'Cleanse it Like Beckham' will examine the male beauty industry and the profits to be made from this growing market.
The women's beauty industry turns over £100bn every year. Joanna Mintz, marketing manager for Nivea for Men in the UK, said: "Our real long-term challenge is to make this sector of male skincare as big as it currently is for women."
The half-hour documentary explores the roots of male beauty advertising with an interview with former heavyweight boxer, Henry Cooper, who was the original face of Brut aftershave in the 1970s.
With the slogan "splash it all over", Brut was able to take an iconic figure whose masculinity was unquestioned and get men to change their behaviour.
The programme moves on to a modern case study, Gillette. The shaving giant signed Beckham as its "face of the future" in a multimillion-pound deal just prior to Euro 2004. It launched its marketing campaign in the UK with the slogan "face skincare like a man!".
The programme touches on the use of masculinity, in particular sport, to sell male beauty products by converting men to willing users of products that used to be seen as "girlie" and off limits.
Gillette and Nivea hoped England would do well in Euro 2004 to ensure the eyes and ears of fans were focused on the tournament and their brands.
Beckham's missed penalties sparked controversy for the Beckham brand after Vodafone said its use of the England captain was under review.
Scott O'Hara, General manager of Gillette in the UK, said: "He's a leading footballer, one of the best footballers in the world, and that's not going to change overnight."
But even with Beckham's poor performance on the pitch, elsewhere he is a global icon and a self-confessed cleansing and moisturising man, which will do for Gillette.
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