One of the most interesting phenomena of recent years is the birth and growth of men’s cosmetics; this year, in fact, it has reached a value of 61 billion with an annual growth rate of 6.4%, compared to 2016 where it was worth “only” 48 billion.
In Italy the sector is particularly prosperous, with a peak in 2017 worth 10 billion.
And it is precisely in this new field that sustainable and innovative brands such as BULLDOG Skincare, founded in 2005 by Simon Duffy in Anglo-Saxon territory because he is not satisfied with the offer for men. In fact, as the founder himself says; “The products intended for men were very complex and difficult to understand for a” beginner “like me. The package contained a lot of technical terms, which I didn’t understand. So I thought that, like me, many men might feel unmotivated by so much information. I thought I could make my contribution by changing the perspective slightly… My starting point: to offer people a skin care brand that is as natural as possible and turn it into a must-have in their bathroom! Today BULLDOG from London has crossed borders and we are very proud of it ”.
The peculiarity of this brand is of natural origin and the inspiration for strong ethical values. The products have an added gear because they are not tested on animals, do not contain parabens and artificial colors or any kind of animal-based ingredients or synthetic fragrances. Furthermore, their ecological approach also extends to packaging where the use of plastic is reduced to 50%.
The skincare line is produced entirely in England and for the research of raw materials the brand is aimed directly at small communities in the countries of origin, while offering important support. An example is Baobab Oil which comes from South Africa and is made by an association that uses sustainable agriculture techniques for its production.
Another key ingredient is Aloe Vera, originally from Guatemala and sourced from local communities that follow rules that offer working conditions that respect an average wage.
BULLDOG also firmly believes that skincare should be free of cruelty, and it is for its commitment to the fight for “cruelty free” that it has joined Leaping Bunny. This is a global membership program that certifies the absence of cruelty of different brands with legal requirements.
In fact, Duffy’s policy adopts proactive monitoring of the various suppliers to ensure the standards required by the association. At the following link, also available on the brand’s website, you can find more information on the Cruelty Free International criteria.
Exactly in this context and in collaboration with Knudsen & CRC, Shanghai Fengpu Industrial Park and Oriental Beauty Valley, BULLDOG has managed to obtain the consent that the products should not be subjected to any type of animal tests even in China.
Simon Duffy explains that; “We, at Bulldog, have always challenged ourselves to make ethical choices in terms of animal welfare. Even with the temptation of the huge Chinese market, we decided that we would never compromise our position on animal testing. It’s great that this scheme allowed us to enter mainland China while maintaining our cruelty free status. Hopefully the success of this scheme will pave the way for more cruelty free international brands to sell there. “
For this greener and more sustainable philosophy, BULLDOG has obtained several certifications including Vegetarian Society Approved Vegan and Cruelty Free International.
Their communication on the site is extremely effective and the principle that BULLDOG follows is a daily challenge with themselves to reduce the impact on the environment. In particular, the brand focuses on reducing the consumption of fossil fuel plastics and the energy required for the production of products.
For the consumer it is in fact impossible to notice any difference between the conventional packaging and that of BULLDOG; however, the packaging makes a big difference in saving both energy and materials.
In fact, since 2017, plastic deriving from sugar cane has been introduced to increase the positive impact on the environment and to give a more sustainable sign in this sector that is highly user of traditional plastic, which, not being renewable, releases carbon dioxide into the environment and increases global warming.
The brand was the first to launch the new use of this vegetable which only needs a little more than natural atmospheric agents to grow. The extremely positive thing is that while cultivated, this plant is able to absorb the CO2 present in the air; and it is so effective that for every kilogram of sustainable plastic produced, 3.09 kilograms of CO2 are removed from the environment. In addition, when grown on depleted and degraded land it helps replenish minerals to allow the land to be reused for other purposes in the future. However, at the moment the achievable ceiling of plastic sugarcane in a package is 50%, but as stated on the website the brand is working to further increase the proportion.
“Bulldog is proud to be the first men’s skin care brand in the world to use sugarcane plastic in our packaging. We have always tried to make the most ethical and sustainable decisions possible, from never testing on animals, to never using microbeads to make all our products suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Sugar cane plastic is the latest step in this approach and we are delighted to have worked with RPC M&H Plastics to transform Green PE into something we can use in the tubes and caps of our packaging.” reveals Simon Duffy.
As for energy, it too has a strong impact on the sustainability of the brand as it can be one of the most expensive crucial points. For the BULLDOG creams the technique used is that of “single pot tempering”; this means that the water is only partially heated to create the product and creates the mixture in a single container. Normally in traditional production there are two heated containers and double the amount of water is used to heat and cool them. The technique adopted by the brand makes its production much more sustainable and attentive to energy saving. The most striking result obtained for their classic moisturizer is a 60% energy saving per product.
Last, but certainly not least, another great innovation brought by BULLDOG was the use of turtle shell bamboo for the design of the ecological razor blade. This plant has the distinction of being one of the fastest growing in the world; think that it takes only a couple of months to reach 20 meters in height. Furthermore, it takes 2 to 3 years to reach maturity, obtaining dimensional stability, hardness and resistance. Another great advantage of bamboo is that in a sustainable forest only 20% can be harvested in a year and despite its pruning the plant does not die, eliminating the problem of deforestation.
