Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Deem.
Hi Michael, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
At Man Labs, we know men’s skin is different—thicker, oilier, and exposed to daily shaving and environmental stressors like sun damage. That is why we created the Titan Line: advanced anti-aging solutions tailored to men’s unique needs. Packed with cutting-edge ingredients, our products deliver smoother, healthier, and more youthful skin. Experience skincare designed exclusively for men who demand the best.
We have 75+ years of experience in science and skincare. I went to Caltech and was a professor at UCLA for 6 years. We are dedicated to bringing the best science-based, anti-aging formulas to men.
Man Labs serums are clinically-proven, advanced serums that contain 10 premium anti-aging ingredients to visibly transform your skin in as few as 10 days. They can visibly reverse signs of premature aging and environmental stress. With monthly usage, they can visibly increase skin firmness, elasticity, and radiance. 5 additional anti-aging peptides can make the skin look firmer, younger, rejuvenated, and more nourished. They can provide a more youthful look, visibly reducing signs of photo-aging. They can visibly improve fine lines and wrinkles, particularly crow’s feet and on the forehead.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
At Khosla Ventures we used to say that there are four legs to the startup stool. Each of these needs to be strong — I will share some challenges we faced as we built Man Labs.
The first leg of the startup stool: Management. Has management done this before? Do they have successful exits? Are they “can’t miss”? If so, fantastic! First time founders may have more motivation and tenacity, which can overcome lack of experience. Knowledge is less important than coachability and perseverance. And there are three key components needed in management: the visionary founder, the numbers person, and the wordsmith. At Man Labs, we were very strong on the first two. Explaining our vision for the benefits to customers — sales — is where we had been the weakest until recently. With the help of Christina DeRosa — a very smart and talented actress — we have built an online community aligned with our mission and lifestyle. With Debbie Durkin — a very well established Hollywood producer and director — we have developed a robust pipeline of product placements.
The second leg of the startup stool: Market. How big is the market? The existing or potential market should align with your expectations for return, check size, and company valuation. We started Man Labs because we noticed the men’s anti-aging skincare market is 10 or 15 years behind the women’s, and we wanted to bring state of the art skincare to men. 99% of men are not yet thinking about the solutions Man Labs is providing. Part of our challenge as we grow will be to educate men about what is possible. As we like to say: Replace signs of aging with a refreshed appearance that’s a much better reflection of how you feel inside.
The third leg of the startup stool: Timing. Why is now a great time for the company? If the company’s solution is too early for the market, the company may run out of money before the market accepts the solution. If the company is too late (perhaps greater than 5 competitors), it may be hard for the company’s solution to displace existing ones. At Man Labs, we are providing version 2.0 of men’s anti-aging skincare to men now. The quality, clinically proven concentrations, and synergism of the ingredients are superior to current women’s skincare and several years ahead of our competitors in men’s skincare.
The fourth leg of the startup stool: How will the company prevent competitors from copying their solution? In AI SaaS, this might be speed. Our advantage at Man Labs has been to quickly identify advances in skincare technology that we can bring to men now.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
There are three major causes of skin aging:
1) UV exposure (the sun), pollution, and smoking cause oxidative stress, which break down skin components and cause spots.
2) Age naturally decreases the collagen matrix, which supports the skin structure.
3) And age decreases the production of hyaluronic acid and ceramides, which hydrate the skin.
Man Labs advanced creams contain 10 herbal essences with antioxidants, vitamins, and oils that are anti-aging powerhouses, helping with revitalizing, tightening, and toning the skin. Man Labs Titan Toning Cleanser contains 10 different herbal essences with antioxidants, caffeine, vitamins, and minerals that help with hydrating, tightening, and toning the skin. Rice ceramides and oat proteins can visibly improve wrinkles and firmness.
We show before and after pictures on our homepage, manlabs.com. Some men have said that a decade of time was reversed in 10 days. See the results for yourself. We invite you to discover radiant, resilient skin.
We protect your anti-aging ingredients with an airless bottle. This modern design protects the anti-aging power of the ingredients, saving it for your skin. We designed the airless bottles to offer you the ultimate in convenience.
Our packaging reflects our ethos. Minimal and elegant, reflecting the modern gentleman. The drop in our logo represents the peptides and other advanced ingredients in our science-based formulas.
All Man Labs’ ingredients are made in the USA, approved by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR), and rated highest in safety by the Environmental Working Group (EWG).
Man Labs – Skincare for distinguished gentlemen.
What Makes Man Labs’ Products Stand Out?
Tailored for Men’s Skin: Man Labs products are specifically designed to address the unique needs of men’s skin, which is thicker and oilier due to higher testosterone levels. This tailored approach ensures that the products effectively target men’s concerns, including effects from shaving.
Advanced Formulations: Their products contain a blend of powerful ingredients like peptides, antioxidants, vitamins, and herbal essences. These formulations are clinically proven to provide significant anti-aging benefits, such as improving the apperance of skin firmness, elasticity, and radiance.
Rapid Results: Man Labs products are noted for delivering visible improvements in as few as 10 days. This rapid effectiveness is a key differentiator, with some users reporting a decade of age reversal in just over a week.
Safety and Quality: All ingredients are made in the USA and approved by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR), ensuring safety and quality. Additionally, they are rated highly by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), providing assurance for environmentally conscious consumers.
Science-Backed Claims: Man Labs’ products are supported by clinical studies that demonstrate their efficacy in reducing the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and improving appearance of skin texture. This scientific backing adds credibility to their claims and sets them apart from competitors.
Man Labs’ focus on men’s specific skin needs, advanced formulations, rapid results, and commitment to safety and quality make their products stand out in the anti-aging skincare market.
How do the advanced formulas in Man Labs’ products work to reduce signs of aging?
The advanced formulas in Man Labs’ products work to reduce signs of aging through a combination of powerful ingredients and scientifically backed formulations:
Peptides and Collagen.
Mechanism: Peptides affect the visual appearance due to collagen, including skin elasticity and firmness. This causes fine lines and wrinkles to become less noticeable.
Benefits: Improved appearance of skin texture, reduced sagging, and enhanced firmness, which contribute to a more youthful appearance.
Antioxidants and Free Radicals.
Mechanism: Antioxidants like vitamins C and E neutralize free radicals, which are unstable molecules that cause oxidative stress and often lead to premature aging.
Benefits: Antioxidants help reduce the appearance of fine lines and age spots.
Hydrating Ingredients (Hyaluronic Acid, Glycerin).
Mechanism: Hyaluronic acid and glycerin are potent humectants that attract and retain moisture in the skin. This hydration plumps up the skin, making wrinkles less visible.
Benefits: Improved skin hydration leads to a smoother, more radiant complexion, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Vitamins and Minerals: Mechanism: Vitamins like niacinamide and minerals help improve the visual appearance of skin elasticity and even out skin tone. These effects contribute to a more youthful and vibrant appearance.
Benefits: Enhanced appearance of skin clarity, reduced redness, and improved texture are common outcomes of using these ingredients.
Herbal Essences and Plant Extracts.
Mechanism: Herbal essences and plant extracts have anti-aging and antioxidant properties.
Benefits: These ingredients can help promote healthier-looking skin that appears smoother and more refreshed.
By combining these advanced ingredients, Man Labs’ products provide a comprehensive approach to addressing various signs of aging, resulting in a more youthful and radiant appearance.
What specific ingredients in Man Labs’ products are most effective for anti-aging?
The most effective anti-aging ingredients in Man Labs’ products include
Peptides: Improve visual results related to collagen to improve appearance of skin firmness, elasticity, reduced fine lines and wrinkles.
Rice Ceramides: Improve appearance of the skin barrier and lock in moisture, improving hydration and reducing appearance of roughness
Oat Proteins: Improve the appearance of skin condition while visibly improving wrinkles and enhancing skin texture.
Antioxidants (from 10 Herbal Essences): Protect against premature aging, helping to maintain youthful-looking skin.
Hyaluronic Acid: Deeply hydrates the skin, plumping it to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Niacinamide (Vitamin B3): Improves skin tone, reduces appearance of redness, and enhances overall radiance.
Vitamins C & E: Brighten the complexion, protect against premature aging, and work together with peptides for anti-aging benefits.
These ingredients work synergistically in Man Labs’ advanced formulations to deliver rapid and visible anti-aging results.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I am CEO at Man Labs. I was an Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) at Khosla Ventures for a year. I have some thoughts for readers on the entrepreneurial journey.
Have a strong mindset. Starting up a business is hard. Really hard. Harder than you think. Consider joining a group of like-minded startup founders. You will see that others have the same problems as you, and your peers will have many suggestions for solutions.
Persistence is key. Elon Musk says being a CEO is like eating glass. Sam Altman says you cannot imagine the number of bad things that will happen to you. Vinod Khosla says the most important trait of a CEO is not necessarily experience in the exact field of the startup. Follow Benjamin Franklin’s advice: “Energy and persistence conquer all things.”
You will be doing everything. In the beginning, you will be doing everything. The CEO does everything that no one else wants to do! If you are coming from a large company, this will be a shock.
Incremental improvements add up. As Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI has said: improve 2% at each iteration, have a very rapid cycle time, and after 1000 iterations you will be 400M times better.
Find founder mentors. Try to find other founders as mentors. It is hard to share your problems with board members or your VC investors. Fellow founders provide a safer environment.
Fundraising is your job. Noone will raise the funds for you. Maybe at Series B, bankers will get interested. But at the Series A or Seed level, this is your job. At Khosla Ventures I never saw a placement agent give a pitch! And I never saw a company that had been referred by a placement agent.
Tell your story through numbers. Try to have each sentence include a number, preferably two. This transitions your story from your opinion to a hypothesis supported by data.
Invest in yourself. I notice that whenever I expect someone else to solve my problem … it never happens. But, investing in yourself by paying for education, mentoring, or coaching is upgrading your skills. It is teaching you how to solve your own problems. That works.
Have a strong, big vision. You may want to undersell your achievements. Investors are meeting with super impressive people all the time. But have a huge vision for your startup. You want to change the world – express that! The investor will resonate with you, because she needs a 100x return to make an impact for her firm’s fund.
Being a founder and operator is difficult. With the right mindset you will persevere, upgrade your skills, and grow your company into your dream’s vision. Best of luck!
Pricing:
- Save 20% with code Voyage20
- Save 20% on Kit pricing versus individual purchase
Contact Info:
- Website: https://manlabs.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manlabsskincare/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573877041791#
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/manlabs
- Twitter: https://x.com/ManLabsSkincare
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ManLabs
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@manlabsskincare
Image Credits
Danny Arroyo
Christina DeRosa
Yves Bright
Chad Meihuizen
Robert Palmer Watkins
