War Paint for Men's rise to the top of make-up for men: 'I'd go back and stoke the fire a bit'

By Sarah Parsons | Published: 5-Nov-2021
Male Grooming Retail Marketing

The indie men's make-up brand is frequently compared to Chanel and Tom Ford, but founder Danny Gray reveals how he went from a 'toxic masculinity' PR crisis to a mental health champion

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War Paint for Men's rise to the top of make-up for men: 'I'd go back and stoke the fire a bit'
War Paint for Men founder Danny Gray

War Paint for Men founder Danny Gray

Back in May 2019, Danny Gray really, truly believed his brand War Paint for Men was over. After a successful launch in late 2018, the male make-up specialist sold 15,000 products in its first six months and Gray had just landed a spot on Dragons' Den. But then the brand went viral for all the wrong reasons.

A video Tweet from War Paint showed a heavily tattooed and muscular model using the products before putting on a skull ring. It achieved eight million views in 24 hours, yet received thousands of comments branding War Paint as 'fragile' for promoting 'toxic masculinity'. Not ideal consumer engagement post-#MeToo. "It was horrendous," says Gray. "It was distressing."

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