Poking around the toiletry bag of a man, what do you find? A razor here, toothbrush there, and not much more. An exfoliating scrub? High-end moisturizer? Ha! You might as well be looking for the complete DVD box set of Sex and The City in his movie collection.

While the idea of trying a good cleanser might scream “slumber party” to him, the fact of the matter is that men — no matter how masculine — live in an environment that renders their skin in just as much need of tending to as we ladies do. So then, the question becomes: How to convince him that a proper grooming routine won’t diminish his ability to handle a power drill? The answer? Introduce him to Triumph & Disaster, the all-natural skincare brand for men, created by none other than one from the breed categorized under “manly men:” a pro-athlete.

Now retired from the game, sports fans will know the name Dion Nash from his days with the New Zealand cricket team. Today, Nash is more about beauty than braun as founder of Triumph & Disaster, and as such, he is a man that we want to learn more about. Below, FILLER gets to know the man behind the brand that has men around the world replacing their generic bar of soap for soothing tamanu and peppermint oil creations.

In-Conversation-FALL-2013

I heard that Triumph & Disaster was inspired by a poem your dad gave to you on how to be a man. I find that interesting because the traditional idea of “being a man” doesn’t necessarily conjure up thoughts of why one should maintain a good skincare regime. How exactly were you lead to skincare?

In a past life I played professional sport — cricket — which meant long days in the sun exposed to the heat and weather. To try to limit the effect of this exposure I created my own regime of sunscreens, cleansers and moisturizer to help me combat dry skin and sunburn. Post sports career I have worked in marketing and brand development and have been lucky enough to travel the extensively in these roles. In a sense I have combined the knowledge of skin and specifically a male routine with my marketing and creative side to fill a gap that I perceived existed, which is a skincare range with a male sensibility and products that work in a way that compliment how men use them. The result is Triumph & Disaster.

Well, based on the quality of the product, I’d say you’re a pretty preceptive guy. What was it that drew you to create a more ‘manly’ skincare brand that is also sustainable?

I played professional cricket for over a decade and out of necessity I used moisturisers and scrubs to protect and clean my skin after prolonged exposure to the sun and outdoors. So when I started Triumph & Disaster, I felt like I had some genuine insights into what guys needed from their products, especially ones built with active guys in mind. Then after a period of research and product development, and working with some of Australasia’s best formulating chemists, I came to the opinion that natural products are simply better than synthetic chemical ones. Seeing first-hand how modern natural science has evolved; how it is proving that not only can natural ingredients outperform synthetic ones, but [that they can] do it in a more sustainable way for the environment, meant going ‘natural’ was a no-brainer.

You’d hope it would be, but that’s not always the case. What do most ‘manly’ men lack in their skincare regimes?

I would say most men are blind to the wonders of exfoliation. Adding a great natural face scrub to your routine is a game changer. Cleaning out oily pores and ridding dead skin really does make a difference to how you feel.

 

Triumph-and-Disaster

How do your products keep a man feeling ‘manly,’ while taking care of his skin?

Our primary goal is to help men feel their best through creating great skincare and grooming products, we unashamedly have a male sensibility in our design, our fragrances have medicinal notes that evoke quite traditional male environments like barber shops and the products themselves have been designed to perform with male skin and male routines in mind.

If there was one product you could recommend for every man to add to his skincare regime from Triumph & Disaster, what would it be?

Our Gameface moisturiser is amazing, get some and use it, it is life changing. Better than the girls ones!

Maybe our female readers should try it too then! What do you feel are the most important aspects of skincare for men to concentrate on?

Exfoliating and moisturizing; both deliver instant great results that are tangible. Dry flaky skin is often where black heads and unwanted oil builds up, so clearing that out regularly creates fresh, clean skin that feels fantastic, follow that up by applying a great natural moisturiser that works with your skins natural oils to protect and trap in moisture and protect that fresh healthy skin, a routine like this will set you up for the day.

In your opinion, are most men secretly as interested in skincare as women?

Not in the same way women are, which is perhaps more from a beauty focus, I would say men come at things from a very functional perspective, in that they want their problems like dry skin or in grown hairs resolved. I do believe men are becoming more aware of the importance of looking after our skin, and the impact that it has on our overall health and well being.

Tell us some important things about skincare that we can share with the men in our lives to scare them into taking better care of their skin.

We peel and shed millions of skin cells each day, so cleaning your face morning and night is actually just a good healthy practice to build into your daily routines. It is well documented the impact sun and environment combine have on skin so using good sun protection and moisturisers is common sense, and shaving is one of the last bastions of manhood — something we at Triumph & Distaster think worth taking seriously and worth doing well, so get into it lads.

Published January 6, 2014