q&a with black wolf nation
As we kick off our first week of July and our new Pursuit, we are partnering with Black Wolf Nation to talk all about skincare. But before we dive into the nitty gritty, we wanted to take a minute to introduce you to the genius behind Black Wolf Nation and give you a behind the scenes look at how they got started, what makes their skincare products different, and where they are headed from here. Here's what they had to say.
Where did the idea for Black Wolf first come from?
My brother and I saw the opportunity that everyone else did/does, but while everyone was focused on educating men on how to adapt their habits to use skincare in the way women have done it for decades, we went the other way - changing the skincare game to be positioned towards men, instead of trying to change men’s habits
Where did the name Black Wolf Nation come from/how did you come up with it? Why skincare?
Our Grandfather is a huge inspiration to us. He is a Holocaust survivor and came to Canada with nothing to start a new life. Each time one of his grandchildren would turn 13, he would hand each of us a razor and shaving cream and preached the importance of looking our best. His name is Wolf and we decided to name the brand after him. The reason for the color Black is because black is cool, clean, and never goes out of style!
From concept to selling, how long did the process of getting formulations and everything just perfect? Can you tell us a little bit about that process?
I’m not sure if you know about manufacturing, but the first that happens when you sit down with your team of chemists is they say, “Do you want marketing amounts of these actives or efficacy amounts?” The answer is always efficacy!
We make products that we know our customers will love, then our customer give us feedback, and we iterate and make adjustments accordingly and then that informs every new product we launch.
Tell us about charcoal. Why use it and what are the benefits?
Charcoal rolls in with all sorts of antibacterial manpower. It extracts acne-causing bacteria from deep in your pores. It exfoliates and cleans, making sure your pores are small and that they aren’t filled with dead skin cells and grime. Nothing detoxifies the skin like charcoal.
If someone was just getting started with a skincare routine, what would you tell them to start with?
The basics of skincare are simple: clean and then hydrate. So I always recommend starting with an awesome face wash and an oil-free moisturizer. We actually sell that duo for guys with oily skin and a version for guys with dry skin.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to young entrepreneurs like yourself?
The best advice I could give any entrepreneur is that they need to go into this journey with their eyes open to how hard it will be. It will feel like getting beaten up every day. Not only do you have to accept that, but you almost have to embrace it as part of the process and know that the longer you stick it out and the harder you fight to make your vision a reality, the more likely you are to achieve your dream.
What’s next/what can we look forward to seeing from Black Wolf?
Next up for Black Wolf is to continue to expand our product lines and bring more exciting new innovations to our customers’ bathrooms.
