would continue using this one."

Packed with antioxidants like vitamin C, this eye cream protects against free radical damage and calms sensitive skin.

What I thought: I've had a few nights recently where I've had trouble sleeping, so my dark circles are noticeable. The eye cream brightened up my undereye area so that I didn't look as dead as I've felt on the nights where I stayed up past my bedtime.

What Greg thought: "I liked the feel of it. It actually felt like my undereyes were a little less dark. I'm probably too lazy to use this every day but I would apply it again occasionally, especially if I work late nights."

BY CHRISTINA HEISER | FEB 6, 2018 | SHARES
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