Matt Mullenax on better basics built to outlast days

A Chicago block in winter, a crowded drugstore shelf and a shower that had to do more with less. That is where Huron starts. What grew from it is a small New York line of considered basics built around a few plant extracts, steady routines and scent that lasts through the day.

Huron is named for a street in Chicago where Matt Mullenax lived when his skin was at its worst. The wind was sharp, the heat ran dry indoors, and long days left his face tight and his body worn from helmets and sweaty clothes. It is a specific place to name a brand after, and it tells you how he thinks.

Mullenax grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio with what he calls bad skin. He played football at Brown, worked early days at Bonobos packing pants, spent time in Chicago in finance, then went to Stanford for an MBA. In summer 2017 he surveyed about 1,500 men about how they bought personal care. In January 2018 he ran a fake brand in Midwest markets to test assortment and claims. He then teamed with Matt Teri, who had spent decades building products for Tom Ford, Clinique and Lab Series, and launched Huron in July 2019 with body wash, face wash and face moisturizer.

What we noticed, reading slowly, is how much of Huron is about restraint. A four person team with outside partners. A short shelf of products meant to be used every day. Plant materials chosen for a clear function in the formula. Ginseng, black walnut leaf and witch hazel to deep clean and refresh in the shower. Bamboo to give a gentle exfoliating feel without harsh scrub. Scent treated as part of the ritual, not an afterthought.

You grew up in Cincinnati with what you call bad skin, then football at Brown made it worse with helmets and sweaty clothes. What did that daily friction teach you about what a routine has to handle?

Growing up, I was the kid with bad skin. That stayed with me. At Brown, playing football, you live in a helmet and damp clothes. My skin took the hit. I tried grocery store brands, dermatologist products, picks from mens blogs. But nothing seemed to work. Either it was too harsh, or it did nothing, or it felt like it was made for someone else.

That taught me that a routine has to hold up to real days. Sweat, cold air, dry heat, late nights. I did not want ten steps. I wanted a wash that actually cleaned, a moisturizer that kept my face comfortable, products I would reach for without thinking. Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves. That line stuck with me. If the basics are right, used morning and night, the rest gets easier.

Huron is named for the street you lived on in Chicago where some of your skin troubles were the worst. Why keep that address on the label instead of leaving it behind?

Huron is the name of the street I lived on in Chicago where some of my skin troubles were the worst. It felt honest to keep it. Chicago winters are no joke. The air is cold outside and dry inside. My skin felt tight and reactive. I was a 25-year-old that was still buying neon green body wash from CVS, and there was a disconnect. What I was buying did not match the life I was living.

Naming it Huron keeps me rooted in that problem. We are not trying to be distant or precious. We started with the idea of basics that look, act and perform like higher end products, but at a price that did not break the bank. I could not justify spending 50 dollars plus on face wash. The street reminds me who we are formulating for. Guys who want something better, without the markup, for skin that deals with weather and work and sweat.

In summer 2017 you surveyed about 1,500 men, then in January 2018 you launched a fake brand in Midwest markets to test assortment and claims. What did that slow testing teach you before you made anything real?

I did not want to guess what men want. So in summer 2017 I surveyed about 1,500 guys about buying behavior. How they shopped, what they used, what they skipped, what price felt fair. Then in January 2018 we put up a fake brand marketed to Midwest markets. Same kind of shopper I knew from Ohio. We tested assortment and claims. Which three products mattered most. Which words made someone click.

What came back was clear. Men wanted fewer, better things. Body wash, face wash, face moisturizer. They cared how it smelled and how it felt. They did not want a chemistry lesson on the front label. We have the opportunity to better serve a consumer who has been largely under-targeted with products we know that he wants. That testing gave us permission to stay narrow at launch in July 2019. Make the everyday bottles excellent, price them fairly, and let the routine do the work.

You teamed with Matt Teri, who spent decades building products for Tom Ford, Clinique and Lab Series. How does that partnership shape the way you choose plant extracts and build a formula?

Matt knows how prestige formulas are built. He talks directly to chemists. I bring the user view. I wanted to create a branded assortment of A plus products that looked, acted and performed like the higher end products, but at a price point that did not break the bank. That means every ingredient has to earn its place.

We do not add a plant because it sounds good. We ask what it does in the wash or on the skin. In Body Wash we use ginseng, black walnut leaf and witch hazel to deep clean, refresh and deodorize. Witch hazel has a long history as a distilled leaf and bark preparation used for its astringent feel. Black walnut leaf brings tannins that help skin feel clean and toned. Ginseng root extract is used for a fresh, conditioned feel. The point is function first. If the extract does not support the cleanse or the after feel, we leave it out.

Your Body Wash at 20 dollars, with ginseng, black walnut leaf and witch hazel, is the original product and the best seller. How do those three plants behave in the shower, from first lather to rinse?

That wash started the brand, so we steeped a lot of time in it. In the shower you want three things. Lift the day, leave skin comfortable, leave a scent you like. Ginseng supports that refreshed feel. Black walnut leaf helps the formula clean deeply without feeling stripped. Witch hazel gives that toned, clean finish. Use daily in the shower as body wash, work it across shoulders, chest, legs, rinse clean.

The lather matters too. We wanted it rich but easy to rinse. No film. Skin should feel soft, not tight. And the scent has to carry without shouting. Sea Salt plus Driftwood, Citrus plus Eucalyptus, Sandalwood plus Amber. Each one delivers a rich, skin softening cleanse and a fragrance that stays close through the morning. It is still an in office favorite because we all use it. If it did not work in our own showers, we would not sell it.

If it did not work in our own showers, we would not sell it.

Matt Mullenax

Face Wash at 18 dollars uses bamboo exfoliants and is meant morning and night without a harsh scrub feel. What did you learn about exfoliation for men who are new to face wash?

A lot of guys either skip face wash or borrow something that leaves them raw. We wanted a gentle yet deep cleansing exfoliator without the sandpaper to face feel. Bamboo is useful here. Milled bamboo stem gives a soft physical polish that helps lift oil and dead surface buildup, then rinses away. It is not about grinding the skin. It is about keeping the surface clear so the face looks rested.

Wash morning and night, lukewarm water, massage for half a minute, rinse. That cadence matters more than force. Morning clears overnight oil. Night clears sweat, sunscreen and city air. Keep the pressure light around eyes and jawline where shaving already stresses skin. Follow with moisturizer while skin is still slightly damp. That simple order, cleanse then hydrate, is the whole ritual for someone starting out. It respects the barrier and supports the appearance of smoother texture over time.

Face Moisturizer at 18 dollars pairs pentavitin and sodium hyaluronate with niacinamide for texture. How should a guy use it post shower so the hydration actually lasts?

Apply post shower morning and night. That timing is everything. After a warm shower, skin holds water. You want to seal in that comfort. Our moisturizer instantly hydrates and smooths with pentavitin and sodium hyaluronate while niacinamide improves texture and fine lines. Leaves skin healthy looking and shine free is the goal.

Pentavitin is a plant derived carbohydrate complex that binds to skin and helps support hydration through the day. Sodium hyaluronate holds water at the surface and helps skin look plump and smooth. Niacinamide supports the appearance of more even tone and refined texture. Use a dime sized amount, press over face and neck, not just dry patches. If you shave in the morning, let skin settle for a minute, then moisturize. At night, same step after Face Wash. No extra layers needed. Consistency keeps the look steady.

Early on you led with 100 percent vegan body wash and lists of what you left out, then you shifted to writing what you call the internet’s best smell. Why did scent win over claims?

At first our pitch was serious. It was 100 percent vegan body wash, or certified cruelty free, or free of this laundry list of chemicals. That is all true. Our products are 100 percent vegan, sulfate free, paraben free, cruelty free, silicone free, phthalate free and aluminum free. But it did not move anyone.

Then we just wrote the internet’s best smell. That worked because smell is how men choose in the shower. You open the cap, you breathe in, you know in two seconds if it is yours. Performance keeps them, scent brings them. I would rather talk about smell and feel than lead with vegan and clean claims. Not because standards do not matter. They do. But the ritual starts with the senses. If the lather smells fresh and modern, like citrus and eucalyptus or sea salt and driftwood, you look forward to using it. And looking forward to it is what builds a routine.

You run Huron as a four person team with a VP of marketing and a director of operations, plus external partners. What does staying lean force you to do differently with sourcing and scent?

Staying lean forces focus. I would rather stay lean and focused on a few priorities than chase every opportunity. We do not launch twenty shades of the same idea. We pick a scent family, work it until it feels right, test it in our own showers, then scale it across Body Wash and Deodorant so the morning smells coherent.

With sourcing, Matt and our chemists do the heavy lifting. We do not own fields or stills. We choose reliable extracts and fragrance houses that can deliver batch to batch consistency. That matters more than chasing a rare harvest. A small team cannot afford variation. We need ginseng, witch hazel, black walnut leaf and bamboo that arrive clean, stable and true to spec. Then we put our energy into the blend. How long the scent lingers on a towel. How the bar holds up on a dish. How the wash feels in hard water. Little things, checked often.

Bar Soap triple milled to last longer and rinse cleaner now sits beside Body Wash and Deodorant. When should someone reach for the bar, and when is the liquid the better tool?

It comes down to place and habit. Bar Soap is triple milled to last longer, lather richer and rinse cleaner. Triple milling means the soap base is passed through rollers to make it dense and even, so the bar wears down slower and the lather feels creamy. Ours uses vitamin rich shea butter and coconut oil to keep skin smooth and soft and help prevent moisture loss. Reach for the bar at the sink for hands, or in the shower if you like a firm lather and a bar that dries between uses.

Liquid Body Wash is better when you want more scent play and a fast, skin softening cleanse. Rotate scents to match your mood. Each one gives that cologne level fragrance without being heavy. Keep the bar on a draining dish so it hardens between showers. That one habit decides how long it lasts. Both are built to outlast your day. One lives well by the sink, the other by the shower head. Confidence that goes the distance starts with whichever you will actually use daily.

Closing note from the desk

What stays with us is the address on the bottle. A street in Chicago where winter air and long days made skin uncomfortable became a way to measure every formula. Does it clean without stripping. Does it hydrate without shine. Does it smell like something a man wants to start his day with.

Huron set out to make A plus basics that perform like higher end products at prices that do not break the bank. Read slowly, that means fewer products, clear plant functions, steady morning and night rituals, and a small team willing to test before it claims. It is botanical care without decoration. Roots and leaves in service of the shower.

Product spotlight

Body Wash, 20 dollars. Deep cleans to refresh, invigorate and deodorize with ginseng, black walnut leaf and witch hazel. Use daily in the shower, massaging over body before rinsing. Choose Sea Salt plus Driftwood, Citrus plus Eucalyptus, Sandalwood plus Amber or Sandalwood plus Black Pepper for a steady, cologne level scent.

Face Wash, 18 dollars. Gentle yet deep cleansing twice daily exfoliator with bamboo exfoliants, made without a harsh scrub feel. Use morning and night with lukewarm water, massaging for half a minute before rinsing. Follow with moisturizer while skin feels slightly damp to support the appearance of smooth texture.