How do you turn a forgotten daily routine into a global luxury grooming brand?
In this episode of Ingleside Reviews: Innovators Unveiled, A.D. Edwards talks with Eric Malka, co-founder of The Art of Shaving, about how passion, strategy, branding, and execution helped transform men’s shaving from a basic drugstore habit into a luxury self-care experience. Eric shares how he and his wife started with $12,000, opened a tiny Manhattan store, built a premium grooming category, expanded through major retailers, and eventually sold the company to Procter & Gamble. He also discusses clean beauty, consumer health, brand building, and his current work through Strategic Brand Investments.
What You’ll Learn
How The Art of Shaving began with a small shop, old-fashioned shaving products, and aromatherapy formulas
Why execution matters more than having a completely original idea
How luxury branding helped create a new category in men’s grooming
Why customer experience, ritual, packaging, scent, and store design became central to the brand
How wholesale partnerships with Neiman Marcus, Saks, Bloomingdale’s, and other retailers helped the company scale
What entrepreneurs need to understand before selling a company
Why clean beauty, transparency, and ingredient awareness matter in the future of personal careEpisode Highlights
02:05 – Eric shares how old-fashioned shaving shops in London and his wife’s aromatherapy work inspired The Art of Shaving
04:18 – Selling their car and opening the first Manhattan store with only $12,000
05:41 – Why starting quickly mattered more than waiting for the perfect plan
07:04 – How an early supplier conflict pushed Eric and his wife to create their own product line
09:03 – Why The Art of Shaving entered an underserved luxury category instead of competing in mass-market shaving
10:52 – How branding, public relations, and media attention helped the company grow
12:18 – Creating an in-store experience through scent, music, barber services, packaging, and atmosphere
14:05 – Why customers connected with the morning shaving ritual as an early form of men’s self-care
15:07 – The Neiman Marcus opportunity that showed Eric the brand could become something much bigger
17:12 – How The Art of Shaving scaled from boutique stores into 800 retail locations
18:42 – Why raising money often means beginning the path toward an eventual exit
20:08 – Lessons Eric learned while negotiating the sale to Procter & Gamble
22:24 – Why entrepreneurs should understand that bankers and brokers may not be fully aligned with their interests
24:03 – Why founders need to know their selling threshold before entering acquisition talks
25:55 – How selling the company changed Eric’s view of entrepreneurship, health, mindset, and financial freedom
28:10 – Why Eric would have brought in investors and a management team earlier if he could do one thing differently
30:20 – How Eric shifted into clean beauty, wellness, and Strategic Brand Investments after selling The Art of Shaving
33:06 – Why ingredient transparency became central to his work in beauty and personal care
35:12 – How consumer demand for clean products is rising, but misinformation remains a major problem
37:02 – Brands Eric is currently working with, including Jack Henry, Barberino, and Miami Beach Bum
39:05 – Why consumers need to read ingredient labels and protect themselves in a lightly regulated industry
40:24 – Why innovation, differentiation, and emotional connection separate real brands from ordinary companies
42:16 – How company culture grows from shared values, purpose, and customer obsession
44:03 – Eric’s daily routine around family, exercise, meditation, tea, and health
45:30 – Why entrepreneurship often comes from rule-breaking, challenging norms, and refusing the status quo
46:40 – Why the future of beauty and wellness may include a return to brick-and-mortar retail
Meet the Guest
Eric Malka is the co-founder of The Art of Shaving, the luxury men’s grooming brand later acquired by Procter & Gamble. He is also an entrepreneur, investor, clean beauty advocate, and founder of Strategic Brand Investments, where he supports emerging brands in wellness, grooming, beauty, and personal care.
Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Mentioned
The Art of Shaving
Procter & Gamble acquisition
Strategic Brand Investments
Ingredients
Jack Henry
Barberino
Miami Beach Bum
Luxury grooming category creation
Aromatherapy-based product formulation
Premium retail strategy
Neiman Marcus shop-in-shop model
Wholesale scaling
Public relations as brand growth
Experiential retail
Customer advocacy
Men’s self-care ritual
Clean beauty
Ingredient transparency
Non-toxic formulations
Founder exit planning
M&A negotiation
Selling threshold
Brand versus company distinctionClosing Insight and CTA
Eric’s story shows that a powerful brand is not built by copying what already exists. It is built by finding an overlooked category, serving the customer better than anyone else, and creating an experience people want to return to. The Art of Shaving succeeded because it turned a simple routine into a meaningful ritual. His later work in clean beauty and brand investment shows that the same principles still apply: innovate, differentiate, protect the customer, and build with purpose.
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