Particle began with a shopping trip. According to the brand's press release, founders Ayal Ebert and Guy Falkovitch, then in their forties, visited a pharmacy to find a solution to age lines. Ebert said they found dozens of skincare products for women, but only a small selection of alcohol-based after-shaves for men. So they decided to develop skin products specifically for men like them. In an interview, Ebert says the two have been friends since the seventh grade and started their first business together in 2008.

That story explains the tone of the line. It is built for men who want age lines handled and do not want a twelve-step routine. Particle sells directly to customers online, and the search many people type is the brand's address, particlemen.com. The founders describe it as a package that comes directly to your door, with no counter in the way.

The flagship is the Face Cream, positioned as a one-jar anti-ager. The brand's 2020 release lists Dead Sea minerals, Pentavitin, a vitamin C derivative, lactic acid and jojoba oil. I would treat that as the formula at the time, since brands change them.

The first grid is Particle, from face wash and cream to sunscreen, shampoo and an ab cream. The second grid is cleansers, creams and sunscreens from other brands. My tip: wash, apply the cream, then sunscreen, and do it at the same time every day.

Start with the Particle for Men Face Cream. It is the best-reviewed product in the grid, a 6-in-1 anti-aging cream aimed at eye bags, dark spots and wrinkles, used twice a day after cleansing. The Particle Face Wash For Men is the cleansing step that goes before it, a daily anti-aging wash that cleanses and nourishes, and the Particle Face Mask For Men is the weekly extra, a deep-cleansing mask that firms, clears blackheads and minimizes pores.

Below the jaw there is the Particle Neck Cream For Men, which firms, lifts and moisturizes, and the Particle Ab Firming Cream, which is meant to flatten the appearance of the tummy and firm the abdomen. I would think of both as fine extras once the face routine is settled.

The Particle Invisible Sunscreen For Men is the daytime step. The description says it is transparent, leaves no white marks, is non-sticky and does not cause breakouts, which is what I look for in a sunscreen a guy will actually wear. Then the hair: the Particle Hair Thickening Shampoo For Men promotes hair growth and strengthens hair, and the Particle Anti-Gray Serum gradually reduces gray hair without dye.

How I would build it: cleanser in the shower, cream morning and night, sunscreen in the morning, mask once a week.

What I would skip: the Anti-Gray Serum if you want a quick, color-now result. It is described as gradual, so it is for patience.

These are the other brands I would put next to Particle, and they are the plain, dependable side of a men's routine. Jack Black is the grooming-aisle name here. Its Pure Clean Daily Facial Cleanser is a cleanser and toner in one for shave-ready skin, with witch hazel, and the Double-Duty Face Moisturizer SPF 20 is a lightweight daily cream that doubles as sunscreen without feeling oily.

Kiehl's has four picks in this grid. The Ultra Facial Refillable Moisturizing Cream with Squalane is the classic daily cream with up to 72 hour hydration, and the Ultra Facial Barrier-Hydrating Cleanser is a cream-to-foam wash for normal, dry and combination skin. For eyes there are two options: the Avocado Eye Cream, a moisturizing cream for dry or puffy under-eyes, and the Super Multi-Corrective Eye Cream, a lightweight gel with niacinamide and collagen peptide for lines and dark circles. The Better Screen UV Serum SPF 50+ is a sunscreen serum with collagen peptide, good if you want something lighter than a cream.

The Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash is a gel cleanser with mint, for most skin types, with a note that it suits combination skin.

Matching tip: if the cream you pick is rich, pair it with the lighter Origins wash. If you pick the Jack Black cleanser, which is for oily to dry skin, you can pair it with almost anything.

What I would skip: both eye creams in the same routine. Choose the avocado one for dry, puffy mornings or the gel one for lines, not both.

I think Particle works best as a starter system for a man who has never had a routine. The wash, the cream and the sunscreen cover what matters, and the rest can wait. If you already have a favorite cleanser or cream, the second grid gives you a way to mix. Consistency beats the number of steps, so choose a routine you will repeat. Give it a month before you judge the cream, and keep the sunscreen going every single morning, because it protects whatever the rest of the routine is working on. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Caldera Lab Skincare for Men and Vichy Skincare. If you are building a routine for a guy who has never had one, I started with Particle for Men skincare products and the Face Cream.