Meet the young entrepreneur destigmatising makeup for men

A young entrepreneur from Greater Manchester is looking to break the stigma surrounding male cosmetics with a new skincare brand.

Alex Doyle, the brains behind makeup line Altr for Men, launched the business after suffering from acne throughout his teenage and student years.

He identified a gap in the market after finding that, while many premium cosmetic brands now target both men and women, he struggled to find affordable, accessible cover-up products appealing to younger men.

Alex conceived Altr in his fourth year of studying history at Warwick University.

His vision was to create an easy-to-use option aimed at students and young professionals, positioned in a humorous way to minimise any potential awkwardness.

Selling through its own ecommerce platform and Amazon, the company has now partnered with the online retail giant through its Launchpad programme for startups.

Altr has sold more than 2,500 items to date and currently has two products in its range; a whisky-infused moisturiser and Face Fix, a concealer.

Face Fix has already been endorsed by reality TV stars, among them Made in Chelsea’s Sam Thompson and Gaz Beadle from Geordie Shore.

Alex said: “Since launching the brand we’ve had just about every kind of reaction you can imagine, particularly on social media – ‘isn’t makeup for girls?’ and ‘why is Altr only for men?’ are two common examples.

“The truth is, many guys feel uncomfortable about the prospect of buying makeup even though they know it could help them look and feel better when they need to impress.”

He continued: “Men who are pretty clued up on cosmetics are likely already using luxury brands. Altr For Men is trying to reach those who feel a bit nervous about purchasing makeup never mind working out how to apply it – or those who are slyly stealing their girlfriend’s concealer when a breakout occurs! That’s why we’ve made Face Fix as simple to use as possible.”

Speaking further, Alex said he plans to grow the line beyond moisturiser and Face Fix.

He added: “Another major goal is to connect with male fashion and lifestyle retailers to get the products in stores. And the ultimate aim is to transform the public’s perception of makeup for men so guys don’t have to feel awkward about using products like Face Fix to help them feel at the top of their game.”