While the beauty industry has traditionally pushed makeup as a feminine product, studies have shown that male cosmetic companies have been on the rise for the past decade and continue to grow every year. The male grooming industry is estimated to be worth around $21.4 billion dollars, according to Statista, an online statistics company.

Men’s skincare companies like KENMEN sell cosmetics specifically for men, such as color correction facial products, brow and beard fillers, and bronzers.

Makeup use among men and women can be interpreted as a form of self expression, identity and creativity. Television shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race, which has contestants compete for the title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar,” has made men’s makeup-use familiar to pop culture.

Men’s makeup as a mainstream product is increasingly used not to create an over-the-top drag style, but as a way to create sculpted brows, hide breakouts and correct uneven complexions.

“[Makeup] doesn’t even correlate with gender or sexuality because these are just chemicals that we put on our faces,” said Avalos.

“I don’t believe that transforming your beauty is limited to women,” said Bay Area makeup artist Alex Fletcher. Fletcher works for Sephora, a major beauty retailer, and has been a professional makeup artist for the past five years.

There has been a stigma that makeup is solely for feminine use for centuries, but now men consult with makeup artists or use makeup tutorials to achieve flawless-looking skin. As a result, men who wear makeup are most often viewed as feminine and not masculine.

Just like a costume, male actors and performers wear makeup for acting roles, red carpet affairs and award events, regardless of their sexual orientation. Makeup gives actors and performers a way to alter the way they look for a role or performance, without expensive plastic surgeries

However, male makeup artists like Gutierrez often receive negative, derogatory comments on a daily basis — not because of the work they do but because of their gender.

“Men specifically, I believe, are afraid of the whole makeup aspect because it’s been so feminized that their fear comes from the [idea] that women are inferior,” said Avalos. “If you thought women were