Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Guys Will Try Eyeliner

Maybe David Bowie was on to something. Back in the early 1970s, the glam rocker wasn’t shy about wearing cosmetics. Now, more than 30 years later, some guys are willing to step up to the cosmetics counter. According to a recent article in the Financial Post, more than a few men dip into their wives’ concealer, bronzer, even eyeliner.

“Makeup for men is a small niche category, but it is definitely growing,” says Roman Shuster, a retail analyst for Euromonitor International. He says the influence of rock bands like My Chemical Romance and Panic at the Disco, whose lead singers wear dark eyeliner and mascara, are making the idea of wearing makeup attractive for a younger generation of men.

“If a guy had worn makeup 10 years ago, he would likely have been beat up. But that’s changed today because more men are getting into grooming. What was once considered weird isn’t so farfetched now that you are using moisturizer and body washes,” Mr. Shuster said. He calls this the “spillover” effect.

But to keep cosmetics somewhat manly, marketing executives are giving their products overly masculine names and selling them in black or white packaging. Eyeliner becomes “guyliner” and bronzer becomes “power bronze.”

“If the product even remotely looks like it is for a woman, guys will steer clear,” Mr. Shuster said.

French designer Jean Paul Gaultier was among the first big names to launch a men’s cosmetics line—Tout Beau Tout Propre—five years ago. His Canadian customer base for the line quickly rose to one of the top five worldwide.

“Canadian guys are a little shier compared with European consumers, but they are very loyal,” says Louanne McGrory, general manager of Beaute Prestige International, which distributes the brand in Canada.

Ms. McGrory says the fear of aging is driving guys to the grooming counter to solve problems like dark circles under the eyes. The Jean Paul Gaultier makeup is being relaunched this month with crisp-white packaging, a new ad campaign and new name. The Monsieur collection includes face wash and eye cream, as well as a brow-grooming gel, eyeliner and colored lip balm, at prices ranging from $19 to $60.

“We’re finally opening the world of makeup to men,” says Nat Penno, vice president of cosmetics and beauty services at Holt Renfrew, which will debut the Monsieur collection this month.

Biotherm Homme is also debuting a moisturizing tinted gel and dark-circle concealer for guys in select department and drugstores across the country.

“We know these are very niche products,” says marketing director Yosser Zmitri of the Power Bronze collection. “If they do well, we’ll look at launching more in the future.”