The average disposable income of “multi-ethnic” consumers is around £375 million a month, one of the UK’s “most exciting and untapped audiences”. Skincare brands (and retailers) are missing out on big business. Friends Raphael Babalola and Adam Hutchinson are here to fill that gap.
The gap was just too obvious to ignore,” says Babalola, on why he wanted to start the brand. “I was tired and frustrated with the lack of options for my skin tone and bad retail experiences. We shouldn’t be marginalised because of our skin colour and be treated as second-class consumers in 2022!”
Temple provides a collection of naturally derived skincare products designed for men of colour to help their skin look & feel healthier, smoother & blemish-free. Temple isn’t just breaking boundaries on making skincare inclusive to different skin tones; they also focus on encouraging self-care for men.
“My eyes were opened wide to men’s personal care while living in South Korea, where men are super knowledgeable about skincare,” says Hutchinson, who lived and worked in Seoul. “There are loads of great brands out there, but there weren’t any cool grooming brands catered to my needs as a black man that delivered a great user experience, so I decided to create one myself.”
Having launched in December 2020, the pair decided to cater for Black men in the commercial yet neglected intersection of male skincare brands. This section of the industry is one that certainly needs to evolve.
Melanin-rich skin has completely different skincare needs than Caucasian skin. It is said that Caucasian skin has 16 layers in the outermost layer whereas Black skin has 20 layers – skin cell shedding thus occurs 2.5 times more in darker skin tones. It is almost inconceivable that 80% of people worldwide are highly melanated yet the skincare industry continues to neglect the needs of people of colour.
The brand’s hero ingredients include hyaluronic acid, avocado oil, aloe vera & rosehip oil which help address issues typically faced by men with darker shaded skin, including acne, scarring, hyperpigmentation, dryness and sensitivity. Their products range from cleansers, and moisturisers all the way to toners.
Temple is taking the self-care and grooming experience for men of colour to another level. Black men no longer need to feel overlooked, the time has come for people of colour to feel good about themselves.
Excellent news