NEW YORK — While cosmetics customization typically targets women, shaving and treatment brand The Art of Shaving is customizing skin care products for the opposite sex.
The highly unusual concept of customized skin care for men in this case involves a series of in-store events, where men are consulted by representatives of The Art of Shaving. The program, which is dubbed Customized Aromatherapy, works like this: A trained The Art of Shaving consultant lines up a day full of 15- to 20-minute appointments. During the sessions, guys are asked about their skin types and whether they have “shaving discomforts.” Then, using aromatherapy charts that link essential oils with particular skin concerns, consultants mix those oils into The Art of Shaving’s unscented preshave oil, shaving cream and aftershave balm.
For acne-prone skin, a mix of tea tree oil, or the “blemish blend,” might be concocted. Nineteen of 30 essential oils used are pure extracts, such as lavender, bergamot and chamomile, while the remaining 11 are blends of oils. At Saks Fifth Avenue’s flagship here last week, Myriam Zaoui Malka, co-founder of The Art of Shaving, customized essential oil-based shaving products for 28 men during a daylong event.
In the U.S., 81 such events have been scheduled at selected stores within The Art of Shaving’s distribution network of five freestanding locations and 400 wholesale doors. Services began three weeks ago and are scheduled to run through June, after which more events could be scheduled. Besides Saks, retail participants now include Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s.
While industry sources estimated a full day of consultations generates about $4,000 in sales, volume at some stores can range as high as $10,000 to $12,000.
“Men are really into getting [skin care] customized for them. They love the one-on-one,” said Zaoui Malka. “For women, this is very common. For men, there’s nothing like it.”
Co-founder Eric Malka, who is married to Zaoui Malka, said, “Men are sometimes underestimated by the industry. They are looking for more sophisticated and advanced skin care regimens.”
