The wave of India’s homegrown men’s shaving brands

We are a nation with over 700 million men! Yeah, let that sink in…

With the growing population, the rise of middle-class has been phenomenal so far, but the best is yet to come. Today (in 2019), we are estimated to have 25% of the population in the middle-class bracket which is expected to grow to 41% in 2025. Yes, a 16% increase. Map that against the population of the country if you think that’s marginal. 

But let me not throw numbers at you and move on one of the many positive outcomes of this change – the wave of new and emerging men’s shaving brands in India. Earlier, us men were all left to the mercy of Gillette. Nothing wrong but one brand for over 700 million people? Whilst the women’s cosmetics and skincare market were flooded with brands, men were completely left out. The disruption was bound to come, and it’s safe to say that it finally has. Entrepreneurs from across the board jumped in to serve this underserved market and to cash in on the lurking opportunity.

Below are the top men’s shaving brands competing for their share of this massive pie. Let’s break them down one by one. I will keep my personal opinion away. If you want help deciding, check what real customers have to say about their experiences with different brands.

1. PinkWoolf

• Founded by: Stuti & Subodh Sharma
• Founding year: 2018
• Range of shaving products: Pre-shave oil/ cream, shaving brush, razor, aftershave and gift sets.
• Additional products: Face cream
• USP: Premium and high-quality products.
• Price range: Rs.500 – Rs.1500
• Funding: Customer funded (bootstrapped)

See PinkWoolf’s real customers reviews…

2. Dapr.

• Founded by: Swaroop Sarkar & Yatin Mehra
• Founding year: 2018
• Range of shaving products: Pre-shave oil & aftershave balm.
• Additional products: Hair pomade, beard butter, 3 in 1 wash.
• USP: Product quality, value for money & its extremely high customer satisfaction.
• Price range: Rs.450 – Rs.1800
• Funding: Customer funded (bootstrapped)

See Dapr.’s real customer reviews…

3. The Man Company

• Founded by: Parvesh Bareja, Hitesh Dhingra & Bhisham Bhateja
• Founding year: 2015
• Range of shaving products: Pre-shave oil/ cream, shaving brush, aftershave and gift sets.
• Additional products: Houses a wide range of products for beard, body, face and hair.
• USP: Quality and selection of handpicked natural ingredients.
• Price range: Rs.500 – Rs.2200
• Funding: Venture funded. Backed by Emani.

See The Man Company’s real customers reviews

4. Bombay Shaving Company

• Founded by: Shantanu Deshpande, Raunak Munot, Deepu Panicker, and Rohit Jaiswal.
• Founding year: 2015
• Range of shaving products: Pre-shave oil/ cream, shaving brush, razor, blade, shave dab, aftershave and gift sets.
• Additional products: Houses a wide range of products for beard, bath and skin.
• USP: Its double-edged single blade.
• Price range: Rs.200 – Rs.2000
• Funding: Venture funded. Backed by Colgate Palmolive.

See Bombay Shaving Company’s real customers reviews

5. LetsShave

• Founded by: Sidharth S Oberoi
• Founding year: 2015
• Range of shaving products: Pre-shave oil/ cream, shaving brush, razor, blade, aftershave lotion and gift sets.
• Additional products: Houses a wide range of products for bath and skin. It also carries shaving supplies, bath and skincare products for women.
• USP:
  • Its partnership with Dorco that gives LetsShave an edge over the quality due to the multinationals advanced R&D.
  • Eco-friendly packaging – a definite win over others…
• Price range: 299 – 1000
• Funding: Venture funded. Backed by Dorco – a Korean company manufacturing razor blades for over 60 years.

See LetsShave’s real customers reviews

6. India Grooming Club

• Founded by: Sameer Shah & Tanmay Shah
• Founding year: 2016
• Range of shaving products: Pre-shave oil/ cream, shaving brush, razor, blade, aftershave lotion and gift sets.
• Additional products: Its Earth Collection – a range of chemical-free bath and body products.
• USP: Luxurious products and branding
• Price range: 750 – 5500
• Funding: Customer funded (bootstrapped)

See India Grooming Club’s real customers reviews

7. Spruce

• Founded by: Aditya Advani & Lalit Advani
• Founding year: 2016
• Range of shaving products: Pre-shave oil/ cream, shaving brush, razor, blade, aftershave, travel kits and gift sets.
• Additional products: Beard, body and hair care.
• USP: Premium and all-natural grooming products.
• Price range: 199 – 2500
• Funding: Customer funded (bootstrapped)

See Spruce’s real customers reviews

8. Ustraa

• Founded by: Rajat Tuli & Rahul Anand
• Founding year: 2015
• Range of shaving products: Shaving foam, razor & blades.
• Additional products: Houses a wide range of products for bath and skin. Also carries trimmers, helmet spray, travel kit and beard care products.
• USP: Free from Sulphate, Paraben and other harmful chemicals. Not animal tested.
• Price range: 180 – 1600
• Funding: A subsidiary of Happily Unmarried which has Wipro as its lead investor.

See Ustraa’s real customers reviews

To sum it all up…