SOLUM: The New Men’s Grooming Brand Rethinking Body Care

There are a lot of men’s grooming brands out there. And, if I’m being completely truthful, many start to look and sound pretty similar after a while.

So when I recently came across SOLUM, a new men’s body care brand, it caught my attention.

I actually found SOLUM while searching online for solutions to some fairly normal men’s grooming problems – dry skin, body odour, exfoliation and scalp care. The sort of things most of us experience, but probably don’t spend much time talking about.

I should say from the start that I haven’t tried the SOLUM products yet, so this isn’t a product review. What impressed me initially was something slightly different: the brand itself. As someone who has built and run businesses of my own, I appreciate how much work goes into creating something properly. Product development, branding, packaging, photography, the website and, importantly, explaining why someone actually needs what you’re selling. SOLUM seems to have thought about all of it.

Men’s Grooming Has Overlooked the Body

Men have become far more educated about skincare. Cleansers, moisturisers, SPF, serums and retinol are increasingly normal parts of our routines. But most of that attention is concentrated on our faces.

The rest of our skin often gets whatever shower gel happens to be sitting in the bathroom. That’s the problem SOLUM is attempting to solve.

Rather than simply selling individual products, the brand has created what it describes as a guided body ritual for men, taking some of the principles we’ve become accustomed to with facial skincare and applying them to the whole body.

It makes sense. Most of us shower every day, yet dry skin, clogged pores, rough texture, body odour and scalp discomfort are still common. Perhaps men don’t necessarily need more products. We need better guidance on what to use and how to use it.

What Makes SOLUM Interesting?

This is probably what impressed me most when discovering the brand. The SOLUM website doesn’t simply present you with a collection of products and leave you to figure everything out.

There’s a big emphasis on education, what each product does, why you use it, how often and where it fits into your routine. SOLUM says its complete routine takes around ten minutes, combining everyday cleansing and hydration with exfoliation, scalp care and occasional deeper treatments. Essentially, it removes the guesswork.

GROUND vs RITUAL

SOLUM currently offers two main systems.

GROUND is the foundational seven-piece system, designed around daily cleansing, exfoliation and hydration. It’s essentially the starting point for someone wanting to establish a better body care routine without having to source everything individually.

Then there’s RITUAL, the more comprehensive nine-piece system.

RITUAL builds on the foundations of GROUND with additional nourishment and weekly treatments, including organic argan body oil and complementary accessories.

There are some interesting influences behind the products too. The range includes exfoliating gloves inspired by traditional Korean bathing rituals, Moroccan Atlas clay for deeper cleansing, organic argan oil, a sulphate-free everyday body cleanser, moisturiser and dedicated scalp-care accessories.

None of these ideas individually reinvent body care. What feels different is bringing everything together into one clearly explained system specifically designed for men.

Making More of Something We Already Do

I understand why SOLUM talks about turning the shower into a ritual. Most of us aren’t going to suddenly find an extra hour every morning for an elaborate wellness routine. But we’re already having a shower. So rather than asking men to completely change their lifestyle, SOLUM is essentially encouraging us to make more of something we already do.

Cleanse properly. Exfoliate. Look after your scalp. Hydrate your skin. Occasionally add a deeper treatment. It suddenly feels much more achievable.

A Brand I’ll Be Watching

Having run my own businesses for years, I probably look at new brands slightly differently. Behind a polished website are countless decisions around product development, sourcing, packaging, photography, logistics, marketing and customer education. From what I’ve seen so far, SOLUM feels considered.

Founder Harsha Dandi describes the goal as redefining what body care means for men, moving some of the attention we’ve historically placed on our faces towards the rest of our skin. I think there’s something in that.

Whether SOLUM becomes part of my own grooming routine will ultimately come down to the products themselves, and I’ll reserve judgement until I’ve properly put them to the test. But as a first impression, I like what they’re doing.

I like the education, the simplicity of the systems and the fact that they’re addressing an area of men’s grooming that has largely been overlooked. So consider this my introduction to SOLUM rather than my review.