It wouldn’t be a miscalculation if we say that the beauty industry has been overwhelmingly focused on women's skincare in comparison to men. Except for basic grooming and hair styling products, there are hardly any male-oriented brands striving to fulfill their skincare needs. Based on a brief overview of the market value, the skincare industry is projected to reach $139 billion in 2021 and as of now, men contribute less than 10% to this stunning figure. However, for the past few years, factors such as rising disposable personal income, growth of global distribution channels and ultimately increasing self-awareness in men surrounding skin health have been shoring up the demand for male-specific products worldwide. One of the few existing brands looking after the discerning needs of men is Oars + Alps, founded by Mia Saini Duchnowski and her co-founder Laura Lisowski Cox after they realized their outdoorsy husbands have been using their products to protect their skin from damage against the sun, sweat, wind, and pollution along with the dirt and grime of daily life. To dig deeper into the story behind this venture and how it is redefining the men’s skincare with its powerful product line based on all-natural ingredients, we sat down with Mia Saini, and here’s what she has to say.

Aspioneer (A): Please share with us a little bit about your past experiences that prepared you for the position you are at today. Most importantly, what was your inspiration behind this venture?

Mia Saini (M): “Starting a company wasn’t what I said when I was young and I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. Nonetheless, I started a company in 2015, Oars + Alps- a men’s skincare brand designed for guys who lead a very active on the go lifestyle. The genesis for the brand was intensely personal. The idea came to me when I was a TV Anchor and Reporter for Bloomberg TV. I had access to lots of skincare products and my husband who is not a metrosexual and not your average Joe, was always using my products. I told him to get his own, but there were hardly any options to choose from. You see, his grandfather had skin cancer. His father had skin cancer. He assumed that using the products on my side of the bathroom would help him minimize the risk. So, I quit my job at Bloomberg TV to launch the brand that my husband would buy, offered to him in a way that he would buy it. My mission was and is to reduce the mortality rate of skin cancer among men and to educate men about this very important way that they should be taking care of themselves.”

(A): Although this gap in the beauty industry is quite noticeable, only a few are motivated or equipped to actually do something about it. How do you propose your brand will make a difference?

(M): “Our motto is ‘Take to the oars.’ It is derived from the Latin Proverb: ‘If the wind will not serve, take to oars.’ It essentially means- use your inner strength to continue to preserve and don’t wait for the wind to help you out! I’m paranoid about making sure every customer is happy and really enjoys the products. That starts with product development which I am very involved with. After extensive research funded by our own money, the company raised $1.3 million in seed funding and grew consistently over the years. We cultivated Oars + Alps into becoming a brand at the forefront of the men’s natural skincare revolution.”