Fail-Safe Gifts - Men's Folio
Grooming

Fail-Safe Gifts

  • By Wilson Lim

The season of giving is upon us, and for some, shopping for gifts is the most headache-inducing task they face during the festivities. There are plenty of guides out there telling one what to buy, but those will only help if one knows the specific person he is shopping for well enough. However, there are no guides on worthy generic gifts that do not seem like afterthoughts, or worse, re-gifts.

Anything that is related to style can be a potential disaster because it alludes too much to personal preferences and will not classify as generic. On that note, socks are probably the ultimate last-minute afterthought gifts. Moreover, certain style-related gifts denote specific societal pressures, like buying a wallet can be read as being overly committed.

If the reader has no inkling what this mythical “worthy generic gift” is (this article is appearing in the Grooming section should clue you in), this writer is going to recommend considering the skincare category. Specifically, fragrance-free skincare products make the best gifts. Men may not necessarily feel the need for them, but they might reap benefits by using them. We are zooming in on fragrance-free products as scents can also be very personal, and one man’s country garden can be another man’s allergy triggers.

In actuality, fragrance in skincare serves no real function in enhancing the effectiveness or the potency of the product. Rather, its raison d’être is often to make the product smell more pleasant to its target customers.

The fragrance-free gifts we are recommending, on the other hand, have the advantage of being less likely to cause skin ailments, such as eczema, that are commonly linked to irritants found in fragrances.

Despite men’s skincare having two basic tenets – anti-ageing and moisturising – it would be best to go for the moisturising function. Nobody, men or women alike, would want to receive a gift that hints at an ageing outlook. However, when it comes to hydration, people will tend not to give further thought to it. Like handing a bottle of water to a friend, the receiver would not misconstrue it as a dig at him but appreciate the kind gesture.

Moreover, access to fragrance-free skincare products is easy with many men’s skincare brands offering extensive options such as Lab Series Multi-Action Face Wash, Biotherm Homme Aquapower Moisturiser, and Clinique For Men Anti-Fatigue Eye Gel.

If one is feeling generous, it would be nice to send a complete set to cover the three-step routine of cleanse, tone, and moisturise. Therefore, the ease of choice is greatly enhanced by narrowing down on the convenience of the store and budget. If he has to choose only one item to gift, this writer would recommend a moisturiser because if the man already has an existing skincare routine (when the gift has to be a necessary courtesy) or has none, it could double up as a daily body moisturiser for the former and a body moisturiser when sunburnt for the latter. No waste there.

Naysayers might insist that gifting skincare products could be potentially offensive as if we are suggesting that the receiver’s face needs help. Let us hope one does not have to deal with such sensitive fools, but it would be great to casually issue a disclaimer that you have no idea what to get him and offer that at least it would be useful. Problem solved, and one will have staked a claim on the “great gift received”. Winners all around – giver and receiver.