The Ultimate Guide To men-ü

Objective: Introduce men to quality grooming

Strategy - with products that are different and make a difference

men-ü offers a very different range of high performance, grooming products for Hair, Face & Body and is only available through quality salons, barbers and invited online websites, such as Above the Collar. Products range from the top selling clay styling puck, with single walled packaging for lighter weight, to the multi reviewed & award-winning men-u ultra concentrate shave crème. All of the ultra-concentrate products are vegan and available in refills which facilitates up to 92% less packaging.

The question we are asked the most is “did we formulate our ultra concentrate products to fa- cilitate much reduced packaging?” Primarily, we did this for great performance, based on a high content of modern, active ingredients. Much less packaging came along with it, especially after the launch of refills.

men-ü ultra concentrate formulations have been improved consistently over the years and since launch, are key in almost everything we do. Having the right ingredient balance in the products is important, along with getting as many of those ingredients as possible, to where they are needed with minimal waste.

This is especially relevant with men-u ultra con- centrate shave crème where it is only what is in contact between skin and blade that matters, all else is wasted.

The larger number of applications means a little goes a long way, providing great value for a quality product.

The 15ml buddy tubes (up to 30 applications) are great for trial and travel, along with the 100ml bottles which fit neatly in the hand and into a man’s lifestyle. The 100ml bottles with pumps are less than 13cms tall and the bottles weigh 15g of recyclable HDPE plastic (High-Density Polyethyl- ene). Locking pumps are crucial in delivering small, accurate dosage and providing up to 100-265 applications (dependent on the product).

The range is complemented with Italian shaving brushes, gifts and grooming kits.

Packaging & Recycling

This is a key aspect for men-u. Do we have all of the answers – “No!” We believe packaging could be controlled by governments that already control the use of ingredients and product safety. Many countries have no common collection, sorting and recycling of waste.

A good example of what we are about is the multi reviewed and award winning, men-ü ultra concentrate Shave Creme. 100ml providing up to 165 shaves and up to 92% less packaging.

There are many different types of plastic packaging with different characteristics. The problem with plastics currently is many different types cannot be mixed and no plastics can be continuously recycled. Food, pharmaceutical and many beauty products require packaging that provides product integrity i.e. what is inside remains fit for purpose. Expert opinion seems to range between 6-10 times for the recycling of plastic, but the problem

is once you start recycling plastic you lose track of how many times it has been recycled which in turn will affect the product within.

We believe there needs to be a sensible and commercially viable loop for the use of plastic that only governments are likely to bring to bear and only certain types of plastic can achieve. Re-cycled plastic can be used in road surfacing, outside furniture, some containers and more use could be made in construction e.g. cladding, tiles, guttering, pipes, electrical casing, bricks, as well as within car and plane manufacturing. This plays to some positive attributes of plastic – strength, lightweight & durability. If there needs to be tax incentives for re-users of plastic, this could be paid for by taxing the initial manufacturers such as ourselves.