Tomorrow’s men’s grooming customers are learning to love indie brands today

“Prep U is setting out to empower boys and let them learn how to care for themselves,”​ Michelle Houp tells Cosmetics Design.

But first, hygiene ​

“Getting [boys] to understand they can take care of their hygiene – and their bodies – is critical to their growth, comfort and confidence,” ​says Houp. And it’s critical to developing their life-long grooming and personal care habits too.

Good hygiene and grooming practices equate to social skills at every level of society—which is sort of what inspired Houp to develop Prep U in the first place.

“It started with a problem that I was trying to solve for my extremely active boys,” ​she says, describing the impetus for a selection of Prep U products. “I launched the Body Spray as I couldn’t stand the smell in my car after sporting events; the Active Dry Powder because the boys were complaining about the chafing of the baseball cups and I wanted something that was dual purpose to ‘kill the stank’ off the baseball gloves and shoes.  And, I launched the Sport Soak as both my boys were always complaining about their body being sore (legs, knees, back).”​

Active recovery​

Active beauty and recovery products are commonly targeted to women who workout, e.g. sweat-proof makeup, shower-sheet body wipes, and mini personal care and beauty items that are more practical to carry. (Read more about the active recovery niche here on Cosmetics Design​.)

But Houp knows this is a category that makes sense for growing boys too. “We took the idea of active recovery to develop the Sport Soak product​,” she explains. “Essentially, easing the muscles in a soothing fashion releases them from the tightness and soreness that the muscles and joints feel – much like true active recovery does when one goes for a very easy jog the day after intensity.”​

“The beauty of this product,” ​says Houp, “is just that – that it feels as if you have gently moved, flexed, rubbed and calmed the muscles so the boys really feel like they’ve recovered.”​

And she sees space for even more active recovery products in the Prep U product portfolio. “​As the brand continues to grow we’d love to add natural balms to help soothe sore muscles and more recovery packs that may include ice packs, the soak and other products,” ​Houp tells Cosmetics Design. “Our goal is to make active recovery a core part of every boy’s growing up and hygiene regimen.”​

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Deanna Utroske, CosmeticsDesign.com Editor, covers beauty business news in the Americas region and publishes the weekly Indie Beauty Profile column, showcasing the inspiring work of entrepreneurs and innovative brands.