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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