Simon Duffy, Bulldog founder

Premium Beauty News - What’s so special about Bulldog?

Simon Duffy - Bulldog is a different brand with a unique offering for men. The male market is very specific. The idea for Bulldog was born when we noticed that there were no straightforward skincare options for men who wanted products packed with natural ingredients. Bulldog is the first men’s skincare line based on natural ingredients. The products are also free from a wide list of what we consider as “unwanted” ingredients such as parabens, SLS, artificial colours, synthetic fragrances or ingredients from animal sources.

We’re also doing our best with regard to sustainability. We’re now using sugarcane based plastics from Brazil’s Braskem for our packaging. That’s a big way for us to stand out from competition!

The big difference of course is that we mainly target men. We wanted to create a very male company. Bulldog is man’s best and smarter companion!

Premium Beauty News - You’re now launching in France, which has the reputation to be a difficult market for indie cosmetic brands?

Simon Duffy - We’re very excited to be in France. It is the right time as we’re now feeling more comfortable as a company. Big brands, such as L’Oréal and Nivea, clearly dominate in the French market but now we think we now have the possibility to face the competition here and to address skincare needs of male’s consumers in France with a different offering.

As far as cosmetic products are concerned, people want results. However, they are also increasingly interested in the brands’ values and the way they run their businesses. It’s getting harder and harder to hide as a company, it is therefore very essential to present good stories and to be authentic.

Premium Beauty News - What are your main goals in France?

Simon Duffy - We’re launching in France with a selection of 6 products (out of a full line of 40 products) at Carrefour and Carrefour Market, and online at Amazon and beauteprivee.fr

For the short-term, we want our products to be available everywhere our competitors are. This is why we’re launching in the mass retail channel here, while we’re in department stores or speciality retails in other countries.

We do not have massive budgets but our brand is very distinctive, our packaging and the way we formulate our products make a huge difference. We’re aiming a 10% market share within two years in France.

Premium Beauty News - What are the next steps for Bulldog?

Simon Duffy - We’re looking for new market opening such as Japan. We’re currently available in 24 countries, including Korea, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Thailand. Export sales represent about 50% of our annual turnover and in the next years we expect them to reach the 70% mark. We want to grow and we are investing in our first TV campaigns and we’re also working on big innovation launches...