Emerging men’s grooming brand Rockface crosses the pond

Rockface, a U.K.-based company, is going after the American men’s grooming market. 

It’s the fastest-growing men’s toiletry brand across the pond, according to IRI, and company officials hope they can have similar success in the United States. They are backing up those hopes with a powerful lineup of industry executives who know the marketplace. That includes Neil Wilkinson, a former executive with Revlon, Sally Hansen and Pfizer, and John Cleugh, who was previously with Revlon and Procter & Gamble. The team behind Chanel’s male skin care line developed Rockface. In the United States, Rockface is partnering with Beauty Partners.

“Men’s grooming can get complicated,” Wilkinson said. “Rockface offers a simple range of product that is easy to understand.” The best sellers in the United Kingdom are the All Weather Moisturizer, but there also is escalating interest in the company’s deodorants, shower wash and body spray. 

“Men want to smell fresh, but don’t always want to wear aftershave every day,” he said, adding that Rockface has invested great effort in its fragrances so the products can do double duty. “Men want brands made specifically for them.”