Meet Jack Henry: A Grooming Brand For Men That Refuses To Use Any Synthetics Or Questionable Toxins

We are now judged in a different criteria for credibility, professionalism, creativity, confidence and approachability. In a word, impressing is out, empowerment and flexibility are in. Men and grooming are having a meeting and grooming seems to be schooling us - and for good reason.

As the new corporate America seems to evolve, the hard and fast rules that once governed the traditional nine-to-five workplace are bending and with them the ways American men dress and groom themselves for business. For generations, the attire and grooming practices were unchanged. The majority of American men and women were wearing dark suits or serious apparel in conservative colors and style as well as practical and standard grooming practices. As a matter of fact, I recall my older brother and I trying on my father’s old spice and others standard brands at that time.

Organized culture and work attire have definitely changed and our society likes the change. Nowadays, corporations are being reengineered so they are flexible and adaptable, ready to take on the changes that are inevitable.

The new business environment calls for different values, behaviors. dress and grooming. Fresh choices, creativity and relaxed clothing are the new rules the modern office. With that comes flexible time, job sharing, summer hours and home offices. This switch in business development has created a new sense of style and grooming for American men where there will be no turning back. Alas, the brand Jack Henry has developed a grooming brand to adhere the rapidly transitioning market.

It started with one guy: Jack Henry. At the time he had just turned two and his hair was getting uncontrollable. His parents Kyle and Erin tried to reel it in style it a little. At the time, Erin asked Kyle if she could use his hair product and Kyle tossed her his pomade. She caught it, turned it over and said, “Have you ever looked at what’s in here? Do you even know what half these ingredients are? I’m not putting this on our son.” As it turned out, that product contained 33 ingredients, 98% of which were synthetics. Erin went on a mission to find a cleaner alternative - a hair product made with natural ingredients. She was unable to find what she was searching for henceforth, she decided to make her own. After a bit of research, she created the first batch of  OG Pomade—right on their stovetop at home.  

Kyle tested it on his hair and quickly realized it felt right. Not only was it clean and minimal, but the performance was great. It was everything he’d been looking for himself: zero shine, zero grease, zero crunch. He could run his hands through his hair and it felt like nothing was in there—yet he could still restyle all day, even in moisture and humidity. 

After that first batch, they realized they were onto something. Their aim was to build a brand to give guys access to clean, natural body care products. Additionally, they aimed to educate men on what was in the products they were using. So they started a brand: Jack Henry. 

The current collection consists of clean and minimal hair, skin and body products. They never use any synthetics or questionable toxins. The brand launched face oils in early 2019, as there was a need when it came to simple skincare for guys. they also just released their fully natural and clean Deodorant this past December.

The Jack Henry Deodorant quickly became the second best seller. They went through 10+ iterations over eight months of development. It was by far the most complex product they formulated because a deodorant doesn’t just need to smell good, but it really has to perform. They set out to develop something fresh, earthy, and uplifting, and it had to be on brand.

I recently has the privilege of speaking with Kyle Bardouche, Founder of Jack Henry what men are seeking in deodorant, how everything the brand makes comes from a personal need and a desire to create the products they wished existed in the market and why all of the products are handcrafted by the team in small batches in Southern California- and why this gives the brand the most control over the process and quality at every step!

Joseph DeAcetis: Talk to Forbes about the history, and development of your brand?

Kyle Bardouche: I started Jack Henry in 2017 after realizing how many questionable ingredients were in the hair product I was using at the time. When I went on a mission to find a cleaner alternative, I discovered that there was nothing out there for guys, although there were some really good options for women. I was alarmed that the hair product I was using then, which came in this crisp white container and was marketed as ‘natural’ was far from it. So we created our Clay Pomade which is our best seller and only contains four total ingredients. It is simple yet sophisticated. After that, we realized pomade was just the tip of the iceberg. There were so many other body care products that had all these questionable ingredients, so we launched our skincare line in 2018 and a year later in 2019, we released our Deodorant stick, which has been a huge seller and is a favorite of NBA Star Kevin Love. Our Philosophy is simple, we believe in crafting the most effective, clean, and pure products. We believe in simple, purposeful ingredients that are sourced from the finest locations. We believe in inspiring and educating. We also believe it goes beyond the actual product. It's about the design, the craft, the way it's made, the way you use it, and most importantly, the way it makes you feel. As for sustainability, our products come in fully recyclable glass containers. All of our ingredients are certified organic and/or wild-crafted, and we don’t skimp on the quality. All of our products and formulations are developed and produced in-house by our team. We don't use any synthetics or toxins. I think you may also find Who is Jack Henry interesting, as essentially it’s you, it’s me, it’s anyone who wants to live a more conscious, healthy lifestyle.Personally, I’ve been obsessed with hair since I was two years old. I’d use my mom’s hair spray and spike my hair. In middle school, I was all about LA Looks blue hair gel that left your hair looking wet and stiff as a board. After changing my eating habits and really starting to take care of my mind and body in my mid-20s, which is a constantly evolving process, it took me about five more years to develop an awareness of what I was putting on my body. It’s not something that happens overnight. I really just try to learn everyday, make better decisions, and lead by example for my kids. I’ve always had a rebellious side. I hated school, and I always thought there were other ways of doing things, which I now see was the start of what some might call an entrepreneurial mindset. My educational background is in computer technologies. I thought I wanted to do something in the tech space, but my true calling was really using technology to communicate, build and distribute products that I’m super passionate about. I taught myself marketing and business skills by following mentors, reading books, learning from experience, and connecting with others in the space. My background and passions finally came together in about 2013, but before that, I never really knew you could start your own business or work for yourself or that connecting with people was actually called marketing. Understand people and you’ll understand business. It’s also really important to connect with people who share the same beliefs and passions as you. No one can do everything on their own, and that’s one of the biggest things I’ve learned along this journey. It’s all about the people you surround yourself with, the team you build, delegating responsibilities, and being open to growth-both personally and professionally. 

Joseph DeAcetis: In your words, what is your competitive advantage in development and specialized product?

Kyle Bardouche: The beauty & grooming industry is built on beautiful people and elegant packaging; very rarely is it focused on the actual product or formula itself. I was surprised that most products on the market aren’t even the original formulation of the brand selling them. Most brands will go to a manufacturer and purchase a formula that the manufacturer uses for other brands and will just change something as simple as the scent.All of our products are not only formulated and developed in-house, but they are also tested on us, our friends, family, and professional athletes. We have a rule that we won’t use any synthetics or potential toxins. It has to come from the earth or we don’t use it. Our ingredients are organic or wild crafted and sourced from small family farms across the globe - organic lavender oil from France, organic coconut oil from the Philippines, Hinoki oil directly from Japan. Everything we make comes from a personal need and a desire to create the products we wished existed in the market. We are focused on creating products that not only help you look better, but also feel better.In short, we flipped things around and started with fewer, but more effective ingredients. Additionally, we lead with transparency and education, use minimal black and white packaging to keep the focus on the product’s purpose and ingredients, and allow the marketing flow naturally from that. We didn’t want to rely on flashiness, but rather we just wanted to make natural stuff that actually worked.

Joseph DeAcetis: In your words, what are men seeking today in deodorant?

Kyle Bardouche: I think what men look for in deodorant is simple – it has to perform. Nobody wants to worry about carrying around their deodorant and reapplying during the day. At the same time, I think men are becoming more conscience about not only what they're eating, but also what they’re putting on their bodies. They don’t want to sacrifice performance or health. It’s really about living a fully conscious lifestyle.

Joseph DeAcetis: Talk to Forbes in detail about the current product offerings and why it is important for consumers to be aware of this brand?

Kyle Bardouche: While each Jack Henry product was created from a personal need, they represent really universal needs. Most of us didn’t know that we should be looking at the ingredients in our deodorant or pomade at all, much less that the ingredients we put on our body could be drying and irritating or even have serious health effects. Our skin is our largest organ, so what we apply to it every day isn’t inconsequential. At the same time, we all want to look and feel our best, so it’s not enough that a product is just natural, it also has to perform and be simple to use. When we searched for products that checked those boxes, we came up empty-handed. We believe no one should have to choose between performance and health, and that’s the philosophy behind everything we make.

Joseph DeAcetis: What are your day-to-day responsibilities? 

Kyle Bardouche: Running a startup, you have to be super flexible and willing to help wherever you can. My main role is staying focused on the growth of the brand and making sure we are delivering exceptional products. I still do day-to-day tasks that other founders may not do. We’re a culture and customer-focused brand, so it’s very important to stay in constant conversation with customers. I run our social media, post every day, and respond to comments and DM’s. I direct and oversee all our content, from working with our photographers, designers, creators, athlete and partner relationships to managing Instagram and overseeing paid ads, all the way to keeping our website operational and up-to-date. That honestly takes up a lot of my time.Additionally, I formulate all our products, so I’m always playing with ingredients, researching ideas, and dreaming up how we can improve on what’s already out there. However, every day looks different, sometimes I'm helping pack orders in the morning and then will have a phone call with a retailer such as Nordstrom in the afternoon. We’re still a lean, small team of seven phenomenal people so I help to make sure they have what they need to be successful with their roles. 

Joseph DeAcetis: Where is the product made and why? 

Kyle Bardouche: All our products are handcrafted by our team in small batches in Southern California. This gives us the most control over the process and quality at every step.

Joseph DeAcetis: You have the floor: Talk to my viewers about why they should try this product now ?

Kyle Bardouche: We began developing our new Deodorant in April 2019. We first focused on developing a product that outperformed everything else, so that’s where the beeswax, coconut oil, baking soda and bentonite clay come in. The mix of beeswax and these botanicals help absorb your sweat and eliminate any odor.Next, we focused on the scent. We wanted the scent to be uplifting and relaxing at the same time, much like walking through a Japanese forest. Scent or ‘fragrance’ are very delicate materials, especially if you’re working with pure essential oils. It needed to be subtle yet sophisticated. We started with our base note of Hinoki oil, which is sustainably grown in Japan and comes from the Japanese Cypress tree. Hinoki oil has calming and relaxing properties and can be described in one word as “clean.” Next is our organic Juniper oil, which is harvested in Bulgaria from the Juniper Berry and has a fine, fresh, woody-green aroma. Next we take a more widely known oil - organic Eucalyptus oil that we source directly from Portugal, which gives the deodorant a fresh, uplifting and invigorating note. In combination, these seven total ingredients work with your body to absorb sweat and odor to help you smell great all day long. Based on our testing, it lasts 48-hours with typical usage so you can skip the shower if you need to.To us, a product isn’t ready until we’ve stripped away anything unnecessary. The ultimate question when it comes to development is ‘How can we create a product that performs with the least amount of ingredients?’ There’s a quote we live by: “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away,” by the French poet Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.