Rock Face, an accessible men’s care brand, is on a mission to shake up the men’s toiletries sector taking on behemoths like Unilever, Proctor & Gamble and L’Oreal. Central to its foundation is a belief that men’s brands should do more to speak to ‘the everyday man’, not just hero the celebrity and do more to amplify positive male role models.        

From a product perspective they approach the category differently, working with fragrance houses to create a world class aftershave and infusing the scent into the best formulas on the market.

At the helm of the company is James Wilkinson, a former L’Oréal marketer turned entrepreneur. He took over as CEO in 2021, alongside his business partner, James Langdon. The pair pivoted Rock Face from a skincare brand to a general men’s care brand and their long term goal is to become men’s lifehack to looking and feeling great everyday. Since they took over, Rock Face has become the fastest-growing men’s care brand in the UK.

Earlier this year, the brand secured £2.5 million in investment and SME Today recently caught up with James to discuss this next chapter for the business. We also delved into the ups and downs of building a brand from scratch, the art of disruption in a crowded market, and what it takes to scale a modern SME.

James, tell us a bit about how Rock Face began – what was the spark that led you to launch the brand?

Rock Face started with a simple observation: men’s care brands weren’t speaking to men in a real, relatable way. There was a huge gap between the massive big and complex regimes that luxury players preached which men find intimidating and the overly functional supermarket options.

We felt that most scents on the market lacked the depth of a quality aftershave and always missed the mark marketing-wise. Too often, we witnessed overly groomed men showing their six-packs, which we felt didn’t connect with the everyday man. We live by our mantra; ‘be real, be bold and be every day.’

We saw an opportunity to bridge the gap and wanted to create a brand that men could see themselves in. That’s why we partner with the world’s best fragrance houses, creating a product that is down-to-earth, high-performing, and smells great.

Your background includes working at L’Oréal and as an innovation consultant – how did that shape your approach to leading an SME?

Those experiences were invaluable. At L’Oréal, I learned how to build and scale brands on a global level. As a consultant, I got to peek under the hood of many different businesses and see what worked and what didn’t.

Running an SME, I must say is a different beast. You must be hands-on with every part of the business, from product to sales, marketing to retail, while also working extremely closely with your supply chain. There is nowhere to hide, and that’s exciting. You’re building something from the ground up, which means everything matters that bit more.

You’ve just secured an impressive £2.5 million investment. What does that mean for Rock Face?

It’s a game-changer for us. This funding gives us the runway to invest more heavily in product innovation, marketing, and distribution expansion. It also enables us to scale our team, which is vital as they’re the ones who will ultimately drive growth and profitability. This new era is all about scaling up our presence, delivering quality products, exciting campaigns and building an amazing team around us.

Speaking of growth, Rock Face has tripled in size in just three years. What’s been the secret to that rapid acceleration?

I would say it’s down to two things: focus with our retailer customers and authenticity with our users. We’ve been laser-focused on doing a few things well, including delivering outstanding scents, effective products, a fresh rebrand that makes us standout on shelf, and a brand voice that resonates with our target market.

We don’t just want to talk to our customers. We want to foster a connection between them and our brand. That relatability, combined with product quality that rivals luxury brands, is what keeps us growing.

Let’s talk about challenges. What have been some of the hardest parts of the journey so far?

I think the main challenge for any SME is wearing many hats. As someone with perfectionist qualities, it’s always difficult to accept that ‘quick and done’ may be enough. I am a supply chain rookie, but I built the first forecasting model. When I look back, I know there were many improvements to make, but this approach kept us going for the first three years.

There have been multiple challenges over the last three years, from 30 – 40% increases in manufacturing costs because of COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war. When you combine this with retailers facing challenges, and a cost-of-living crisis there is always something to worry about. Imperatively, it’s these challenges that force you to be sharper, scrappier, and more creative. They make the wins feel better.

And the most rewarding aspect?

Seeing the brand out in the world. Our latest out-of-home campaign across London was a real pinch-me moment for us.

I also love building our team and working with our various partners. As an SME, you don’t have the budget to invest in a large team, so you need to be nimble when choosing collaborators. Key to success is picking ones that genuinely feel like an extension of your team, who encourage you to think differently and push you to be braver, better and bolder. A key rule for me is partnering with agencies outside of London, otherwise, I feel you get a very one dimensional view of the UK consumer.

What advice would you give to aspiring SME founders?

1. Obsess over your customer. Know what they care about and deliver it better than anyone else.
2. Be bold. Don’t be afraid to zig when everyone else zags.
3. Build a great team. Culture and chemistry matter as much as skills.
4. Stay curious. I’m always reading, watching, and learning. Inspiration is everywhere.

Finally, what’s next for Rock Face?

We’ve got some exciting new product drops on the horizon, which I can’t wait to unveil this summer. We’re also working on more retail partnerships and are building more creative campaigns to shake up the category. Our goal is simple: we want to become the go-to name in men’s care in the UK, and then the sky is our limit.

Thanks James, SMEToday.