Paul Tran: How Manscaped Claimed Male Groin Maintenance as Its Own Niche

Manscaped founder CEO Paul Tran struck gold when he ventured into the arena of male grooming. “We tapped into a market that was underserved. There was no brand before under the circumstances. But fast forward to about three years later and we are now the de-facto standard for male groin care,” Tran said to Yahoo Finance.

Manscaped took on a market for products that are somewhat taboo to talk about: male groin grooming. Male hygiene is already something of a taboo subject; Manscaped has completely ignored the stigma in their heavy advertising, bringing on celebrity partners from professional football player Rob Gronkowski to supermodel Camille Kostek.

Using frequent puns and creative names for their products — the “Lawn Mower” is their hero product and groin shaver, and the “Weed Whacker” is their nose hair trimmer — Manscaped has found its way into the grooming routines of hundreds of thousands of men. 

Keep reading for a brief history of the company, more information on how Manscaped has found success, and a dive into their mission: fighting the battle against testicular cancer.

Starting With a Bang

Represented by cofounder Steve King and his son Josh on Shark Tank in December 2018, the company made a handshake deal with two Sharks, Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner. Cuban was set to fund $500,000 for a 25% stake in the company while Greiner would sell the products on her ecommerce platform, QVC. 

Though the deal failed to materialize after the show, according to reports from Mark Cuban, Manscaped has continued to find success through other avenues. At the time of the Shark Tank appearance, the Kings could boast $1.5 million in sales. 

After the company’s 2022 first-quarter merger with Bright Lights Acquisition Corp., it’s now valued at $1 billion. It projects half a billion in sales for 2023, and its consumer base stretches globally …

Talk about betting on yourself.

The Products Make the Brand

Manscaped is obviously known for its below-the-belt trimmers, but it has expanded over the last few years to include several product offerings beyond its electric shavers. If you’re looking for a closer, more clean shave, Manscaped has you covered. The Manscaped Plow is a branded option for a traditional razor, and the Crop Shaver serves the same purpose, but it’s designed for groin areas.

Once you’re done shaving, Manscaped has products to keep the rest of the body clean and odor-free. It sells a complete “Men’s Skin + Hair Care Kit” that includes a 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner, body wash, deodorant, and a body spray. A free gift of a lip balm three-pack arrives with the package as well.

The wellness product offerings extend beyond standard cleanliness, though. Its line of “crop” offerings provides different formulations for overall groin hygiene, like the Crop Preserver, a “ball deodorant.” The Cleanser, Exfoliator, Gel, Reviver, and Mop are all designed for premium performance below the belt.

Finally, Manscaped offers products under a Lifestyle category, its newest offering. Two pairs of Manscaped-branded boxers are for sale, along with a t-shirt, disposable shaving mats, and two formulations of cologne.

Founder Paul Tran spoke on the success of scaling his company to Yahoo Finance.

“Manscaped was looking at the male body. Going from head to toe, you realized there was a brand and a product for every single need that you can think [of], but there was a wide space in the groin. So the hypothesis was either dudes weren’t practicing this hygiene behavior, or there was no market for it.”

The $1B valuation makes it clear there’s a market for Manscaped’s products, and it seems that moving forward, the company has changed the landscape of male grooming for good.

A Man With a Mission

Paul Tran’s vision has always been one of philanthropy. In the long term, his goal is to set up a foundation to help orphaned and underprivileged children in Vietnam, his home country from which he emigrated at age five.

However, Manscaped has a short-term, ongoing goal of bringing light to the darkness that surrounds testicular cancer. Its partnership with the Testicular Cancer Society aims to bring the issue to the forefront, educating men everywhere about the risk of the disease and ways to test themselves for it.

“Men’s health and hygiene is at the core of Manscaped — it is the essence of our cause. This partnership will raise awareness on an issue that impacts men of all ages. Early detection is imperative. Not only do we feel compelled to get the word out, we feel that it’s our duty to do so,” says Tran on the company’s mission page.

Manscaped exists to bring every man’s hygiene routine up to the present day, and it does so with tremendous success. Though its products are a little bit pricey, they’re rated well — the Lawn Mower 3.0 rates at 4.4 stars with over 70,000 reviews on Amazon, and the Lawn Mower 4.0 is rated at 4.4 stars with 25,000 reviews.

Its offerings encompass all areas of men’s grooming and hygiene and bring a somewhat sensitive topic to the forefront while raising awareness about testicular cancer. All in all, this $1B Unicorn company seems truly magical.