Influencer Jake Paul launching men’s skin, personal care line at Walmart

Jake Paul is entering a new arena: skin care.

The YouTube influencer-turned-boxer announced on Wednesday the launch of “W,” a skin-care company targeted toward men.

The personal care line will feature products priced at less than $10 and will be available at Walmart. Later this summer, an expanded product line will be available on Amazon.

“We saw this old and outdated category where the competitors have been on the shelves in the exact same way for the past 20 years,” Paul told CNBC. “We just believed we had a better vision, better product and could disrupt this entire space.”

W, a reference to “winning,” will launch with three products: a body wash, body spray and antiperspirant deodorant. Paul said the company hopes to expand with a shampoo and conditioner, face wash and hair gel in the coming months.

“It’s a super underserved market,” he said. “I believe now that more men are caring about how they look and what they are putting into their body,” he added.

As men have prioritized skin care and other beauty products in recent years, the men’s grooming category has seen strong growth. From 2018 to 2023, men’s grooming was a $28 billion business globally, with an annual compound growth rate of more than 5%, according to market research company Euromonitor.

And it’s expected to keep seeing gains. Men’s personal care is expected to grow to more than $100 billion over the next four years, with an annual compound growth rate of nearly 10%, The Business Research Company projects.

Paul isn’t alone in trying to tap into the market. Other celebrities, including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, John Legend, Idris Elba and Pharrell, have recently launched skin-care lines targeting less traditional markets.

Young men are increasingly turning to social media and influencers for their sources of information. A Euromonitor report said that 50% of Gen Z male respondents found information about a brand, company or product through TikTok in 2023, an increase from 36% in 2022.

Paul said he’s taking a page from his brother Logan Paul’s success with Prime, a sports drink that’s popular with boys and young men, though the caffeinated energy drink version of Prime has drawn scrutiny in the past.

“Me and my brother are like the testosterone Kardashians,” Jake Paul said, nodding to the Kardashian sisters successfully launching their own skin-care lines. But Paul thinks the Kardashians and other celebrities have overlooked the opportunity for young men.

“There’s a big open market for creator-led products focused on boys,” he added.

He’s also hoping that his upcoming Netflix fight, in which he’ll face famed boxer Mike Tyson, will help create some momentum for the brand.

“It’s still gonna be a brawl, and we both plan on ripping each other’s heads off,” he added.