Grooming is all about routine and every routine requires routine maintenance. That’s why SPY is constantly testing new products against old standard bearers. Smart men engage in annual grooming audits, updating their rinses, scents, and scrubs to meet their new needs and ever-higher standards. The good news is that there are tons of worthy products to choose from. Over the last few years, new and old brands have been furiously investing in the men’s grooming space, pumping out SKUs at a ferocious rate. Is everything good? Absolutely not. But many of these new products are outstanding.

Mileage varies on grooming products, which is why SPY celebrates competitive products and encourages readers to experiment. That said, some products are a cut above. These are innovative products, like the Headblade Moto, or beautifully mixed products, like Le Labo’s shaving cream. Some products are, well, objectively excellent. Finding them takes SPY time, but excellence tends to be obvious in practice. Great products jump out.

For this year’s SPY Grooming Awards, we’ve divided our picks into seven distinct categories: Hair Care, Skincare, Shaving, Hygiene, Dental Care, Head Care (read: stuff for bald dudes), and Indulgences. Every category contains a mix of new, up-and-coming brands that impressed us as well as classics that remain classic.

Browse images of some of our picks below and click on the links to see full lists of our favorite products.

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Hair Care

Proper hair care is essential to conserving and caring for locks — whether they’re a source of anxiety, pride, or indifference. For men who aren’t currently in the market for a bald head shaver, we’ve selected our favorite haircare products for achieving clean, smooth, and soft tresses from root to tip. 

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Skincare

The vast, complex world of skincare has become gargantuan. Sure, every man’s skin is different but the number of must-have products is actually small. A good cleanser, SPF, and moisturizer will get most men 90% of the way there. Everything else is a nice bonus. 

Here are our favorite basic products, and our selects for the pampering add-ons that’ll achieve that “dewy bedtime” look your girlfriend nails every night.

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Shaving

We’ve got picks for men who like an old-fashioned shave, and men who lean electric, as well as aftercare selections for fighting irritation, which seems inevitable, but isn’t. Trimmer engineering is now advancing faster than automotive engineering and we’re fine with it.

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Head Care

Headcare is haircare for bald men, as maintaining a smooth-shaven dome takes careful tact with the right tools. Each product was hand-picked by SPY’s resident bald editor who has honed his regimen over years post-receding-hairline. 

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Hygiene

Even the darkest of crevices deserve attention. Hygiene might not be the sexiest area of grooming, but one could argue it’s the bedrock for everything else. Even the most practical of products – deodorant, body wash, lotion — need a refresh from time to time.

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Dental Care

 A great toothbrush doesn’t need to be electric, but it probably should be. Water flossers aren’t excessive. Mouthwash can brighten a mood. SPY editors are very selective about their dental routines, and everything below has been vetted by, literally, hundreds of teeth. 

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Indulgences

We groom so we don’t smell. But we also groom to feel soothed, to satisfy an ache, to have fun. SPY is a pro-bath organization so bath bombs, face masks, and nail care kits also have spots in the medicine cabinet. Here are the ones worth indulging in. 

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*All images were shot at the 5th Avenue/Bryant Park Andaz Hotel.