Hawthorne

Hawthorne (legal entity Hawthorne Lab Inc.) is a New York-based men's personal care and grooming brand. Its catalog spans colognes, hair care, body care, face care and home products, sold individually and in bundles, with colognes such as Night Swim, Frozen Flame, Santal Soundtrack 2, Studded Smoke, Money Gun, Dark Suede and Double Dare priced at $35 on the company's site. Marketing centers on long-lasting fragrance, described by the brand as "Surround Scent" lasting 10+ hours.

The company positions itself as a modern alternative to both drugstore "dad brands" and luxury department-store lines. It uses a customer questionnaire, research and machine-learning-based algorithms that account for attributes including body chemistry, skin type, hair type, lifestyle and scent preference to tailor hair, body and fragrance products to individual buyers. Product pricing across the line has been reported in a range of roughly $13 to $60.

Alongside its own online store, Hawthorne operates a subscription replenishment model with customer-managed frequency and cancellation, a 30-day trial/return window, and standard shipping of 3-7 business days (express 1-3 days, excluding cologne orders due to shipping restrictions). It also sells through physical retail, with core colognes carried at Ulta stores and a store locator on its website.

Founding story

Hawthorne was founded by Brian Jeong and Phillip Wong; Jeong, co-founder and CEO, has said the company was started because premium men's personal care options were limited and typically sold in channels that made them inaccessible to most men, leaving a choice between legacy drugstore brands and expensive luxury brands.

Business model

Hawthorne sells branded men's personal care products directly to consumers through its own website, including one-off purchases, curated bundles/systems and recurring subscription replenishments, supplemented by retail distribution such as Ulta stores. It also lists a partnerships contact channel.

Revenue comes primarily from direct-to-consumer product sales via the company's online store, where customers buy individual items or curated sets, with reported price points from about $13 to $60 and colognes listed at $35; subscription replenishment generates repeat orders, and retail partnerships broaden distribution.

Traction

Hawthorne had raised $10.5 million in total as of September 2019 and completed four financing deals through a Series B closed in late 2021; its core colognes are stocked at Ulta stores in addition to its direct-to-consumer channel.

Latest developments

Hawthorne's current assortment includes colognes (Night Swim, Frozen Flame, Santal Soundtrack 2, Studded Smoke, Money Gun, Dark Suede, Double Dare) at $35, bundled "systems," and categories spanning hair, body, face and home, with core colognes now available at Ulta stores.