Girl, woman lying in mud, covered in mud. Down on her muck ... do men really have worse hygiene than women?
This will really revolt those who didn't like the idea of not washing hair for style's sake, outlined in Beauty Beat last week. It will positively disgust them - readers like AJ (''I can't believe people are using fashion as an excuse for poor hygiene'') and C. Fairy (''Unwashed hair on men or women is hideously obvious and revolting'') - and it may be a turn-off for you too. It's a new range of beauty products designed for those who can't be bothered.
 
Its hero product is a body spray that's meant to mask body odour. Sort of a Febreze for the furry bits. It is described as an alternative to deodorant, to be sprayed under the arms ''for a freshen up instead of using the odd squirt of cologne''. The range is from Lush and it's called Dirty and it's out in September. Interestingly, it is for men.
 
To be fair, it does not seem to be wholly designed for dirty people. According to the media release, the concept is to layer various products (including shower gel, shaving cream and hair cream) with different fragrances to make a ''complete'' and combined manly fragrance called Dirty. But to be realistic, would any man use every product in a range every day? Let alone a man who ''can't be bothered with too much paraphernalia in the mornings''?
 
And the intentions of the Dirty body spray ($19.95) are very clear. Says the label: ''If you've got no time for a full-on Dirty routine in the morning, take an 'Italian shower' instead and spritz yourself liberally with this body spray before you head out the door.'' I am not sure if this is offensive to Italians but I think it may be just a little offensive to the male sex (especially those from Italy). Does this imply that men are lax, lazy and basically grotty? Why aren't women offered a similar product? Garnier has just launched a 48-hour deodorant (two days without bathing!) for both men and women. Or maybe Lush is on to something. Perhaps men are a whole lot less clean and fastidious than women. Any cleaner of public toilets would argue otherwise. What do you think? Who are cleaner - men or women?