For the ‘modern urban man’: British men’s grooming brand Heath expands into Boots
Indie men’s grooming brand Heath has secured a listing in UK retailer Boots as part of a wider national strategy to expand its range of skin care for the modern urban man.
Founded in London in 2018, Heath currently stocked its range of men’s skin care products in UK premium department stores Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason. And this month, it was expanding into more than 150 Boots retail stores and Boots online, exclusively launching a new range designed for oily-prone skin with the retailer. Its latest range took two and a half years to develop and featured an oil control face wash and moisturiser made using kaolin, black clay and lemon myrtle.
The rest of Heath’s range featured a face wash, cream shave, hair and body wash, eye serum and hand salve, among other products – all vegan and formulated with high potency active ingredients, including charcoal, caffeine, aloe vera, black lava, ginseng and creatine.
A premium skin care brand for men
Harry Aaronson, co-founder of Heath, said the brand had been designed to cater to the needs of the “modern urban man” – taking into consideration the demanding schedules and daily stresses of urban life and the subsequent effect this had on the skin.
Aaronson told CosmeticsDesign-Europe the listing with Boots was “fantastic” for the brand as it enabled Heath to reach more male consumers across the UK.
Asked whether this listing represented a change of strategy for Heath – taking the brand more mass market versus the premium department store category – he said: “Since Heath is going to be going only into the premium men’s areas in a selected number of stores, it still keeps the exclusivity while making it easier for more customers to purchase.”
And expanding its retail footprint during the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis would see Heath continuing to “stay alert” and be “ready to pivot”, Aaronson said, given the constant changing nature of the pandemic.
Indie expansions into Boots
Last month, UK-based cannabidiol (CBD) startup Kloris launched into Boots – marking its first foray into the mainstream wellness market.
Also founded in 2018, the brand’s co-founder Kim Smith said the Boots listing was “an important statement” for Kloris and gave the brand “credibility”.
US textured hair specialist Mielle Organics also recently expanded into the UK, including Boots, bringing its range of hair care products to British consumers.
CEO and founder of Mielle Organics Monique Rodriguez said the brand was expanding into the UK because there was “demand there”.