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Company Profile : 808 Dude

The teenage years can be difficult for boys for a number of reasons, not least of all the increase in pimples and body odour which can severally affect self esteem.

Unfortunately most of the teenage skin and body care products are targeted at girls and this can make it stressful for teenage boys to find products that they feel comfortable using. If they do find something they like it will likely contain chemical preservatives, fragrances and additives.

808 Dude is a small Australian business that aims to make the lives of teenage boys easier by providing them with all natural skin and body care products that are unique to their needs and do not contain any toxic ingredients.

We interviewed 808 Dude to find out more about their unique product range for teenage boys.

Where is 808 Dude based, and how long has the business been going?

The office of 808 Dude is based in Parkdale, Victoria and our products have been available to the public since January 2013.

Where did the idea for 808 Dude come from and how did you get it started?

The idea of 808 Dude grew from not being able to find a suitable deodorant for my then tween son that wasn’t full of chemicals, didn’t smell too strong or wasn’t too expensive. After spending a lot of time looking, I began to research the area of teens and discovered that there wasn’t any product in the natural/organic space catering for teen boys. There were only a handful of brands catering to girls and they were very girly. So my next step was to find myself a manufacturer, formulating chemist who I could work with as I had very set ideas of what ingredients I wanted to use in my brand and the idea of 808 Dude began. The brand was traded marked and named 808 Dude because every boy is a dude and 808 is the police code in the U.S for disturbing the peace and also a reference to a very hip drum machine the 808 Roland which we thought was apt.

Why is it important that the ingredients in your skin and body care products are certified organic?

It is important for us to use the best possible quality ingredients we can so it’s a ‘no-brainer’ to choose certified organic where possible. However, while we use all certified ingredients in our deodorant and pimple gel we have not gone all certified in both our face wash and shampoo just yet as we are only tiny and self-funded. It is our intention to be 100% certified and registered within the next two years. In the beginning it was more important to me to get a safe alternative brand out there for mothers to buy their teen sons and for them to see the results and grow the brand. We would have priced ourselves out of the market if we had gone down this track to begin with. Our shampoo and face wash contain100% natural ingredients with a mix of certified organic ingredients where possible. Also while this sounds strange we didn’t want to put mothers off thinking that they couldn’t afford to buy these products for their sons and it didn’t fit their budget. We are slowly converting mums to thinking about using natural products on their teens. Something that seems to drop off a bit, as they grow older. Or maybe it was because there wasn’t a choice!

What is unique about your products?

Our range is unique because we are the first Australian brand to cater totally for the teenage boy market in a natural sense. We see amazing results on the skin of boys, especially the face wash and spot free gel on acne. But as we are not TGA approved yet we don’t make any claims. Our 808 Dude Spot Free Gel is a game changer. It took two years for me to get a formula I was happy with because I was only going to use very high grade Manuka honey as I knew its healing benefits but also knew no teen boy would put sticky honey on his face. We did it and we have the most incredible healing product for pimples and even cuts.

Skincare for teenage boys is not often discussed. What unique challenges do teenage boys face with regards to their skin?

We’ve discovered that teenage boys suffer in silence about their personal hygiene and pimples and that they do not like to use girl based products. So when they are given a product that helps them and works they are very happy to use it. So our biggest challenge is to get beauty buyers to recognize just because there wasn’t a category before there is a real need to get these types of products into boys’ hands. Also for mums not to assume that they know how to use the products properly and a little goes a long way. Boy’s minds are full of other stuff and this range really does take the hard work out of washing and looking good.

How do teenage boys benefit from having a skin and body care routine?

Our vision here at 808 Dude is to help all teenage boys feel good about themselves in a natural and healthy way. Our brand takes a lot of the teen angst from their minds. Our essential oils have also been chosen to not only clean and heal but also to work on up-lifting the senses so they feel good. Once boys see their skin looking good and being told how wonderful they smell as opposed to “you stink” it uplifts their self-esteem, which is challenged in the teen years.

Which of your products are your “best-sellers” and what do you attribute this to?

Our deodorant and face wash are our best sellers. I think we sell so many deodorants because they work, are quick drying and don’t have any overpowering smell plus of course, they are organic and aluminium free. There are no others on the market aiming at teen boys and we are priced very well at $7.95. Our face wash sells well as boys see the results to their skin virtually overnight.

Are there any other products in your range?

At present we have the four products; 808 Dude Shampoo & Body Wash, 808 Dude Zit Free Face Wash, 808 Dude No More Stinky Pits Deodorant and 808 Dude Spot Free Gel.

Where are your products available?

We have a big on-line presence with large stores like Nourishedlife.com and Aussiehealth. We retail through selective pharmacies, selected organic health food stores and in N.S.W selected independent IGA’s. We hope to be announcing a Health Food chain soon but have been held up due to manufacturing issues. A stockist list can be found on our website www.808dude.com

Do you have any new products in the pipeline that we can look forward to?

We are adding new hair styling products early next year and in two years we hope to have our sunscreen.

You donate a portion of your sales to the beyondblue initiative. Why is this important to you and your customers?

This is a cause that is important to me personally as I have been touched by suicide and I’m aware of how difficult navigating the teenage years can be and that boys often keep the quietest when things are bothering them. Beyondblue do such an amazing job with their service and I hope one day to be big enough to make a difference to programs with our donations. I don’t think this alliance has made a difference to our sales nor do I think it will in a big way but the fact that taking about mental health is coming out into the open is what I feel is most important so kids don’t feel alone.

Visit 808 Dude on the directory here