STYLE : LOOKS : Good Grooming Makes the Man

Cosmetics manufacturers have been zeroing in on male consumers lately. So have fragrance makers, many of them clothing designers whose ads imply that, even if you can’t afford one of their thousand-dollar suits, you’re able to smell as if you can.

The man who wants to be well-groomed confronts an array of choices. Consider moisturizers--which more men probably should. Sun, dry air and aging can leave a man’s face in need of hydrating. One on the market is Aramis’ Skin Rebuilder--part of the Aramis Lab Series of men’s grooming aids--which “firms and tightens” and is meant to be worn with a regulation moisturizer such as Aramis’ Instant Moisture Complex.

While not all men are comfortable with spending about $40 for a jar of cream, the price-conscious have other choices. Three ounces of Burt’s Beeswax Moisturizing Creme, made in Maine, costs $14.25, and it’s environmentally correct besides.

Aerosol shave cream is a menace to the ozone layer, and more men are forgoing it. Instead, they might try Crabtree & Evelyn’s newest scent for men, Sienna, in a shaving soap, a non-aerosol cream or a dry stick for use before an electric shave. And since aerosol deodorants are equally harmful to the environment, one alternative would be to switch to a talcum powder, such as Floris’ No. 89 for Men.

As for men’s hair, mousses and gels have lost their cachet, now that they’ve been taken up by the subteen set (think of the kid brother in the “Father of the Bride” remake). Another approach is Kiehl’s Since 1851’s Creme With Silk Groom, which adds shine but is non-greasy and low on alcohol.

And lest a man wearing an aggressive fragrance leave passersby reeling, he can check out two relatively light scents, both locally produced--citrusy Gendarme and the new, more woodsy, Anucci. A man seeking something different also might visit Aveda Esthetique in the Beverly Center. Aveda sells a range of unisex products, from shampoos to body lotions. Many of these can be customized with an essential oil such as eucalyptus or sandalwood, or one of the more complex fragrances Aveda calls Chakras.

In short, any well-groomed man--big spender or not--can feel like a million.

Model: Gregory Balaban/ Nina Blanchard Agency; Brooks Brothers cotton terry robe from Brooks Brothers