Last month we were lucky enough to meet the founder of Bulldog Skincare for Men founder Simon Duffy. A very friendly chap indeed, we quizzed him on many a topic including how he came to run his own successful skincare business. Simon answered our many questions and filled us in on the world of Bulldog.
Tell us about the History of the brand:
‘The inspiration for Bulldog came about when I was shopping for a natural formulated product for my wife. I went to this huge store that specialized in natural and organic food and products. There was a massive selection of products for women, but at that point there was nothing available for men, when I decided to get something for myself. So I guess that was the inspiration for the idea and then Rhodri (Simon’s business partner) was a great mate of mine, we got together and discussed this thought that there wasn't a company doing naturally formulated skincare for men, and after some research of the market, we couldn't find anyone doing it.’‘We wanted to do something really different with Bulldog, we wanted to compete with some of the major brands in the industry like L’Oreal, Nivea and Gillette, and I think as Men we felt really frustrated with the skincare options that we had, and I think there are a few things that hold those brands back. One of the core things is that men feel like a total after thought, you couldn't find more famously female brands, than the brands that men have to choose from.’ ‘Our plan was to take amazing natural ingredients and do it in a way that meant we could compete and offer men something new in men’s skincare.’ ‘We quit our jobs in 2006 and spent a year and a half raising money from investors, formulating the products with some brilliant people, working on the branding and creating the designs and speaking to retailers. We launched nationwide in 2007 in stores, and then started exporting the products overseas in 2010, and today Bulldog Is in over 10,000 stores worldwide across 13 countries.’
What makes our product so good?
‘A few reasons, (Simon then passes me the Bulldog moisturiser to try on my hand) so there are a few things – firstly it rubs in really quickly, men told us they didn't want their face to feel shiny or greasy. So it is a very light formula that rubs in quickly, which is hard for a natural brand. The second thing is it just smells really amazing, the essential oils smell great and they go through the whole of the original range. Our moisturiser now is the best seller of the brand!’
Tell us about the design and packaging?
‘When we started, we knew we were up against L’Oreal, Nivea and Gilette and they all approach it in the same way, they use silver, orange and blue, blue and orange, they all end up in a blur of sameness on the shelf. We wanted Bulldog to stand out and disrupt at the point of purchase, when we couldn’t afford to do wider advertising, the product was going to be its own billboard in store. There’s no point to set it to blend in, as for a new brand that is a recipe for disaster.’ While Simon describes the products in detail, you can really feel his passion and pride for the products and company. Simon feels very strongly about the range of ingredients used in the finished products, making sure all the products used are ‘certified cruelty free, which is a really important standard we hold ourselves and our partners too’, meaning none of the products have been tested on animals. As Simon and I talked I discovered that as of March this year no new products are allowed to be tested on animals within the EU which is a really promising step towards a cruelty free industry.
How do you see the brand expanding?
‘Overall we would like to be the biggest male skincare brand in the world, which is a huge ambition based on where we are at the moment. We say we want to put a Bulldog in every bathroom. Only about 20% of Men are using male skincare, there is 80% out there that for whatever reason aren’t buying into any of these products.’ ‘We believe that by using our philosophy and approach we are setting ourselves apart, and that we can get people to buy into bulldog and buy into skincare for the first time.’ ‘Peeling back from that we would like our moisturiser to be number 1 in the world, it has been received tremendously well with the experts and in the countries we are biggest such as the UK and Sweden.’ ‘We are looking to expand the range, but with every development we want to bring a unique take on the new products, as well as keeping it true to the skincare range by making sure the products have great skincare benefits.’ ‘We currently supply to 13 countries, having recently launched in Spain and we are soon to Launch in South Korea, which is the biggest market for male skincare products, so that’s exciting.’
Bulldog has won countless awards for their range, across a host of countries including:
- Men’s Health USA Grooming Award
- Shortlist Best Eye Care Product
- Shortlist Men’s Grooming Awards
- Cosmopolitan Awards – Best men’s Face Cream
We had a great chat with Simon from Bulldog, and highly recommend you go and try the Bulldog range, packed with essential oils and natural ingredients you won’t find a better selection of men’s skincare products.
Have you tried the Bulldog range from Mankind yet?
