Startup of the Week: Natural products making beard maintenance easy

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• Founded by Mansour Barri in 2019, the company’s products help in soothing men’s facial hair and skin, control beardruff (dandruff in beard) and gives beards healthier and nicer look

When it comes to personal grooming, it seems it is all about women, which is not very accurate. This perception has partly been formed since the markets are mostly full of beauty and personal care products for women.
This trend is, however, changing with several global and local brands offering grooming products for men. Layth Co. is one such company that offers natural beard grooming products such as oils, balm, mustache waxes.
Founded by Mansour Barri in 2019, the company’s products help in soothing men’s facial hair and skin, control beardruff (dandruff in beard) and gives beards healthier and nicer look. The company’s products are made of natural oils and butters. The idea of beard grooming came to Barri when one of his friends suggested he keep a beard, as it would look nice on him.
Barri told Arab News he acted on his friend’s advice and started growing a beard. He said he liked the idea and the changed look. After a few weeks, he entered the phase when he had to take care of his facial hair to maintain a tidy look. “I started to give it special attention and care and bought all sorts of products to maintain it.”
It was then Barri realized there was a shortage of beard grooming products in the Saudi market. This led him to launch his line of products to cater to the needs of an important market segment. He went to one of Jeddah’s famous salons and asked for beard oils. He was shocked when the barber told him he had never heard of such a thing. “I was shocked at that moment. How come that Arabs who are traditionally known for keeping beards never thought of beard care products? That incident sparked an idea in my head, why shouldn’t I introduce beard care products to the Arab world? There are a whole lot of beard product brands around the world, but only a few that are Arab.”
He immediately started contacting suppliers and comparing their oils and testing them on himself. Layth means male lion in Arabic, and for Barri a beard represents a lion’s mane. Barri is trying to break the stereotype that men do not take care of their appearance or that only women care about their image.
“I believe the opposite is happening, as most men that I know visit a salon once a week or every alternate week.” The company offers its products online via its web portal (www.layth.co). Products are shipped locally and internationally, and Barri hopes to expand his project with the launch of a salon that specializes in beard grooming and care. Keep up with the beard care brand on Instagram (@layth.co).