August 12, 2024 |
Gregor Jaspers is making his vision of a comprehensive men’s wellness regiment a reality. Having launched The Grey, the disruptive skincare brand created by men for men in May of 2018, Jaspers has been quietly revolutionising the men’s wellness market with a straightforward approach to skincare that prioritises practicality, inclusivity and, above all else, nourishing ingredients for the modern man.
Before diving deep into the world of serums, night creams and SPFs, all of which The Grey specialises in, Jaspers was a department store buying director who spent week after week on the road viewing new womenswear collections, struggling to cut down on the contents of his increasingly-overflowing wash bag for easy travel. During a frustrated drugstore visit where Jaspers was let down with the lack of men’s-focused products, he thought to himself, “Well, if they don’t make it, let me try to do it.
“I had no idea. I literally went on the internet, on Google and typed in ‘skincare-laboratory-Netherlands’,” Jaspers jokingly continues. “When I first had this idea nine years ago, the men’s skincare landscape was totally different from what it is now.”
It is no secret that the world of beauty can be overwhelmingly female-focused, take a walk down any self-pampering aisle and you’ll see a sea of pink products covered in flowers and cupcake-coded motifs targeted solely at the female sex. But in today’s mountingly progressive and profoundly digital age it was only a matter of time that the pendulum swung in the direction of men’s wellness. Jaspers says, “I was so disappointed in the formulation of those products; all those amazing products, created for women’s skin and women’s needs only!
“There are so many guys out there who have been skimming their skin issues,” explains Jaspers. As he found that navigating the skincare market can be a tough feat without an inch of guidance, Jaspers has quickly identified the key factors a man needs within his daily beauty routine. This is where The Grey comes in.
The Grey offers a complete and compact men’s skincare range covering all your needs from exfoliation and cleansing to anti-aging and adult-acne. “It sounds easy, but believe me, we still have so many skin care benefits for men to share. We falsely think we’re already there, social media gives us the impression that us ‘guys’ are already so open to everything. But it’s not true at all, that’s only a small group of men. The rest are still trying [to open up to skincare.]”
In order to properly address these issues, The Grey offers a unique wellness process that pledges a “360” approach that can hopefully guide consumers towards healthier lifestyles. “We don’t want to say holistic. We say 360 approach, when guys enter the world of The Gray, they feel at home and they trust us enough to try all those additives.” The Rotterdam-based brand even offers digital ‘skin tests’ to help create customised skincare routines, and personalised playlists aimed at enhancing your precious beauty rest. Jaspers explains. “When you buy with us online, you will get an email explaining the importance of sleep, but also with a playlist [that can help] you have a better sleep. We even have these ‘rules’ that we send out every week to share difficulties other men can encounter.”
When asked what his hopes for The Grey over the next five years are, Jaspers says, somewhat jokingly, “World domination.” But in all seriousness, he’s not too far off. The Grey is on its way to becoming every modern man’s favourite beauty brand.
Photography courtesy of The Grey.
Gregor Jaspers, founder of The Grey
