The Shape Up: The Best February Releases in Men's Grooming

I’ve declared Marlowe as the best skincare brand for men for its straightforward, effective formulas and killer scents. The brand’s latest drop is a perfect encapsulation of this stance. To be clear, the No. 102 soap bars are not a new offering, but the Cedarwood + Sea Salt scent is, at least for the scrub bars. It’s been a longtime favorite scent for Marlowe’s deodorant and body wash, blending a warm cedar with crisp ocean air for a woodsy fragrance that smells simultaneously fresh and rugged.

Just like the previous No. 102 bar soaps, this is packed with skin hydrators, like green tea, shea butter, and olive oil, and whips up a dense, creamy lather that not only feels great but helps each bar go the distance for weeks.

Read More: Best Bar Soap for Men

Just like the brand’s bar soaps (our best overall, by the way), Dr. Squatch’s new Invisible Glide deodorant is made from natural ingredients and smells incredible. A couple of swipes lasts all day, and never irritates my often sensitive pits. I prefer the wood barrel bourbon scent, which probably says more about me and my affinity for brown liquor, but since it’s Dr. Squatch, you can’t really go wrong with any of the 12 (!) scent options.

Read More: Best Deodorants for Men

As someone with sensitive, dry, and redness-prone skin, I’m always on the lookout for gentle products, and few moisturizers are more lightweight than the Ordinary’s latest option. Led by rice lipids to retain moisture and ectoin, a hydrating amino acid, this milky moisturizer acts fast and never irritates skin. I saw facial redness noticeably reduced after a week of use.

Nobody nails colloidal oatmeal products quite like First Aid Beauty. Following in the footsteps of its Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer, the Ultra Repair Hydrating Pillow Pads rely on the hero ingredient to boost hydration and support the skin’s barrier. They can also be used as a spot treatment for dry or irritated skin, which has helped me battle through and recover from this recent influx of winter weather. A couple of swipes with one of these bad boys at night and my cracked skin feels renewed by morning.

As someone with seborrheic dermatitis (basically dandruff during its steroid era), my scalp is crazy sensitive. I’m always cautious of salicylic acid formulas, especially when you get into the two and three-percent ranges. The ingredient is great for reducing inflammation, but it can also be drying for sensitive skin. Here, that was never an issue. Maybe it’s the added charcoal and soothing ingredients balancing things out, but all this shampoo did was eliminate flakes and reduce redness on my scalp. Best salicylic acid product I’ve tried in some time.

Read More: Best Shampoos for Men

Last year, we gave the Quip Ultra a Men’s Health Grooming Award for its compact, lightweight, sleek silicone design that rolls out ten brush-strength settings, month-plus battery life, and easy-to-use (and replace) click-on brush heads. This year, Quip doubles down on all of this with the Ultra Lite, which essentially offers the same benefits in an even lighter, more travel-ready package. The only major difference in performance is that the Lite has only three brush-strength settings, but I actually view this as a positive.

Not only am I easily overwhelmed by options, but if I ever mistakenly changed the setting, it’d take far too long to find it again. Not to mention, I’m usually doing this before I’ve had my coffee (read: not functioning) or at night before going to bed (read: barely functioning). With the Lite, the process is streamlined to three easy-to-adjust, varying settings.

Whether it stems from my pasty Irish ancestors or the fact that I tend to live like a vampire in the winter, my skin tends to look dull and drained this time of year. Skinfix’s serum has been my secret weapon in 2026. With its 15% vitamin C formula, I’m able to brighten my face and breathe fresh life into my skin while still avoiding the sun (and outdoors, in general) until it’s less windy and gross outside.

AXE has a new fragrance, Midnight Amber, and it leans warm and smooth instead of loud. You’ll pick up creamy vanilla, rich woods, and a nutty edge that gives it a clean, grown-up vibe without feeling heavy. The can got an upgrade, too. The redesigned nozzle puts out a softer, more even cloud, making it easier to apply without going overboard. It’s built to give you better control and more uses out of each bottle. Plus, you can grab it for under eight bucks.