Brand Spotlight: Shakeup Cosmetics

About 10 years ago, men’s makeup was virtually unheard of and a man’s grooming routine mainly consisted of a shampoo, shower gel, and a fragrance. Things are very different these days as the men’s grooming industry is booming, which also includes men’s cosmetics. One of the brands who are successfully introducing men to the world of tinted moisturisers and concealers is Shakeup Cosmetics.

Twin brothers Shane and Jake originally struggled to find products specifically designed for men, and products which could help cover up certain concerns, such as dark circles and spots as well as being good for the skin. This difficulty resulted in them creating their own brand; producing vegan and cruelty-free products to help men feel and look better.

Jake Xu, one half of Shakeup’s founding duo, answered a few questions to tell us a bit more about the brand’s unique approach to men’s cosmetics and how they’ve been striving to challenge society’s gender stereotypes.

1. Tell us about yourself and the creation of Shakeup Cosmetics, inside and outside the UK market.

My name is Jake, my twin brother Shane and I launched Shakeup in 2019 after being fed up with the stale and limited choice of men’s skincare and cosmetics available to us on the market.

We secured our first national listing with Harvey Nichols a couple of weeks after we officially launched. We knew we had hit a spot where the demand is definitely there. Since then, despite a global pandemic, our brand has grown rapidly. Today we are stocked in Superdrug stores in the UK and exporting to Australia, China and South Africa. Our best-seller, LET’S FACE IT BB Tinted Moisturiser sells 1 every 5 minutes. By this summer we will be in over 800 retail stores globally.

Shakeup Cosmetics Let’s Face It BB Tinted Moisturiser

$40.00

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2. What makes you stand out from other grooming brands?

We were the first UK men’s face care brand to champion the skincare-first hybrid approach with our formulations. We believe in multi-functionality and multi-purpose. Furthermore, we have formulated our UK-made products from scratch, specifically for men’s skin types, which are physiologically different to women’s. We then test our formulations with all-male focus group to make sure of their efficacy.

From the brand design point of view, we wanted to move away from the predictable colour palette that is black, white, silver or grey, but to introduce a pop of colour to the men’s aisle. We want our products to be something our customers are proud to display in their bathroom cabinet.

3. What was the motivation for creating your brand?

Having suffered from Rosacea since teens, we’d been using cosmetics to control and conceal flare ups. But when it comes to products and formulations that are specifically designed for men’s skin, there was just nothing out there, at least nothing as innovative as those targeting women consumers.

We were also frustrated by the lack of considerations for men’s unique skin types, when it comes to cosmetic products. Men’s skin is typically 20-15% thicker than women’s skin, we tend to have bigger pores, and more of them. With higher sebum production, our skin can be much oilier and shinier, and last but not least, we shave more often therefore the top layer of our skin is more damaged and sensitised. All of which meant a ‘for men’ brand should formulate and design the products specifically with these unique characteristics in mind.

4. Tell us about your approach to choosing and creating your best sellers?

We looked at lots of market data, in the UK as well as abroad. Of course, we also drew on our personal experiences with the products we swear by on a daily basis. There’s a certain level of instinct involved. The data can guide you, but you never know which product will be best received by your consumers. What is more important is to listen to what your target customers want. This is important before you launch the range, and even more crucial afterwards so that you can refine, tweak, discontinue if you have to, and launch new products based on the demand. It’s an ongoing work that never stops.

5. What advice would you give to a man thinking about BB creams and tinted moisturisers for the first time?

Think of it exactly as that, a tinted moisturiser. It’s a step up from a normal moisturiser, which not only hydrates your skin, it also covers blemishes, evens out your skin tone, minimises the appearance of pores so that you end up looking fresher and brighter.

Take our BB Tinted Moisturiser for example, it contains Hyaluronic Acid which provides 24-hr moisturisation, it also has SPF25 to protect your skin from sun damage (no.1 factor for skin ageing and skin cancer, so wear sunscreen EVERY DAY please guys! Even when it’s not sunny). On top of that, the sheer to medium coverage will give you an undetectable, natural-looking, mattifying finish. Give it a try, you honestly will see an instant difference.

6. Give us three words of wisdom for someone creating a new UK grooming brand?

Be DIFFERENT. Make sure you are not just creating another brand that looks, sounds and works the same way as the others.

Be PATIENT. There is no overnight success in business. It takes time to build a brand, to establish trust with your customers and to get the buy-in from retailers.

Be PREPARED. This is a big one. You need to be ready to take on this challenge. Everything will take longer than you think, cost more than you think, and anything that could go wrong will at some point go wrong. You also need to be prepared to listen, listen to your mentors, your advisors, your own instincts and most importantly your customers.

7. Which products would you recommend a new customer to try first?

A daily facial cleanser or a face wash is always a good place to start for a skincare novice. Your skin goes through a lot on a daily basis. Sun damage, pollution, bacteria, you name it. So, it’s essential to form a healthy cleansing routine to remove the impurities from your skin, helps unclog those pores from debris and dead skin cells to prevent spots and breakouts. Our FACE 4WARD Daily Face Wash is designed for all skin types, including sensitive skin. It is formulated to hydrate your skin while thoroughly cleaning your skin. Remember to apply moisturiser afterwards though!

Shakeup Cosmetics Face 4ward Multi-Action Daily Face Wash

$19.00

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8. Why do you think challenging gender stereotypes is becoming more important in the men’s grooming industry today?

Because education is important when it comes to men’s beauty and grooming. And challenging that out-dated blue print of the hyper-masculinity is in fact a form of education. At the same time, we try to democratise and normalise men’s beauty by winning the listings from national and international retailers, who are household names, so that we widen the reach of our mission and our message, that is ‘it’s ok to look after your skin as a man. It’s the embodiment of self care.’

9. What are the main challenges you face when creating a global brand in the UK?

Not gonna lie, Brexit created a huge barrier for UK brands to export to Europe. It’s frustrating because we are seeing the demand in so many international markets. And retailers and distribution partners have all voiced their interest in growing the men’s space as their next focus for growth. However, we have faced some real challenges around the additional bureaucracy after Brexit, as well as global logistics especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

10. Which of your products do you use in your own routine?

I use them all of course, but I will highlight two of them.

Our FACE 4WARD Anti-Ageing Serum is now my favourite product in our range. I use it as a night treatment. So just before I go to bed, after cleansing, I’d apply a generous layer of this serum. I love knowing the active ingredients in this product will get to work on repairing my skin and plumping up fine lines and wrinkles while I sleep. I always do wake up with softer and supple skin which is great.

I also use our BB Tinted Moisturiser every day. It replaces my usual daily SPF because it has got SPF 25 built in. And in addition, it also covers my rosacea flare ups and any pesky blemishes.

Shakeup Cosmetics Face 4ward Pro Youth Serum

$56.00

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11. What is next for you and your brand?

World domination! (Joking!) We would like to become the synonymous brand when people think of men’s beauty. And that requires us to get our names out there, with the help of more retail listings, being more accessible online as well as offline in bricks and mortar stores, so that we can get more customers to try our products and most importantly trust our products.

We are also working hard to build out our community and information hub, so that we become the go-to destination for any man who wishes to learn more about how to take good care of their skin.

Shakeup Cosmetics understand that men are, nowadays, looking for multi-functional products. So, through innovative formulas, their products combine clinically proven skincare benefits with high-performance cosmetic features. For example, their Eye Eye Captain Under Eye Concealer not only uses colour-correcting technology to cover up dark circles and spots, but it also contains an SPF and hylauronic acid to hydrate and protect the skin. We’re hugely impressed by Shakeup’s hybrid skincare and cosmetic products - check them out yourself to see just how effective they can be!