Bathe it like Beckham: L’Oréal and celeb former footballer team up on male grooming brand

Set to feature a reported 21 grooming products on launch, the House 99 line is due to hit shelves globally in March this year.

It’s a sign that the male grooming category - tipped to be a major trend leader in 2018 by CosmeticsDesign​ - is already making strides to capture greater market share this year.

“For me, grooming is not only about how you look, but how you feel​,” Beckham said in a statement.

“It’s about being comfortable, trying new things and shaping your next look. I created House 99 to give people the inspiration as well as the right products to experiment and feel completely at home doing so​.”

The brand has been created in partnership with L’Oréal Luxe, and Harpers Bazaar describes it as a merge of “British barbershop culture with hair, skin, beard and tattoo expertise​”.

Harvey Nichols will stock the brand ahead of its global launch, and is due to retail it exclusively from 1 February in stores and online, before it rolls out more widely.

Male grooming: deep dive insight​

We caught up with male grooming category expert Simon Duffy, founder of British brand Bulldog Skincare For Men, towards the end of last year on his top predictions for 2018. You can find the in-depth article with his insights here​.

“2018 will be an exciting year for the skincare industry with rapidly evolving consumer demands continuing to reflect changing preferences across fashion, wellness, social media and culture​,” explains Duffy.

He picked out shorter beard styles, targeted solutions for imperfect skin, anti-pollution, sustainability, transparency and Korean beauty trends’ influence as his top influences for the year ahead.

“We anticipate more Korean-inspired products for men appearing in 2018 such as toners, emulsions, tinted moisturisers and concealers.”​