Salgardo, the former president of Kiehl’s, spent two and a half years developing the brand. He wanted to get back to beauty, but focus on men specifically. He said many brands cater to women already, and the “transference of knowledge between mother and daughter” isn’t there for men.“I’ve lived this journey personally and professionally. I love being consumer facing. There is a big white space for men still,” he said.
“Because I jumped into beauty early, I got to see various products before Kiehl’s,” Salgardo explained. “What I found fascinating was what really did work.” His introduction to beauty was as a consumer, addressing his own skin condition. Later at Kiehl’s, he made sure to remain close to the consumer, placing a high value on education. He wrote a book, “Manmade: The Essential& Grooming Reference for Every Man,” published in 2015, to also serve as an educational tool.
Salgardo said he thought with decades of industry experiences, the process of developing Atwater would be faster — but “COVID-19 slowed me down, because no one was going anywhere, so I could spend more time getting [Atwater] right, so that was a benefit if there was any at all that I took advantage of, even if it would delay the launch,” he said.