Skincare aficionados may have spent the best part of the 2010s championing K-beauty, but amid the uncertainty of the pandemic, Japanese rituals have gained fresh relevance around the world. How is J-beauty balancing old and new wisdom to meet evolving consumer needs?

Repeatedly confronted with their own faces on virtual meetings, Japanese businessmen are embracing make-up to glam up their online reflections. In pursuit of a boost of self-confidence, older men are dissolving beauty binaries, reinventing masculinity for themselves.

Upticks in male make-up and luxury sales, alongside the rising influence of ‘pretty boys’, point to a shift in gender norms among men in China. But government officials are looking to tamp down what they see as the ‘feminisation’ of men, and their efforts have the country divided in opinion.

Staring at our face close-up on constant Zoom calls isn’t doing most people’s self-confidence any favors. A little bit of make-up can give our self-esteem a boost and Tribe is catering to cosmetics-curious men by offering modern make-up’ without the dated messaging of hyper-masculinity.