Spend five minutes online, and you'll find someone selling the next shortcut to self-improvement. Want a better jawline? Bone crushing. Better skin? Peptides. Better sleep? Some sort of pill. And the list goes on and on. The internet's obsession with looksmaxing and optimization has turned personal care into a competitive sport, complete with spreadsheets, mog rankings, and routines that seem to require the time commitment of a second job…or third. What happened to a simple skin care routine?
For a while, skincare found itself caught in the middle of that race, cue the 10-step routine, even for men. What began as a practical act of self-care gradually became another arena for performance, filtered through algorithms and endless advice loops on the feed. Every scroll seemed to reveal a new miracle ingredient or another impossible standard to chase. Still, fortunately, you don’t have to exist in any of these extremes—take a page out of Jordan Clarkson’s playbook.
The New York Knicks guard has built a career around understanding the value of repetition. Long flights, late-night arrivals, early shootarounds, 82-game seasons. Professional basketball is a constant exercise in maintenance, where longevity is often determined by the habits nobody sees and the never-fading discipline. "People see the hustle, but the real work is in the details," Clarkson says. "Taking care of my skin is one of those details. It's about consistency."
It's a perspective that makes his partnership with Lab Series feel perfectly well-timed, acting as a north star for men who don’t want their personal care to be overcomplicated. Founded in 1987, the New York-born skincare brand has spent decades developing products specifically designed for men's skin. While trends have come and gone, Lab Series has largely stayed focused on a simple idea: skincare should work for your life, not become your life.
That philosophy anchors the brand's latest campaign, “Turn Your Routine Pro,” where the Knicks guard is caught in motion, moving through the city with the same ease and confidence that has made him one of the league's most recognizable personalities. "I've always believed that how you prepare shows up in how you perform," Clarkson says. "Skincare is just part of that for me now. It's something simple that helps me feel ready, especially in season."
That mindset can be felt throughout Lab Series' newest offerings, particularly within its All-In-One collection. Designed for men who appreciate efficiency without sacrificing results, products like the All-In-One Face Treatment Moisturizer bring multiple benefits together in a single step. The approach feels increasingly relevant as more men move away from crazy routines or quick gimmicks and toward products that can become staples on their bathroom shelf. For Clarkson, that has become increasingly important with experience. "As I've gotten older, I've started thinking more about longevity, in every aspect of the word," he says. "Taking care of your skin is just part of taking care of yourself."
Lab Series sees that relationship between consistency and confidence as central to the future of men's skincare. As conversations around grooming continue to evolve, the brand is betting that more men are looking for something grounded, products backed by expertise, routines built around real life, and a healthier relationship with self-care altogether. And that goes beyond skincare. The brand's grooming collection reflects that same philosophy with products designed to make everyday rituals feel more effortless. This intention shines through when the Cooling Shave Cream touches the skin, delivering a smooth glide and leaving you feeling refreshed and comfortable after each shave. Maybe that's why the current moment feels like a turning point.
The culture's fixation on looksmaxing and optimization is finally beginning to lose steam, placing more emphasis on routines built on habits rather than hacks. The goal isn't to spend more time thinking about skincare. It's to find products that allow you to think about it less. And for a generation increasingly exhausted by the pressure to maximize literally everything, that may be the most refreshing idea of all.
Discover Lab Series All-In-One collection here.
