STMNT

STMNT (pronounced "statement") is a men's and unisex grooming brand launched in the United States in September 2020 by the German consumer-goods company Henkel, through its Beauty Care Professional business [10]. It was co-created with three barber-creators, and its products span hair styling, hair and body care, and shaving. The brand remains active, having expanded its range and distribution in the years since launch.

The name is styled without vowels, and the brand's tagline is "Make Your Statement." STMNT frames modern barbering as, in the company's words, "sophisticated, lifestyle-driven, and genderless," positioning grooming as a form of self-expression rather than routine maintenance [10].

STMNT was built as a collaboration between Henkel and three barbers who work under professional aliases: Julius Arriola (Julius Cvesar), Sofie Pok (Staygold), and Miguel Gutierrez (Nomad Barber) [3]. According to the brand, the three "joined forces to create something new, something better," taking what it calls a collaborative approach to developing products from scratch.

The founders come from different corners of the barbering world. Julius Cvesar, from the San Francisco Bay Area, began cutting hair in his early teens before relocating to Los Angeles and building an international teaching career. Staygold, based in Los Angeles, works as an educator focused on other stylists and barbers. Nomad Barber, originally from Liverpool in the UK, is a barber, photographer and travel documentarian with shops in London and Berlin, known for documenting barbering practices across different countries. Each founder anchors a distinct styling collection under the STMNT name.

STMNT is owned by Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, and was launched by Henkel North America's Beauty Care Professional business [10]. Within Henkel's portfolio it sits alongside other hair and personal-care brands, including Schwarzkopf Professional, Syoss, Indola, Joico, Alterna and Sexy Hair. Trade coverage has noted that STMNT's creator-led, culture-forward positioning gave Henkel a different kind of grooming brand than its established lines, in a period when the company also acquired Olaplex and Not Your Mother's [12].

The brand describes its mission as "rewriting the standards of grooming" and building "a brand with purpose." Its founders frame their work as going "beyond product" toward a community that respects bold, authentic statements, and they describe themselves as pioneers of modern barbering. STMNT's stated values center on individuality, confidence, freedom of expression, authenticity and craftsmanship, and the brand explicitly positions modern barbering as genderless, challenging what it calls the classic codes of masculinity in grooming.

This genderless framing has been noted in trade press: Global Cosmetics News covered the launch as Henkel signaling intent with a "gender-free" grooming range [14]. Caroline Klaas, a marketing vice-president at Henkel Consumer Brands, later described the approach to WWD as one where "everything at Stmnt starts with the barbers and creators, and that really ensures authenticity."

At launch STMNT debuted with 14 products across four collections: three creator-led styling lines and a care line. The styling collections are each tied to one founder and to a signature scent — Julius Cvesar's coconut, sandalwood and orris; Staygold's citrus, peppermint and aquatic notes; and Nomad Barber's spices, lavender and wood. Signature styling products include the Classic Pomade, Fiber Pomade and Dry Clay, alongside sprays, powders, pastes and a curl cream.

The care and shaving range covers shampoos, a conditioner, an all-in-one cleanser, a hair and body cleansing bar, a beard oil, shaving gel and aftershave lotion. The company highlights activated charcoal "to purify" and menthol for a fresh, clean feel across the line. Some products carry a vegan claim, described by the brand as "free from animal derived ingredients" [9]; an editorial review by ADDICTED Magazine additionally described the cleanser as sulfate-free and silicone-free [11].

STMNT also runs a professional education program of tutorials and technique classes aimed at barbershop and salon staff, organized around themes such as classic barbering, contemporary "trendshop" styling and textured-hair work.

ADDICTED Magazine tested the range over 45 days in 2020 and praised its fragrance and styling performance, singling out the beard oil, dry clay and fiber pomade, and describing the all-in-one cleanser as "one of the top cleaners I've tested through a decade of testing" [11]. WWD has covered the brand's later expansion into shave, beard and skin products [12].

STMNT is active. Since launch it has widened its assortment — adding a connected shave, beard and skin system — and expanded distribution beyond its original US retail debut at Ulta into Amazon and TikTok Shop [12]. In Europe, it is distributed through Schwarzkopf Professional's business-to-business channel, which states that its online shop is "exclusively for professional customers" [13].

The brand's positioning has been described in two ways by different sources. Henkel's own launch release called STMNT a "prestige" brand [10], while its availability runs primarily through Schwarzkopf Professional's salon and professional (B2B) channel [13], giving it a professional-grooming character alongside the consumer-facing "prestige" framing.