Dawn Lougheed, Molton Brown Emporium Manager at The Trafford Centre, recognises the trend. "At least one in three customers walking through the door to our Molton Brown emporium here at the Centre is male. Some of them are buying for women, but most of them are buying for themselves," she says.

"The body washes are the best-sellers with our male customers - especially our classic recharge black pepper body wash, which is warm and spicy. "

The sample box I was sent from Molton Brown certainly has me converted. The Seamoss Stress-relieving Hydrosoak (£18 - 300gram) contains Dead Sea salts - and it's during a lovely long foot-bath after a day of wandering the malls that I realise it's probably the closest I will get to paddling in the Dead Sea! My tired tootsies certainly felt de-stressed after that little dip.

Next up was the supershave olibanum, a rich shaving cream infused with frankincense and Vitamin E (125ml, £15). It's completely unlike my usual gel shave, but just as close. More importantly, it tackles the awful skin burn I usually suffer - leaving my face smooth and calm, rather than red raw and itchy. Definately one for the gents who need the daily office shave - and it smelled so good I didn't bother with after-shave.

Likewise, the new bracing silverbirch body wash leaves a subtle, masculine fragrance on my skin that lasts all day. The aromatic ingredients of cedarwood, cumin and bergamot are of such quality that even my bathroom is left with a pleasing scent until the next day! At £18 for 200ml, the wash is not cheap - but then, as with all Molton Brown products, the quality means that a little goes a long way. My body wash is still getting a daily airing three weeks after I opened it.

Lastly, I tried the baj ji hydrator - a post-shave balm that is instantly absorbed into the skin to calm and rehydrate. I loved it! It was non-greasy, and smelled deliciously musky and clean. Says Dawn: "Our ultralight bai ji hydrator is the perfect every day skin protector for men, and the best-selling skincare product here at the Trafford Centre store".

And how can so many men be wrong?

Justin Webb