It wasn’t long ago that Evolution of Smooth (eos) was synonymous with just one thing – the egg-shaped lip balm. Fast forward only a few years and the brand has evolved from a single cult fan favourite to skincare category leader. Eos’ women shave cream is seriously outpacing competitors, accounting for 53% of the total women’s shave category in 2022 and earning the title of number one shave cream brand among Gen Z women. 

The team attributes this to a bet it made on bold marketing (with a “little” help from creative agency of record Mischief @ No Fixed Address). Now it is taking on the challenge of men. Eos has launched a men’s shave cream range, again with a “little” help from creative agency of record Mischief @ No Fixed Address. The new line came from social listening which unearthed a new, untapped potential fanbase – men. It turns out that many were already using eos women’s shave cream because of its nourishing ingredients.

Its campaign, Unmanhandle Your Face, launches as a cheeky protest against men’s shaving as we know it—uber masculine and annoyingly bro-y. Two hero spots, Smells Like Bros and Gorilla Fighting, poke fun at conventions associated with the category as eos cements its position as THE shave cream for the modern-day male-identifying consumer.

Tanner Thompson, associate creative director behind the campaign at Mischief, stated, “The men’s skincare category is already saturated with exaggerated hyper-masculinity. There are plenty of products for men with perfect jawlines and soaring crypto investments. But what about the normal guys who actually call their moms back and don’t make vests their personality? The guys who just want a good, moisturising shave cream? This campaign, and this new product, is for them.”

The new campaign builds on a strong history of unexpected and un-ignorable advertising for the brand. Back in April 2021, eos broke the internet when it launched a limited-edition line of shave cream called Bless Your F*ing Cooch, in honour of a TikTok creator who went viral for her raw and blunt tutorial of how to shave using the product. More than 150,000 bottles of the shave cream were sold in the week following the campaign. The rush made eos the number one shave cream brand for men and women in Target before a total sell-out in stores across America. Ultimately, eos doubled its entire shave cream business. 

A string of brave, unapologetic and talk-worthy campaigns and initiatives ensued, including Vagnastics, which normalised conversation around shaving in all those weird and wonderful places, Pubes for the Planet, an invite for people to recycle their curly wonders to fight soil erosion, and Smoothness When You Need it Most, which highlighted relatable quirks like stealing a ton of tampons from the restaurant bathroom. 

Eos’ household penetration grew a whopping 37% in 2022. All of this, despite being outspent 3:1 in marketing. 

Bianca Guimaraes, partner and executive creative director at Mischief, stated, “Eos’ mindset to bet on bold and push against category tropes, combined with the ability to react fast, is an absolute masterclass in unignorable brand building. This team continues to reap the rewards of confidently stepping into the unknown.

“People may look at eos’ recent marketing and think, ‘woah, that’s risky.’ But we all believe the riskiest thing eos could do is be ignorable. It’s so incredible to see eos grow from cult brand to category leader at unprecedented speed with marketing as a golden gun.”

Soyoung Kang, chief marketing officer at eos, added, “We’re confident eos can win over male-identifying consumers by continuing to lean into our signature style of bold, convention-defying marketing. We’ve found immense success and extreme growth in our women’s business by stepping away from how things are usually done in the skincare industry and prioritizing fun, speed, and realness with how the brand talks and engages with its community.

“The grooming category is in need of innovation, disruption, and aspiration. And it’s the right time to shake things up. More and more men are becoming interested in taking care of their skin. And while we’ve seen a lot of new entrants focused on razors, we haven’t seen as much innovation around prep and skincare.”

The male-targeting skincare market is forecasted to grow by 24% in the next five years. Around 56% of Gen Z males have used a facial cosmetic, and 40% of Gen Z is interested in using gender-neutral cosmetics.