Someone is trying to sell makeup to men by calling it ‘war paint’

It has become increasingly common to see consumer goods marketed with a masculine edge as an attempt to cash in on a generation of men taught that they can never be manly enough, with a focus on making products that might otherwise be seen as feminine into their most macho forms.

Enter War Paint, a  line of makeup marketed to men. From the name to the all-black packaging, this line of foundation, bronzer, and other common makeup products are clearly aimed at a crowd who might use the product, but feel their masculinity might be threatened by wearing a dab of concealer.

The product claims to be designed for men from the start, focusing on the “tougher” skin of a man.

“The difference in men’s skin to woman’s skin is caused by hormones, specifically testosterone,” reads a notice on their website. “Androgens such as testosterone affect the thickness of the skin and how much sebum their skin’s sebaceous glands produce.”

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Related: American Psychological Association agrees with Gillette. ‘Toxic masculinity’ hurts boys. 

They added, “Seeing as men have a whole shedload of testosterone, their skin is both thicker and oilier than women’s. This means that as a man you may be more likely to get spots and blackheads.”

Whether the product is a better fit for men or not, social media users at Twitter and elsewhere were more than willing to chime in on the product.

The founder of War Paint, Daniel Gray, claims it was body dysmorphia that drove his product line, saying that he could not find a makeup he felt comfortable purchasing.

“This is why I created the brand War Paint — something I’d feel confident in wearing. It’s not perfect yet, but I’m working on it. So look, for me this was never about making money, War Paint actually came from my own struggles. It’s about understanding that not all men have that confidence. I didn’t, and I struggled.”

Others complained about the range of colors available, and that many men with darker skin tones would be locked out of the product line. This is a common complaint in a lot of makeup, regardless of what gender they may be marketed towards.

Unfortunately, the product launch video no longer exists on Twitter, having been removed for a copyright claim over the music used within.