This Queer Eye Star Launched A Men's Grooming Line & We Love The Reason Why

When you hear that a Queer Eye star has co-founded a clean grooming line, your mind might immediately go toward grooming expert Jonathan Van Ness—the hair and skin care guru extraordinaire known for upping people's grooming game in a mere five days. 

But today, Queer Eye’s culture expert, Karamo Brown, has launched MANTL, a premium personal care brand for bald and balding men. And with his expertise in mental health, it's clear to see why this member of the "Fab Five" is the perfect co-founder of this clean beauty brand. 

"I'm not the grooming expert [on Queer Eye], but I'm the one who deals with people's mental and emotional health," he tells mbg. "My castmates get to fix their clothes, hair, and home, but they don't get to hear what stopped them from going shopping. I hear those intimate moments, when people say, 'I feel so ugly, and I feel so bad.'" 

Having these conversations is what motivated him to create MANTL alongside The Honest Company alumni Peter Ricci and Irene Kong. The new line is a play on words for the skin's acid mantle, which is the barrier on our skin that protects us from bacteria, viruses, and environmental elements. While it's important for everyone to protect the skin's acid mantle on our face, bald and balding men must also keep their scalps front of mind. 

His favorite must-have from the line? The Invisible Daily SPF 30. "You always need an SPF, whether you have melanin in your skin or you don't," Brown tells me. "Our SPF works with a moisturizer and it's clear, which is really amazing. It won't get in your beard or hair, so you can run it all over your face and scalp and don't have to worry about a white residue or smelling like coconut oil as you walk into a meeting."

The clean line also excludes major players we might see in traditional skin products: It's free of sulfates, parabens, dyes, and synthetic fragrance. While the brand is marketed toward bald and balding men, every item is safe for your face, too, meaning women are welcome to use the clean products as well (yet another launch that's blurring the line between gendered skin care). 

And while the products are gentle and nourishing (perfect for people like Brown, who says he has sensitive skin), the call to action isn't just for cleaner formulas—it's for cultivating confidence. 

"In our society, men are getting messages that if you're thinning or balding—something that naturally happens to a majority of men—you're not going to have the life you want, you're not going to look good," Brown explains. "As we were co-founding MANTL, we wanted to create amazing products that are great for people's skin, scalp, and neck, and a community where people can feel supported and see their self-esteem change." 

He's not wrong. The connection between beauty and mental health is strong: The two are dependent on each other, as studies have shown time and time again. But Brown notes how self-esteem can vary between men and women, believing that it's time for men to build each other up, too. And as Brown notes, men can find it difficult to compliment each other—especially on their physical appearance. 

"Women frequently come up to each other and say, 'Girl you look great! You're gorgeous!'" He explains. "Men don't do that because society somehow has shut them off. But when you compliment someone, it helps build your self-esteem, helps you feel more connected, and helps you open up when you aren't feeling so good."