What Matt Mullenax learned from Chicago winters and bad skin days

A winter sidewalk in Chicago, a drugstore aisle full of noise and a shower asked to handle everything. Huron begins there. From that start came a compact New York range of everyday staples shaped by plant extracts, repeatable habits and fragrance that stays near the skin.

Huron takes its name from the Chicago street where Matt Mullenax lived while his skin felt its most uncomfortable. Outdoor wind bit, indoor heat dried the air, and long hours plus helmets and damp gym clothes left his face tight and his body tired. Naming a label for such a place shows his method.

Mullenax spent childhood in Cincinnati, Ohio dealing with what he describes as troubled skin. He played football at Brown, packed trousers in early work at Bonobos, spent a period in Chicago in finance, then completed an MBA at Stanford. During summer 2017 he asked around 1,500 men how they shopped for personal care. During January 2018 he operated a mock label in Midwest markets to test range and language. He later joined with Matt Teri, who had built products over decades for Tom Ford, Clinique and Lab Series, and introduced Huron in July 2019 with body wash, face wash and face moisturizer.

Reading closely, restraint defines Huron. A team of four with outside collaborators. A brief shelf of formulas intended for daily use. Botanical inputs selected for a defined role in the mix. Ginseng, black walnut leaf and witch hazel for a deep shower clean that still feels fresh. Bamboo for a soft exfoliating touch with no harsh scrape. Fragrance handled as part of use, not as decoration.

You joined forces with Matt Teri, who gave decades to crafting products for Tom Ford, Clinique and Lab Series. How does that creative union guide how you pick plant extracts and compose a formula?

Matt understands prestige construction. He speaks chemist to chemist. I carry the user side. I wanted to build a branded assortment of A plus products that looked, acted and performed like the higher end products, but at a price point that did not break the bank. So each input must justify itself.

We never include a botanical for story value. We ask what it contributes in the lather or after rinsing. In Body Wash we rely on ginseng, black walnut leaf and witch hazel to deep clean, refresh and deodorize. Witch hazel has a long record as a distilled preparation of leaf and bark valued for its astringent touch. Black walnut leaf supplies tannins that leave skin feeling clean and toned. Ginseng root extract lends a fresh, conditioned impression. Function comes first. When an extract fails to support cleansing or after feel, it stays out.

Your Body Wash at 20 dollars, with ginseng, black walnut leaf and witch hazel, stays the first product and the top seller. How do those three plants feel in the shower, from first lather through rinse?

That wash founded the company, so we gave it long attention. In the shower a person asks for three outcomes. Clear the day, keep skin at ease, leave a fragrance he enjoys. Ginseng backs that revived impression. Black walnut leaf lets the mix cleanse deeply while avoiding a stripped sensation. Witch hazel brings a toned, tidy close. Use daily in the shower as body wash, spread over shoulders, chest, legs, then rinse clear.

Foam behavior counted as well. We aimed for richness that still rinses fast. No residue. Skin should read soft, not tight. And fragrance should present without pushing. The scents are Sea Salt with Driftwood, Citrus with Eucalyptus, Sandalwood with Amber. Every option offers a rich, skin softening cleanse and a fragrance that remains near through the morning. It remains an in office favorite because we all reach for it. If it failed in our own showers, we would not offer it.

Mind the small details and the larger story will handle itself.

Matt Mullenax

You were raised in Cincinnati calling your skin bad, then football at Brown worsened it with helmets and sweaty clothes. What did that everyday rubbing show you about what a routine must survive?

As a kid, I was the one with bad skin. That label followed me. At Brown, playing football, life means a helmet and moist clothing. My skin paid for it. I sampled grocery store brands, dermatologist products, choices from mens blogs. But nothing seemed to click. Either it felt too aggressive, or it changed nothing, or it seemed created for another person.

It showed me that a regimen must survive ordinary days. Perspiration, cold wind, parched indoor heat, short sleep. I wanted nothing to do with ten steps. I wanted a wash that truly cleaned, a moisturizer that kept my face at ease, bottles I would grab without debate. Mind the small details and the larger story will handle itself. That sentence stayed with me. When staples work, applied morning and night, everything else grows simpler.

Huron carries the name of the Chicago street where your skin troubles hit hardest. Why leave that address on the bottle rather than leaving it in the past?

Huron is the name of the Chicago street where my skin troubles hit hardest. Keeping it felt truthful. Chicago winters are no joke. Cold air outdoors and dry air indoors. My skin turned tight and reactive. I was a 25-year-old that was still buying neon green body wash from CVS, and a gap existed. What I purchased failed to fit the life I led.

Carrying Huron keeps me tied to that issue. We have no wish to seem remote or precious. We began with basics that look, act and perform like higher end products, but at a price that did not break the bank. I could not support paying 50 dollars plus on face wash. The street recalls the user we mix for. Guys seeking something better, without the markup, for skin exposed to weather and work and sweat.

Face Wash at 18 dollars uses bamboo exfoliants and suits morning and night without a rough scrub sensation. What did you discover about exfoliation for men trying face wash for the first time?

Many men either avoid face wash or borrow a formula that leaves them tender. We sought a gentle yet deep cleansing exfoliator without the sandpaper to face feel. Bamboo serves that purpose. Ground bamboo stem offers mild physical polish that lifts oil and dull surface buildup, then washes off. Grinding is not the aim. Clearing the surface so the face appears rested is the aim.

Cleanse morning and night, lukewarm water, work for half a minute, rinse. Rhythm beats pressure. Morning removes overnight oil. Night removes sweat, sunscreen and city air. Use light touch near eyes and jaw where shaving already strains skin. Layer moisturizer while skin remains faintly damp. That plain sequence, cleanse then hydrate, forms the full rite for a beginner. It honors the barrier and helps skin look smoother in texture with time.

In summer 2017 you asked about 1,500 men, then in January 2018 you introduced a fake brand in Midwest markets to test assortment and claims. What did that patient testing reveal before you built anything tangible?

I refused to guess what men want. So in summer 2017 I asked about 1,500 guys about buying behavior. How they browsed, what they reached for, what they passed by, what price seemed right. Then in January 2018 we floated a fake brand aimed at Midwest markets. The same kind of shopper I knew from Ohio. We studied assortment and claims. Which three products mattered most. Which phrases earned a click.

Feedback came back plain. Men preferred fewer, better things. A wash for the body, a wash for the face, a cream for the face. Smell and touch mattered. They rejected a chemistry lesson on the front label. We can serve more fully a shopper who has been largely undertargeted with products we know that he wants. That research let us remain tight at launch in July 2019. Make the daily bottles excellent, set fair prices, and allow habit to carry the work.

Face Moisturizer at 18 dollars blends pentavitin and sodium hyaluronate with niacinamide for touchable texture. How should a guy smooth it on after showering so the moisture truly lingers?

Smooth on after showering morning and night. Timing shapes everything. After a warm shower, skin holds onto water. You aim to hold that comfort. Our moisturizer quickly bathes skin in moisture and softness with pentavitin and sodium hyaluronate while niacinamide refines texture and fine lines. The goal is skin that looks healthy and stays shine free.

Pentavitin is a plant derived carbohydrate complex that clings to skin and helps hold hydration through the day. Sodium hyaluronate keeps water near the surface and helps skin appear plump and smooth. Niacinamide helps skin look more even in tone and more refined in texture. Take a dime sized amount, press across face and neck, not only dry spots. When you shave in the morning, pause for a minute to let skin settle, then moisturize. At night, use again after Face Wash. Added layers are unneeded. Steady use keeps the look even.

You steer Huron as a four person crew with a VP of marketing and a director of operations, plus outside partners. What does remaining lean require you to handle differently around sourcing and scent?

Remaining lean enforces focus. I would rather remain lean and devoted to a few priorities than pursue every opening. We avoid twenty versions of one thought. We select a scent family, refine it until it feels correct, trial it in our own showers, then extend it across Body Wash and Deodorant so mornings smell aligned.

For sourcing, Matt and our chemists carry the load. We hold no fields or stills. We favor dependable extracts and fragrance houses able to repeat batch to batch consistency. That counts above chasing a rare harvest. A compact team cannot absorb variation. We ask for ginseng, witch hazel, black walnut leaf and bamboo that arrive clean, stable and true to spec. Then effort goes to blending. How long fragrance rests on a towel. How the bar endures on a dish. How the wash performs in hard water. Small details, reviewed often.

At first you centered 100 percent vegan body wash and lists of omitted ingredients, then you moved to writing what you call the internets best smell. Why did scent prevail over claims?

Initially our pitch felt earnest. It was 100 percent vegan body wash, or certified cruelty free, or free of this long list of chemicals. All of that holds. Our formulas are 100 percent vegan, sulfate free, paraben free, cruelty free, silicone free, phthalate free and aluminum free. But it failed to stir anyone.

Then we simply wrote the internet’s best smell. It connected because smell guides choice in the shower. You lift the cap, you inhale, you learn in two seconds whether it belongs to you. Performance retains them, scent invites them. I prefer to discuss smell and feel rather than open with vegan and clean claims. Not because standards lack weight. They hold weight. But ritual begins with the senses. When lather smells fresh and modern, like citrus and eucalyptus or sea salt and driftwood, you anticipate the next use. And anticipation is what forms a routine.

Bar Soap triple milled for longer wear and a cleaner rinse now rests beside Body Wash and Deodorant. When should someone pick up the bar, and when does the liquid work more beautifully?

Choice follows place and habit. Bar Soap is triple milled for longer wear, fuller lather and cleaner rinse. Triple milling feeds the soap base through rollers to create density and polish, so the bar melts slower and the lather turns creamy. Ours includes vitamin rich shea butter and coconut oil to keep skin smooth and soft and help prevent moisture loss. Choose the bar at the sink for hands, or in the shower when you enjoy firm lather and a bar that dries between uses.

Liquid Body Wash suits moments when you seek more scent choice and a fast, skin softening cleanse. Switch scents with mood. Each one brings that cologne level fragrance without weight. Rest the bar on a draining dish so it firms between showers. That single habit determines its life span. Both are crafted to carry you through your day. One belongs by the sink, the other by the shower head. Confidence that lasts begins with whichever texture you will gladly reach for daily.

Closing note from the desk

What lingers is tactility tied to an address. A Chicago street where winter air and long days left skin uneasy now calibrates each mix. Does cleansing avoid stripping. Does moisture avoid shine. Does fragrance feel like something worth reaching for at dawn.

Huron aimed for A plus staples that behave like higher end products at prices that do not break the bank. Looked at slowly, that calls for fewer bottles, botanicals with plain roles, stable morning and night habits, and a compact crew ready to test before it speaks. Leaves and roots placed in service of touch.

Product spotlight

Body Wash, 20 dollars. A deep clean that refreshes, invigorates and deodorizes with ginseng, black walnut leaf and witch hazel. Massage over the body in the daily shower, then rinse. Pick Sea Salt plus Driftwood, Citrus plus Eucalyptus, Sandalwood plus Amber or Sandalwood plus Black Pepper for an even, cologne level scent.

Face Wash, 18 dollars. A twice daily cleanse with mild exfoliation from bamboo exfoliants, built without harsh scrub sensation. Massage for half a minute morning and night with lukewarm water, then rinse. Add moisturizer while skin stays slightly damp to support the appearance of smooth texture.