Chicago startup Bottlecode, founded by three former Trunk Club employees, is helping men find skincare regimens through its online service that matches users with specialized products from brands like Jack Black and Peter Thomas Roth.
Here’s how it works: First-time buyers are encouraged to take Bottlecode's skincare quiz. Based on the results, Bottlecode uses algorithms and estheticians to suggest products that meet users' needs and sells them directly to consumers. (Bottlecode buys products wholesale.)
The startup offers a subscription model so customers can easily receive products regularly, but products can also be bought on a case-by-case basis.
Bottlecode was originally launched in 2018 by Drishay Menon, Jeffrey Meyers and Robert McIntosh, who all met while working at Trunk Club, a Chicago fashion startup acquired by Nordstrom in 2014. Earlier this year, Nordstrom announced it was closing Trunk Club's standalone retail stores, folding the styling service into its department stores.
Menon, Bottlecode’s CEO, said he launched the startup to help men address the kinds of skincare problems he has encountered. As a teenager and into his adult life, Menon struggled with cystic acne. He looked to his mother for advice, and even after skin peels, light treatments and other skincare remedies, he still wasn’t getting the results he desired.
“I felt like I didn’t really have anywhere to go to answer my questions and get help,” Menon said. “The industry to date has been largely focused on the female consumer. It felt like men were left out of the conversation or that we weren’t supposed to be part of that conversation.”
Cosmetics brands have long targeted female consumers as a money-making strategy because traditional gender roles have often pushed women to be more conscience of their appearance than men. As a result, many skincare brands often seem feminized.
With Bottlecode, the founders aim to give men a place to learn about different skincare products and find effective treatments for their skin concerns. Buyers can also email and text message Bottlecode’s team of estheticians if they have questions about their skin or products, a service that’s free if they’re buying Bottlecode products.
“There are a lot of men out there looking for solutions but there are way too many options and solutions out there,” Menon said. “If you search ‘eye cream’ or ‘moisturizer’ on Amazon, you’re scrolling through tens of thousands of different options. As men, we felt like we were being asked to solve this problem on our own.”
The number of men’s skincare products has been on the rise in recent years, including local brands like Oars + Alps and Romer (which markets itself as gender neutral).
Since launching, Bottlecode has seen about 500 customers, with 50 percent re-ordering from the startup regularly. And through the Covid-19 crisis, Menon said he feels Bottlecode is benefiting from men cultivating self-care routines for themselves during this time.
“We’ve seen customers engage with us more than ever before,” Menon said.
So far, Bottlecode has raised a small friends and family round in addition to the $120,000 it received from being accepted into the Techstars Chicago accelerator. The program hosted its first virtual demo day in April due to the coronavirus pandemic, which Bottlecode participated in. Menon said Bottlecode will fundraise a larger round soon.
