What happens when a 10-year beauty industry veteran and a guy who’s used nothing but bar soap his whole life fall in love? Sounds like the set-up for a classic rom-com, where an unlikely pair meet, move in together, and go on to start a successful men’s grooming products business. Oh wait, that’s real life. Meet Gentleman Farmer, a woman-owned business creating sustainable, sensual men’s-care products.
“He’d avoided ‘product’ all his life, but I moved in, bringing a ton of good stuff and shared,” says CEO Maude Burns of her husband Kevin. “He discovered that using better products on your skin and hair can make you not just look better, but feel better.” Meanwhile, Burns was pretty sure she could do better.
Gentleman Farmer’s target audience may be male, but Burns says she wouldn’t make something she doesn’t love the feel of and wouldn’t use herself. “My favorite is our Hair and Body Wash Sport,” she says. “It’s this strong minty menthol that’s perfect when you’re tired and groggy, whether you just woke up or just worked out. I worked on that one partly for myself. I’m a runner and I wanted something super invigorating.”
Like all Gentleman Farmer products, Hair and Body Wash Sport is vegan and cruelty-free and contains no sulfates, parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde or formaldehyde-releasing agents, mineral oil or other petrochemicals, synthetic fragrance or propylene glycol. Basically, no yuck. It’s sold in a brushed aluminum bottle; packaging is minimalist, and avoids plastic as much as possible. “We’re working on it,” Burns pledges. “We’re always looking for ways to do better for the planet and everyone on it.”
That ethic drives every business decision at Gentleman Farmer “Our candles are made by women refugees at Prosperity Candle in western Massachusetts. We develop the scents and they turn them into eco-friendly candles,” says Burns. “These are women who are starting over, and they make a living wage and are breadwinners for their families.” Finding the right lab to produce skin care products took some work, but they’ve found a solar-powered one committed exclusively to ethical sourcing.
Burns says her clean formulas are not just healthier, they’re at least as blissful as any chemical concoction ever made. “Our shaving cream has this old-fashioned rich, creamy feel—it’s got an organic aloe base and feels more like a good facial,” she says. “It’s very soothing and nourishing. You look good and feel even better.”
A few Gentleman Farmer products are currently available at Hudson Valley Malt in Germantown; you can shop the entire line at shopgentlemanfarmer.com.
