Launched in 2017, Californian men’s grooming start-up Manscaped has a selection of premium personal care products for below-the-waist hygiene and grooming, including its flagship waterproof precision trimmer; a pH balanced hair and body wash, an anti-chafing ball deodorant and moisturiser and aloe spray designed to reduce inflammation and irritation post-trim.
The brand operates mostly through its direct-to-consumer model in the US, Canada and Australia, although products are also available nationally in Target, Best Buy and other stores across the US. It launched into Australia in late-February; Canada in early March and most recently the UK, online and via Amazon.
British men ‘highly invested’ in fashion and grooming
Katy Hopwood, chief financial officer at Manscaped, said the launch into the UK was “extremely exciting” for the brand because of the significant volume of men interested in below-the-waist grooming in this market.
“British men pride themselves on being very refined, and rightly so. They are highly invested in fashion and grooming – and are certainly not new to manscaping,” Hopwood said.
Men in the UK, she said, had a “discerning taste in grooming products”.
Speaking to CosmeticsDesign-Europe about the UK launch, Manscaped founder and CEO Paul Tran said the brand’s main target was the millennial male – those currently aged 18-35 years.
“The UK is a large strategic expansion point for Manscaped. We experienced overwhelming positive reception in Australia and Canada, and we are seeing the same response in this populous and equally sophisticated region. Furthermore, the UK is a country that has been well ahead of the manscaping trend, so it is a particularly prime and vibrant market,” Tran said.
“…The truth is, the UK has not only been manscaping for years, but British men and women haven’t been afraid to talk about it either. We are fortunate to capitalise on how powerful word-of-mouth is in the UK, and that Brits have no filter when it comes to pub talk.”
‘Manscaping has been a taboo topic for way too long’
Asked how the men’s grooming category, particularly below-the-waist, had evolved in recent years, Tran said there had been plenty of change.
“Manscaping has been a taboo topic for way too long. Until recently, many men felt embarrassed or ashamed to address the situation below-the-waist. We feel that it is imperative to partake in a manscaping routine, in order to support one’s confidence, self-care and testicular health,” he said.
The overall goal of the brand centred on empowerment and open dialogue on these issues, he said, and its partnership with the Testicular Cancer Society formed part of that.
“We are happy to have seen the stigma around groin grooming get further and further debunked in recent years. …Our bigger purpose is to empower men and break the stigma that comes with tending to one’s nether regions.”
Groin grooming – growing into a ‘neglected’ space
Below-the-waist men’s grooming held huge promise, Tran said, because there was currently so much white space.
It certainly wasn’t catered to in the same way as the women’s category, he said. “Looking at the female body, you realise that there is a brand and product to fulfil every single feminine care and need,” he said, whereas products that catered to the male groin area had been neglected.
For a long time, he said men had been forced to use “unsuitable tools” because of this – something Manscaped was setting out to change. He said the brand planned to continue product development to plug gaps in the market and respond to consumer needs globally.