Matt Fitzgerald, co-founder of BROmance, recently sat down with Christian and Venkey of Boxed Basics to discuss men’s self care and a whole lot more.
The two found ample in common. After all, both BROmance and Boxed Basics are both interested in bringing the very best out of men, and increasing the accessibility of self-care
Christian explains, “Boxed Basics was founded on the concept that quality men’s self care products should be accessible to everyone.” He adds, “ A modern man is demanding yet busy and stoic. He’d rather invest his time in his work and quality leisure than spend hours shopping for the best moisturizer and hair pomade. As a result, he's often underserved by low-end packagers who don’t believe men are willing to invest in the best self care products.”
Matt shared a similar sentiment, noting one of the pain points that BROmance was originally created to help alleviate. He states, “We all recognized that men weren’t going to spend a lot of time roaming through the aisles of Sephora trying to find products designed to help them.” He added, “So right from the get-go, our mission was to avoid men having to find the right products...instead, we wanted to bring the right products to them.”
The research shared by both companies resulted in some similar findings, and similar missions
Venkey mentions some of the research that went on in starting Boxed Basics. “When analyzing the market, we found that there was a lack of high quality grooming products that were easily accessible, convenient and hassle-free.”
Christian adds, “We looked at the growing trend of more men wanting to take better care of their skin, hair & body and wanted to be a part of being able to supply the modern man with the best in self-care. As we continually move towards a technological world, where certainty has become a rare commodity, knowing that you have your self-care bases covered without a hassle is essential.”
This all made sense to Matt. He chimes in, “You don’t need to tell us twice about helping men avoid a ‘hassle’. Whether it be the BROscription, the simplicity of use of our products, or the purposefulness of our ingredients, we wanted to make sure our product was straightforward and to the point.”
Matt asks Christian and Venkey about their philosophy behind choosing which products made it into their box.
Christian fields that question: “At Boxed Basics, our product curation philosophy is unlike anyone else’s in the men’s selfcare industry. We select products based on several important criteria:
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Products that are high in quality; both in ingredients and overall usage;
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Brands that have a long history of serving the men’s community;
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Convenient sizes fit for in-home use and on the go;
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Comprehensive product type assortment to cover all the necessary bases.
Venkey added what this means for customers: “Using Boxed Basics means you get to try products you could have otherwise easily overlooked. We get this from our customers all the time; they have never even heard of the product and now can’t live without it. We deal with a variety of brands, reputable staples of the industry like C.O.Bigelow, as well as exciting new men's grooming companies like Jaxon Lane and, of course, BROmance.
Even in addition to the similarities shared with regards to mission and philosophy, BROmance and Boxed Basics also have something very personal in common--starting a business in the midst of unprecedented, challenging circumstances.
Christian succinctly summarized the challenges those circumstances brought:
Starting any new company you are faced with a variety of challenges. Perhaps the biggest we faced was doing this in the midst of a pandemic. Given all our products are travel-sized, we sought to ease the stress of flying by being able to supply the best in men’s grooming delivered to your doorstep, or destination. As the world stopped, we had to brainstorm how we would continue to serve the men’s grooming community in ways that were safe and secure. We shortly realized that Boxed Basics would become a one-stop shop for high quality men’s grooming products, without ever having to leave the comfort of your own home. We still face challenges daily in building a brand that can make a positive impact in the way men use self-care products, but with our existing brand partnerships, and the high-quality grooming products they offer, we are excited to see the continual growth of the industry and are honored to be a part of changing the way men view self-care.
Matt added:
BROmance definitely felt the pain there too. A large part of who we are as a company is the fact that all of our products are TSA-approved and “carry-on ready”. Don’t get us wrong, we are excited when the world gets back to travelling and we can focus on resolving that pain point again, but when the pandemic grounded flights across the globe, we had to refocus our perspective. And we’d like to think, by focusing on the amazing quality of our products, we’ve done just that.
During the conversation, Matt, Christian, and Venkey discussed how important it was to encourage men to feel their best.
Matt relayed, “I always tell people: BROmance is not in the skincare business--we’re in the confidence business.” He added, “Now don’t get me wrong, skincare can be a part of that, but what we’re after goes beyond products, and goes to a feeling--a feeling of confidence that comes with men being on top of their game.
Venkey chimed in, adding that quality products mean reaching all men: “Men are often demanding but stoic. We care about our grooming routine but often overlook the products we use and the ritual we follow. We wanted to normalize a habit that would have men feeling and looking their best everyday. Combined with a healthy diet and physical exercise, the products you use on the daily have a significant effect on how you feel as a person. We want men to feel like a self-care connoisseur without having to manually hand-pick these products, which is both time-consuming and exhausting.
Christian adds, “By removing the hassle of men having to scour the market or drug-store bins for last minute grooming products, we hope to give men a sense of peace by knowing that their grooming routine is covered. A routine that consists of high-quality grooming products that will have them feeling refreshed and ready for what the day throws at them. Our mission is to normalize men’s grooming habits, the same way it is normalized with a healthy diet and physical exercise. It’s crucial to have all the self-care bases covered, once that is accomplished, the advantages to the mind, body and soul are plentiful.”
Christian and Venkey got right to the point when describing why they chose BROmance to be a part of Boxed basics. Christian says, “ BROmance because of the high quality natural ingredients that brings the perfect addition to any skincare routine. The unique blend of hyaluronic acids, jojoba oil, and more than a dozen other unique botanical activities allows the skin to feel refreshed and cleansed.
Adds Venkey, “The quality, smell and texture brings an essential combination to any great skincare routine.”