Captain Fawcett

Captain Fawcett is a British men's grooming brand based in King's Lynn, Norfolk. It was founded in 2010 by Richard Finney, who began blending moustache wax at his kitchen table in the nearby village of Terrington St Clement [6][9]. The company makes beard and moustache care, shaving products, hair and body care, and eau de parfum, and trades internationally as an independent, family-run business.

The brand wraps its products in a deliberate piece of fiction: a Victorian-Edwardian explorer named Captain Peabody Fawcett, who is said to have vanished in 1905 along Africa's Ubangi River, his trunk of grooming "requisites" rediscovered a century later. The company is explicit that this character is invented, describing the tale on its own pages as "a work of wild and fanciful imagination." The real recipes, it says, are "faithfully recreated in Great Britain using the finest ingredients" [2].

Richard Finney, generally known as Richie, worked for around 25 years in the sound department of the British film industry before starting the company. According to a trade-press account, he first mixed moustache wax in cleaned-out baked-bean tins for his own use; his wife, Christine Greenwood, an Emmy- and BAFTA-winning hair and make-up artist, carried it onto film sets, where it drew compliments. That interest led to an initial production run of 100 jars, and the business was established in 2010 [7][9].

From that kitchen-table start the company grew into a full grooming range. Early products centred on the moustache wax that launched it, later widening to beard oils, beard balms, shaving creams and other lines.

Captain Fawcett positions itself as a premium, traditionally minded grooming brand for men, describing its catalogue as a range of "first class Gentleman's Grooming Requisites." Its identity leans on what one trade feature summarised as "British humour and heritage with a contemporary take on what it means to be a gentleman in the 21st century" [7]. The fictional explorer persona, the vintage barbershop aesthetic and the registered motto "Keeping A Stiff Upper Lip Regardless" all serve that positioning.

Products are sold through multiple channels rather than a single storefront. The company has reported supplying barbershops, tailors, hatters, tattooists and gift shops, alongside department stores including Jarrold of Norwich, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges [9]. It also operates an emporium and barbershop museum in King's Lynn.

The range spans beard and moustache care, shaving, hair and body, and a line of signature eau de parfum. The moustache wax remains the brand's origin product. Two newer items were singled out by an industry awards programme in 2025: the "Booze & Baccy" Eau de Parfum, made in a Signature Series collaboration with the model and barbering personality Ricki Hall, and the "Expedition Reserve" matt styling and volumising hair powder.

On materials, the company states that its beard oils and beard balms are vegan-friendly and that its synthetic-fibre shaving brush uses a sustainably sourced wooden handle in place of animal hair; it describes the brush as "entirely vegan friendly" [5]. These claims apply to specific product lines rather than the catalogue as a whole.

In 2025 the brand was named a finalist in two categories at the Pure Beauty Global Awards — Best Fragrance, for the Booze & Baccy parfum, and Best Hair Prep or Styling Product, for the Expedition Reserve hair powder [4]. The company called the double placement "an incredible achievement for our small but truly mighty team."

Founder Richard Finney was appointed MBE in the 2025 New Year Honours for, in the words of the citation reported in the trade press, his "outstanding contribution to International Trade and to Charity" [6]. He has also co-founded the grooming-industry charity initiative BarbersRide.

The company remains active and independent, with no acquisition on record. It manufactures in Great Britain and exports widely, though published figures differ: a 2024 regional-news report described shipments to 41 countries "from Iceland to New Zealand," while a 2025 trade account put the reach at 45 countries [8][6]. The difference appears to reflect growth over time rather than a contested fact. Its most recent publicly recorded activity includes the 2025 award placements, the founder's MBE, and preparations for a solo motorcycle promotional tour.