I started downloading and using pieces of cosmetic CC for males a few years ago when I found body hair, a skin overlay, a cheek contour, a default eye replacement, and several hairstyles that looked good in the game and seemed to give my Sims some personality. I started looking at male CC clothing about 6 or 7 months ago when I realized that I was going to have to start using CC if I wanted nice clothing for my Sims. I don't download everything I see. I look at everything I add to my game so I can decide whether or not to keep it. I don't keep everything that I add. I have found several CC Creators whose work I like a lot. Right now I'm "collecting" hairstyles of various lengths to see what looks nice on male Sims in my game.
Other than stuff for male Sims, the only CC that I've had in my game was used in a pub that I downloaded several years ago.