Fashion: Men's skin-care line is making its mark

Skin care is no longer exclusively women's territory, and the Zirh Skin Nutrition line is among the popular additions to the male side of the aisle.<br><br>With sleek silver-and-blue nickel and brushed-aluminum

Wednesday, April 19th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Skin care is no longer exclusively women's territory, and the Zirh Skin Nutrition line is among the popular additions to the male side of the aisle.

With sleek silver-and-blue nickel and brushed-aluminum packaging, the line (pronounced "sir") is being touted as the "Helmut Lang" of men's skin care. The 15 assorted products cover all the basics - exfoliants, moisturizers, lotions, shaving gels and creams, and hair care.

Zirh's products are named for their functions (Prevent, Clean, Correct, Protect, Scrub, Fix and Restore) and contain natural extracts. The facial scrub has soothing aloe vera, plus sage oil, for example. The line's makers say the seaweed and aloe-based shaving products detoxify, clarify and firm the skin to create a smoother, softer feel for shaving.

Zirh's sales doubled in 1999, says Brian Robinson, executive vice president of sales and marketing. He attributes the line's success, in part, to the recent boom in high-end men's skin care products and to Zirh's popularity among celebrities: The company says Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman had the line flown to London during the filming of Eyes Wide Shut.

Women have also jumped on the bandwagon. Thirty percent of sales are to female consumers, who especially like Restore eye moisturizer, made with cucumber and caffeine, and Correct multivitamin healing lotion for diminishing the appearances of fine lines and brown spots.

Priced at $12.50 to $59, Zirh Skin Nutrition products can be found at Foley's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Sephora.