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Meet the Gen Z founders behind a men's cosmetics company ...
Business Insider
·
Aug 24, 2022
Annelise Hillmann and Nick Bunn are the cofounders of the men's grooming company Frontman . In January, the company close...
Problem
Uncontrolled breakouts are a huge blow to young men's self esteem in our TikTok and social media-obsessed world.
88% of men struggle with acne breakouts from adolescence into adulthood1. But why is acne a bigger problem for men than women?
Because: the $20B skincare industry2 was built around mid-century women's routines. Thousands of men told us that the biggest reasons they didn't use skincare were that products were time-consuming or took too long to see results.
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Men aren’t using skincare
because it’s too slow
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Men want speed and function to solve their acne – not multi-step, laborious routines.
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Male consumers are reactive, not proactive, in addressing their skin issues; they only start to address breakouts when they’re already here. Guys ultimately give up on products that don’t have instant gratification.
1. Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 database. 2. Statistica, Aug 2022.
Solution
FRONTMAN is creating faster men's acne solutions with speed and function
FRONTMAN is creating faster men's acne solutions with speed and function
Our products fall into two categories:
FRONTMAN reimagines categories and application methods for men’s grooming, unapologetically embracing cosmetic and skincare functionality because they solve guys’ problems simply and effectively.
Product
Fast & functional
acne solutions
- Dermatologist developed, FDA approved, cruelty free, & vegan
- Most inclusive shade range available for men (10 skintones)
- Won “Best Men’s Acne Product” from Esquire within months of launching as well as earned features in GQ, Men’s Health, Business Insider, and WWD
- 88% gross margin, $24 DTC price point
- Ingredients that help prevent acne like salicylic acid, cactus and licorice extracts
- Biodegradable, vegan, & cruelty free
- Perfect for athletes, busy professionals, or anyone on the go
- 86% gross margin, $7.50 price point
- Launched in partnership with GQ, distributing 40,000 units in their “Best Stuff Box” subscription in Fall 2022
- Cheeky nod to weed culture with resemblance to rolling papers
- 92% gross margin, $9 price point
Traction
Exponential growth
and 2-year plan
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“We’ve achieved $350,000 lifetime revenue with limited ad spend, selling
14,000+ units”
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We launched Fade in August of 2021 on our DTC site and since then have exceeded every single metric goal in our first 12 months.
Our CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) has decreased from $80 to $14 as we’ve found the right messaging and paid conversion tactics. We’ve hit over 3.4 ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) on first purchase, paving a clear path to profitability. Lifecycle marketing has increased customer repurchase rate from 9% to 34% and will only improve with more subscription based products.
These metrics confirmed our product market fit and our thesis around acne care in seconds for men. Though DTC has been a great platform for early learnings and PMF testing, we believe the next phase of growth for FRONTMAN lies in retail.
Customers
5 Star Reviews:
Guys Are Loving FRONTMAN
Business model
85%+ margins
& high scalability
Our margins are 22 percentage points higher than the average CPG brand. This competitive advantage maximizes our profit and thrives in retail.
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Scaling in Retail
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Launching in
Urban Outfitters
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We partnered with Gen Z retailer Urban Outfitters for our first retail launch in December of 2022. Within a month of products being on shelves, they placed a second order with us. We're actively in conversation with several mass and specialty retailers and have samples in review with Walgreens, CVS, and more.
Retail will exponentially impact our top line growth. FRONTMAN is projected for $1M in revenue this year with retail, yielding ~$650K in gross product profit due our high margins.*
- Since launching in Aug 2021, our business has largely been eCommerce direct-to-consumer, through our brand site and Amazon. This DTC base has allowed us to test different marketing and find our ideal sales channels.
- Our success on Amazon (most efficient channel with 2+ ROAS) demonstrated that these innovative products succeed in retail and e-retail environments.
Market
A new approach to
an existing market
Men's grooming market is expected to double
in the next 12 years.
"Skincare is the fastest growing
segment of the men’s grooming market."
- Statista, 2022
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16-30 yr olds demand
something new from grooming
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Gen Z includes those currently between the ages of 10 and 25. FRONTMAN caters not only to the emerging Gen Z shopper, but also Millennials and older men with adult acne.
1. 138M men in the US x 70% for mainstream middle segment via Infoplease. 2. Mindbody 2019.
3. Gen Z stats in order: Pew Research, Euromonitor, Cognizant.
Competition
Innovation. Differentiation.
FRONTMAN is one of the first men’s acne brands. We create the best products for men with innovative cross-category solutions by prioritizing speed and function to solve acne.
To fix acne, traditional skincare lacks speed, and traditional cosmetics lack the function. We solve both.
Our dual function acne approach is a distinct differentiator that meets the core needs of the consumer, solving his problems in the best way for mainstream adoption in a male-forward lifestyle brand that young guys love.
Vision and strategy
A billion-dollar vision
Our first goal is to be the Gen Z brand for men's acne – a category-defining, mass market, male-forward brand that provides men with superior products in a brand they resonate with.
We plan to replicate this model across different grooming, skincare, and beauty categories, innovating beyond the sparse traditional grooming offering men have had for the past 100 years. This is how we become the fastest men’s grooming brand.
Within the last year, FRONTMAN has proven product market fit, validated its retail opportunity, and is ideally positioned to win the male acne market, alongside the likes of Harry’s ($1.7 billion valuation) and Dollar Shave Club ($1B acquisition).
Impact
Destigmatizing
self care for men
Self care without stigma
Despite cultural progress in recent years, men's mental health and self care are still a taboo topic for some. We aim to destigmatize self care for an entire generation of men and masculine-identifying people and positively affect men's mental health.
Confidence through choice
Our products give guys the ability to choose how they look and, in doing so, the confidence to be themselves.
Products that work for all guys
FRONTMAN has the most inclusive shade range available for men, and we're not stopping there. We're making more products guys of all backgrounds can use.
Funding
Backed by A-list investors
Prominent investors include Recharge Capital (care/of, Elix, Feals, Cadre), Great Oaks VC (Allbirds, by Humankind, Course Hero, Haus), Gaingels (Lime, Ro, Snackpass), SparkLabs, Jeanine Lobell (founder of Stila Cosmetics, acquired by Estee Lauder; founder of Neen), Startup Girl Foundation (of Shiffon Co.), Nargis Fakhri (Bollywood actress) and more.
Founders
Built by Gen Z,
with industry experts
2nd time founders
FRONTMAN is founded and operated by a team with expertise in branding, marketing, and growth. Founders Nick and Annelise met at Harvard, where they built a Gen Z marketing agency that worked with clients like Lyft, Bumble, and MilkBar.
Together, Nick and Annelise offer a completely fresh perspective to the men’s grooming industry that produces true innovation for the next generation.
Summary
