The male makeup revolution is one step closer to becoming mainstream, with CVS adding Stryx, the brand of corrective cosmetics for men, to 2000 of its stores across the country. The brand is already available in select stores, and CVS will continue to roll out Stryx to additional stores through 2020.
“Men’s grooming has seen incredible growth during this stay-at-home period,” CVS said in a statement. “Men are a top customer focus at CVS Beauty.”
Devir Kahan, Stryx co-founder & CEO, Jon Shanahan, co-founder & CMO, and Isaac Rami, co-founder, are on a mission to help guys look their best using corrective cosmetic and skincare products. Stryx designs discreet cosmetics for men from the ground up.
JUV Consulting estimates the value of the global men’s makeup market at about $1.14 billion in 2019. A survey conducted by Euromonitor showed more than 56% of US male respondents admitted to using some sort of facial cosmetic-like foundation, concealer, or BB cream at least once in 2018.
If you follow the data, CVS's move into male cosmetics is not surprising when considering searches for “male makeup looks” jumped nearly 80 percent in April in comparison to a year ago, according to data from market analytics firm Moz, which noted that searches for “covering redness,” “hiding acne,” and “hiding bags under eyes” have also increased.
Male consumers, especially young men, are increasingly open to purchasing makeup. The brand's concealer tool and gel cleanser will be merchandised in CVS beside shaving cream and razors to help normalize the idea that men can wear makeup too.
Stryx experienced the grooming industry's resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, with May website traffic up 30% and sales up 17% compared to April. Utilizing TikTok and YouTube, co-founder Jon Shanahan encourages men to look and feel their best while taking video calls from home, re-entering the workforce, job searching, and attending previously delayed functions.
Stryx officially launched in January 2019 and completed the XRC Labs accelerator in January 2020. “We at XRC Labs could not be more proud of the great team at Stryx,” says Pano Anthos, XRC Labs founder and Managing Director. “Devir and Jon are pioneers in building a true men’s cosmetics brand and leveraging innovative and emerging channels to communicate with their customers. They and their products exemplify the critical ingredients to build a successful brand in today’s market.”
