Catering to men’s needs in skin care
With a focus on fragrance and men’s skin care, Judah Abraham, founder and CEO of Slate Brands, says the company’s goal is to bring innovative products to the market. Their first in-house brand, a men’s skin care brand, Insanely Clean, was launched at the end of last year, after nearly three years of development.
Abraham said that the product development for Insanely Clean started with consumer research, stating, “We interviewed hundreds of men to figure out their main needs, and in that process, we got their feedback on everything including design and packaging. We asked them to test formulations, as well.” Abraham said men want to be healthy and clean but their habits are different. ”Men are reactionary. They’ll start using a sunscreen after they experience sunburn.”
The Insanely Clean line consists of two products, the Day ‘N’ Nite Face Wash and Instant Moisturizing Mist. Abraham said the most common feedback they received during their research regarding washing their face was that men don’t want their face to feel dry right after they wash it. They also don’t want to get their hands full of product. The face wash was designed to foam up quickly and wash off easily. The Instant Moisturizing Mist is a simple way to moisturize with an application method that keeps hands clean.
Insanely Clean is currently available on the Slate Brands marketplace, Slateland, direct to consumer, but Abraham said they are in talks to launch it with various retailers this year. “We 100% believe in omnichannel, it just needs to be the right fit,” Abraham said.
[Read more: Finding gaps in the market can lead to further growth]
Fostering customer engagement starts with a quality product. “No brand will live if the products aren’t good. You need that customer to come back again and again,” commented Abraham. He said his team is also working on content to educate customers. “We follow-up with all of our customers that purchase Insanely Clean on Slateland, we want to continue to build that community.”
Customer feedback will determine which products are added next to the product line. “We want to develop products based on what consumers actually want, not what we think they want,” Abraham said. “It’s important to us to stay in touch with our community, as well as add value, stay relevant, and bring products to the market that make sense.”
The company also looks to data when deciding which future products they may pursue. Abraham said he gathers a large amount of data from retailers, including drugstores, and one of the reasons he started Slate Brands was the ability to find the gaps in the market in that data. Launching brands online first, he says, also helps in data collection.
In addition to Insanely Clean, Slate Brands works with creators to bring their product visions to life. The company works with several large talent agencies to lend their expertise to those clients and offer their brands on Slateland.
[Read more: Creating customer engagement opportunities]
In 2023, Slate Brands will add Modern Magic, a new fragrance, as an inhouse brand, bringing Abraham back full circle to where he got his start, working for his father’s company, a fragrance distributor. “We’re excited to add a second inhouse line. We’ll be rolling it out a little later this year.”
As noted in recent Drug Store News article, “Men’s grooming channel at a crossroads,” global sales of men’s grooming products are expected to continue to rise. Finding the niches where an unmet need can be met is where success is most likely to be found.
Megan Moyer is HRG’s corporate marketing manager. HRG is in the details of retail, working with product manufacturers, distributors, retailers, technology partners, and other industry organizations to provide data & analysis, shopper experience, brand development, fixture coordination, and retail communications solutions. HRG reviews new health, beauty, and wellness (HBW) items every month and assesses their potential for longevity in the monthly Products to Watch feature in Drug Store News as well as the annual Future 50 list.