Men Have Skin, Too

When I first started True North Beauty, I built it with the everyday woman in mind. To me, this company was made for the woman who had a lot going on in her life and was experiencing changes in her skin that was leaving her feeling less than confident. When I thought about the women who would use my product, I pictured a diverse group of ladies that cherished a few moments alone in their bathroom to practice self-love and self-care through skincare. I believed these women were using my products not only because they worked but because they enjoyed the ritual of it and how it made them feel afterwards.

However that thought process was challenged a year ago. Last year I noticed a few of my customers ordering products at a much faster rate than one normally would. I did some digging around and it was brought to my attention that their husbands and boyfriends were always using their True North Beauty products so they were going through it twice as fast as usual! I was surprised to hear that men were using my products because I had designed these products with women in mind; everything from the logo, design, packaging, and scent were all made to appeal to women. I couldn’t believe that guys wanted to use True North Beauty and it wasn’t until someone close to me said “Heather, why wouldn’t men want to use your products? Your products work and men have skin too.”

Sarah and her boyfriend, Stephen. He started using her products and was one of the first to tell us that he wanted an unscented one! 

Then it all clicked. Men have skin too! Of course they were using their wives and girlfriends products! Not only was it was easily accessible, but they knew it worked because they were seeing the results firsthand! A lot of times we as women forget that the men in our life have skincare needs too and sometimes men themselves don’t realize they need skincare products or that there is a solution out there for their skin issues. They often reach for the closest thing in the bathroom or mindlessly grab a product off a store shelf without knowing how it affects their skin or what it’s made of.

This got me thinking about men using my products so I reached out to a few customers who had said the guys in their life were using it and asked them to gather some feedback for me. One thing all of the men said was they loved the products but some said they would prefer no scent.  This feedback got my brain turning and I decided to run with an idea I had. I thought, if these men liked my products then I should give them what they want, an unscented product that performed just like the scented one and catered to their specific skincare needs.

One of the biggest differences between men and women’s skincare is their facial hair. Some men’s skin is a bit more durable after years of shaving and I knew I wanted them to be able to use my products as a shave cream so they could moisturize while they shave. For others, their skin gets drier under their beards and since facial hair acts as a barrier to their skin I had to make sure my products could cut through the facial hair to moisturize their skin without leaving their beard feeling greasy. I played around in my lab and made a test batch of unscented products and had my husband Michael and another male friend be my guinea pig. They tested a bunch of products, I made one minor alteration to the Solid Facial Cleanser, and in the end decided on the following:

Solid Facial Cleanser: We added charcoal to this to help give it a smooth glide and lather for shaving and cleansing.

Hydration Cream: To hydrate the skin without it feeling greasy and calms razor burn. Works well on neck area after shaving.

Cleansing Oil: To remove impurities from the skin and facial hair.

Facial Serum: Acts as a beard conditioner and penetrates the skin underneath the hair to keep it moisturized.

There you have it, our Unscented Collection that we released in November 2018! While this collection came about because of men using our products, we have found that plenty of women who are sensitive to scents love it too! This product works for all skin types and genders and is perfect for busy couples to share so they can keep one skincare routine in their bathroom! This collection serves as a reminder that everyone needs a good skincare ritual, even men, because men have skin too.