Last month we were lucky enough to meet the founder of Bulldog Skincare for Men founder Simon Duffy. A very friendly chap indeed, we quizzed him on many a topic including how he came to run his own successful skincare business. Simon answered our many questions and filled us in on the world of Bulldog.
Tell us about the History of the brand:
‘The inspiration for Bulldog came about when I was shopping for a natural formulated product for my wife. I went to this huge store that specialized in natural and organic food and products. There was a massive selection of products for women, but at that point there was nothing available for men, when I decided to get something for myself. So I guess that was the inspiration for the idea and then Rhodri (Simon’s business partner) was a great mate of mine, we got together and discussed this thought that there wasn’t a company doing naturally formulated skincare for men, and after some research of the market, we couldn’t find anyone doing it.’ ‘We wanted to do something really different with Bulldog, we wanted to compete with some of the major brands in the industry like L’Oreal, Nivea and Gillette, and I think as Men we felt really frustrated with the skincare options that we had, and I think there are a few things that hold those brands back. One of the core things is that men feel like a total after thought, you couldn’t find more famously female brands, than the brands that men have to choose from.’ ‘Our plan was to take amazing natural ingredients and do it in a way that meant we could compete and offer men something new in men’s skincare.’ ‘We quit our jobs in 2006 and spent a year and a half raising money from investors, formulating the products with some brilliant people, working on the branding and creating the designs and speaking to retailers. We launched nationwide in 2007 in stores, and then started exporting the products overseas in 2010, and today Bulldog Is in over 10,000 stores worldwide across 13 countries.’
What makes our product so good?
‘A few reasons, (Simon then passes me the Bulldog moisturiser to try on my hand) so there are a few things – firstly it rubs in really quickly, men told us they didn’t want their face to feel shiny or greasy. So it is a very light formula that rubs in quickly, which is hard for a natural brand. The second thing is it just smells really amazing, the essential oils smell great and they go through the whole of the original range. Our moisturiser now is the best seller of the brand!’