Deepika Padukone’s 82°E launches men’s care range, focuses on simplifying skincare
In an exclusive conversation with YS Life, Jigar Shah broke down the thought process behind launching a separate personal care line for men.
Deepika Padukone and Jigar Shah's self-care brand has launched its men’s skincare category, 82°E Man. The two new products include a three-in-one face, beard, and body cleanser; and a two-in-one moisturiser with SPF.
“Men’s care came to us through our research. When we started talking to our consumers regarding their need for an exclusive range of men’s skincare products, 91% of them said yes. That was the primary reason why we came up with this line,” Co-founder Shah told YS Life in an exclusive interview. “The existing products primarily focus on styling and grooming, overlooking the crucial aspects of men’s skincare,” he added.
82°E Man has two new products--a face, beard and body cleanser, and a moisturiser with SPF
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The brand’s vision, right from its inception in November 2022, has been to marry Indian ingredients with global science-based compounds. For this new range as well, the key ingredients in the moisturiser are gotu kola (Centella asiatica) and ceramides. The cleanser with arjuna and betaine comes in two variants—fresh citrus and woody oud.
Shah asserted that 82°E's mission is to simplify skincare. “Men tend to equate skin care with something which is very complex and tedious. We wanted to solve that and launch something that is extremely high on efficacy, extremely high on quality, and yet, in two simple steps.”
Actress and Co-founder Padukone resonated with the idea. “At 82°E, our mission is to make the practice of self-care simple, joyful, and effective for all…We hope to enable our consumers to embrace care that’s carefree…,” she said.
In an era where skincare brands take pride in their unisex products, 82°E said it likes to focus on R&D first. “Research indicates distinct differences between men’s and women’s skin, necessitating specialised products tailored to meet the unique needs of men’s skincare,” backed Shah.
Jigar Shah, co-founder of 82°E
82°E launched the 50 ml moisturiser at an introductory price of Rs 1,800, while the 200 ml cleanser will cost Rs 990. The brand earlier received some criticism for the premium pricing of its products. “Our products are high quality or high performance. We use the highest spectrum of ingredients,” he highlighted, adding that 82°E used the Rs 1,30,000 per kg sodium hyaluronate batch to formulate its products, although a Rs 1,000 per kg variant is also available.
The brand stated that all its products are clinically tested among 50 subjects for up to 8 weeks to see their efficacy. Shah added that his brand’s NPS (Net Promoter Score) has scaled up from 54 during the initial launch to 70 at present. “In December, our product ratings on each and every product on average was 4.3 to 4.4 (on a scale of zero to five),” he noted.
Interestingly, 82°E’s repeat customers rate has increased from 12% (during inception) to 65%, in December 2023, the company said.
Its products are PETA-approved, vegan, and cruelty-free.
82°E offers an interesting drop strategy where the brand launches 1-2 products every few months to ensure product-market fit. Shah clarified that the brand may not necessarily have to continue the same strategy going forward. “We have enough confidence in what is working and a clear understanding of what our customers want.”
(Disclaimer: The story was updated to fix factual errors)
Edited by Kanishk Singh