4 ms·

I assume HN leans more male so I'm inclined to ask, have you given any thought to skincare products for men? And do you have any plans to expand from direct to

I assume HN leans more male so I'm inclined to ask, have you given any thought to skincare products for men? And do you have any plans to expand from direct to consumer skincare? Maybe something to address medical texts exclusively depicting white skin?

nphatak 4y ago
You're absolutely right and we have considered skincare products for men! A lot of our language is women-focused because they are still the majority of the skincare buying audience. But fun fact - skincare for men is one of the fastest growing segments in Sephora. And we tried to make our products as gender neutral as possible, so we aren't alienating our male audience.
- alecfreudenberg 4y ago
  I would say 0 pictures of men on the website could be considered at least superficially, alienating. Nothing explicitly wrong with a feminine-first vibe, but I don't see anything particularly masculine, or even neutral on the site. Seems more like a repackaging of traditional white women marketing, but for darker skin.
  - nphatak 4y ago
    I hear you and appreciate the candid feedback!
- SnooSux 4y ago
  Thanks for the reply! It's pretty cool to see a physical product succeed in YC! One thought, you mentioned Skin Type 3-6 in one of the products. Do you have a description of that anywhere? Most Google results for "skin type" focus mainly on how oily your skin is. Having some sort of literature directly on the site may help. Though tbf I'm speaking as a man, I'm not sure how well known it is for your target audience.
  - nphatak 4y ago
    Thank you! And we are referring to the Fitzpatrick Skin Types, which are definitely not well-known. Great tip to clarify this better in our messaging. Some more about Fitzpatrick Skin Types: https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/fitzpatrick-skin-types https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/fitzpatri...
- rglover 4y ago
  I'm a mixed-race b/w man...if the product works you can send me emails that address me as "Queen," and I won't care. Based on the Fitzpatrick scale you linked below (hadn't heard of that), I think I'm a 5/V. Sounds like this will work for me?
  - nphatak 4y ago
    Sounds like it will work great for you!

nphatak 4y ago

You're absolutely right and we have considered skincare products for men! A lot of our language is women-focused because they are still the majority of the skincare buying audience. But fun fact - skincare for men is one of the fastest growing segments in Sephora. And we tried to make our products as gender neutral as possible, so we aren't alienating our male audience.

alecfreudenberg 4y ago
I would say 0 pictures of men on the website could be considered at least superficially, alienating. Nothing explicitly wrong with a feminine-first vibe, but I don't see anything particularly masculine, or even neutral on the site. Seems more like a repackaging of traditional white women marketing, but for darker skin.
- nphatak 4y ago
  I hear you and appreciate the candid feedback!
SnooSux 4y ago
Thanks for the reply! It's pretty cool to see a physical product succeed in YC! One thought, you mentioned Skin Type 3-6 in one of the products. Do you have a description of that anywhere? Most Google results for "skin type" focus mainly on how oily your skin is. Having some sort of literature directly on the site may help. Though tbf I'm speaking as a man, I'm not sure how well known it is for your target audience.
- nphatak 4y ago
  Thank you! And we are referring to the Fitzpatrick Skin Types, which are definitely not well-known. Great tip to clarify this better in our messaging. Some more about Fitzpatrick Skin Types: https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/fitzpatrick-skin-types https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/fitzpatri...
rglover 4y ago
I'm a mixed-race b/w man...if the product works you can send me emails that address me as "Queen," and I won't care. Based on the Fitzpatrick scale you linked below (hadn't heard of that), I think I'm a 5/V. Sounds like this will work for me?
- nphatak 4y ago
  Sounds like it will work great for you!