Rise of 'Brotox': How one 27-year-old 'skinfluencer' spent £5,000 on cosmetic treatments - including salmon sperm injections and a £1,300 skincare routine

In 2026, taking care of yourself as a man doesn’t just mean going to the gym and getting your macros in. In fact, male self-care now feels like a far cry from the 3-in-1 shampoo, face and body wash products you might have seen in men’s showers a few years ago.

And we’re not just talking about a regular haircut and beard trim, men now make up between 10 and 20 per cent of non-surgical cosmetic procedures, a phenomenon that has now been coined ‘Brotox’ on social media platforms like TikTok.

Shakeel Murtaza, a 27-year-old Welsh Pakistani, has built a career and following online by sharing skincare tips and his experience with cosmetic procedures.

Murtaza had polynucleotides injecting under his eyes to reduce the appearance of dark circles.

His self-care and grooming treatments span from top to toe, from Botox for his ‘overactive eyebrow’, injecting polynucleotides (salmon or trout sperm) to reduce the appearance of dark circles and even getting his feet professionally cleaned. Over the last few years alone, he’s spent over £5,000 on cosmetic ‘tweakments’ and procedures.

His interest in self-care and aesthetics first started as a teenager battling acne.

‘I was trying to find solutions online so, I naturally grew quite a strong interest in all things skincare and beauty.’ Murtaza admits, ‘I became a bit obsessed with it.’

And scrolling through his social media feed, obsession does feel like a fairly apt description, not in the least to describe his £1,000 plus skincare routine.

But Murtaza doesn’t seem to think so. ‘At the end of the day it’s a good way to feel confident about yourself. Like everyone I have my insecurities, so if there’s a way I can tweak or improve it, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.’

Murtaza shares videos online to his following of over half a million.

He started making social media videos to provide information on hygiene and self-care for young men and boys. ‘As a guy, there’s not a lot of information out there,’ he says, ‘I wanted to make it more easily accessible for other guys and young boys going through a similar thing.’

For Murtaza, it’s important for young men and boys to see a male role models participating in self-care and aesthetics online.

‘I think a lot of men might not take recommendations from a woman; they might see it as too feminine,’ he says. ‘Seeing it from another man might make them a bit more open to it.’

Murtaza regularly gets the hair around his neck lasered to neaten his beard.

But while Murtaza has built a social media following of over 500,000 people as a 'skinfluencer' online, he admits that he often faces backlash and receives hate comments under his videos.

Much of Murtaza’s hate comments come from other men, calling him feminine for looking after his skin and undergoing treatments. ‘I don’t think a lot of men are used to seeing another man doing it so I think their instinct can be negative towards it,’ he says.

But Murtaza isn’t deterred. 

He says, ‘It goes over my head. It’s not as normalised as it should be but I’m happy to keep posting and doing what I can.’

And while Murtaza doesn't suggest that cosmetic enhancements are something to be 'rushed into', he recognises how treatments and procedures can boost self-confidence.

He says, ‘Like everyone I have my insecurities, so if there’s a way that I can tweak or improve that subtly I’m happy to try. It’s just a good way to feel a bit more confident about yourself. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.'