Manscaped
American men's grooming brand specializing in below-the-waist trimmers, personal-care tools, and hygiene products.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Manscaped is an American men's grooming brand founded in 2016 by Steve King and Paul Tran and headquartered in San Diego, California. The company built its identity around products for male body grooming, particularly trimming and hygiene below the waist, an area that had historically received less dedicated attention from mainstream personal-care brands. Its assortment has expanded beyond its original pubic-hair-grooming focus to include electric trimmers, nose and ear hair tools, razors, skin-care products, body-wash items, underwear, and related accessories. The brand name draws on the established term “manscaping,” which refers broadly to male body-hair grooming. Manscaped made the term central to its brand language and used humor, wordplay, direct-response advertising, and deliberately candid treatment of male hygiene to distinguish itself in a crowded grooming market. This tone helped the company address a category that can be difficult to advertise conventionally: its communications often emphasize comfort, safety, ease of use, and cleanliness while presenting grooming as an approachable lifestyle habit rather than an embarrassing subject. Manscaped initially developed as a digitally oriented consumer brand, selling through its own e-commerce operation and later extending distribution through retail channels. Its product system has commonly combined a central trimmer with replacement blades, charging accessories, travel cases, and grooming or cleansing products. This structure supports repeat purchases and encourages customers to buy coordinated product bundles rather than a single standalone device. The brand’s best-known products include the Lawn Mower line of below-the-waist trimmers and the Weed Whacker nose and ear hair trimmer. Marketing has been a central part of Manscaped’s growth strategy. The company has used paid celebrity appearances, sports-related partnerships, comedic advertising, and high-visibility media placements to build recognition. Its public profile increased through appearances and promotions involving figures such as Rob Gronkowski and Camille Kostek, as well as a 2018 appearance on ABC’s Shark Tank. The company’s promotional style combines premium-looking industrial design with irreverent language and direct references to male grooming concerns. Manscaped has remained privately held. It explored outside financing and corporate-development options as it grew, including reported discussions in 2021 concerning a proposed combination with Bright Lights Acquisition Corp., a special-purpose acquisition company. That proposed transaction was later canceled. Publicly available reference material identifies Paul Tran as the company’s chief executive and Steve King as an original chief executive and co-founder. The brand continues to operate as a specialized men's personal-care company, with its differentiation rooted in purpose-built tools, subscription or replacement-product economics, and an advertising voice focused on making intimate grooming more visible and less awkward.
History
Manscaped was established in 2016 by Steve King and Paul Tran as a men's grooming company centered on pubic-hair removal and below-the-waist care. Rather than competing only in the broad electric-shaver market, the founders focused the brand on a specific and comparatively underserved grooming use case. The business adopted the name Manscaped from the existing term “manscaping,” making the concept itself a prominent part of its identity. From its early development, Manscaped relied heavily on direct-to-consumer commerce and highly recognizable creative advertising. Its communications addressed male hygiene with an unusually explicit and playful tone, using puns, comedic scenarios, and references to grooming mishaps to make intimate personal care more discussable. The approach gave the brand a distinctive voice while supporting a premium presentation built around purpose-designed tools and coordinated accessories. The company broadened its product portfolio over time. Its Lawn Mower line became the principal platform for below-the-waist trimming, while the Weed Whacker extended the product range into nose and ear grooming. Additional categories included razors, skin-care and hygiene products, body cleansers, accessories, and other items associated with men's personal care. The brand's product architecture also created opportunities for replacement blades, kits, and recurring purchases. Manscaped's public visibility increased in 2018 when Steve King and Josh King appeared on the tenth season of ABC's Shark Tank seeking investment. A handshake offer was made by Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner, but the proposed transaction did not ultimately materialize. The appearance nevertheless gave the company broad exposure and reinforced its image as an unconventional, fast-growing consumer brand. In 2020, Manscaped was reported to be evaluating additional fundraising and was associated with several investment firms. During the same period, the company used a prominent advertising campaign featuring Rob Gronkowski and Camille Kostek, demonstrating its emphasis on sports culture and celebrity-led promotion. These efforts helped move the brand beyond a narrow grooming-tool niche and into a broader lifestyle-oriented men's-care position. In 2021, Manscaped became involved in discussions with Bright Lights Acquisition Corp., a special-purpose acquisition company led by Michael Mahan. Reports described a potential combination that could have created a publicly traded consumer-products business. The proposed transaction continued to attract attention during the year, but the parties ultimately canceled the merger. Manscaped therefore remained privately held rather than becoming a public company through that transaction. The company is identified in public reference material as being headquartered in San Diego. Paul Tran is identified as its current chief executive and co-founder, while Steve King is described as an original chief executive and co-founder. Manscaped's continuing differentiation rests on focused product design, direct and humorous communication, and a willingness to make below-the-waist and other male-grooming topics central to mainstream consumer marketing.
- 2021
Proposed Bright Lights merger is canceled
[1]After reported merger discussions with Bright Lights Acquisition Corp., the proposed transaction is canceled.
- 2020
Fundraising exploration and sports-led marketing
[1]Manscaped explores further fundraising and runs a high-profile campaign involving Rob Gronkowski and Camille Kostek.
- 2018
Television exposure through Shark Tank
[1]Company representatives appear on the tenth season of ABC's Shark Tank seeking outside investment.
- 2016
Manscaped is founded
[1]Steve King and Paul Tran establish Manscaped as a men's grooming company focused initially on pubic-hair removal and below-the-waist care.
Products and positioning
Premium, design-led men's personal care with a humorous and direct focus on intimate grooming.
Below-the-waist trimmer
The Lawn Mower
The Lawn Mower is Manscaped's principal family of electric trimmers for below-the-waist grooming. The line is positioned around purpose-built design, guarded trimming, cordless use, and maintenance features intended to make intimate grooming easier and more controlled than using a general-purpose hair clipper.
Below-the-waist trimmer
The Lawn Mower 4.0
The Lawn Mower 4.0 is a prominent generation of Manscaped's signature below-the-waist trimmer platform. It represents the brand's emphasis on dedicated male-grooming hardware, combining a compact cordless form with replaceable cutting components and accessories intended for body grooming and travel.
Nose and ear hair trimmer
The Weed Whacker
The Weed Whacker is Manscaped's nose and ear hair trimmer. It broadens the brand beyond pubic and body grooming while retaining the company's purpose-built approach: a compact tool designed for small, sensitive areas and marketed through the same humorous, accessible voice used across the wider product portfolio.
Men's personal care
Manscaped razors and hygiene products
Manscaped also sells razors, skin-care products, body cleansers, hygiene items, and grooming accessories. These products extend the brand from electric tools into a more complete personal-care routine and can be offered alongside trimmers in kits or coordinated grooming systems.
Marketing campaigns
- 2020Rob Gronkowski and Camille Kostek advertising campaign
United States
Manscaped used the visibility of former NFL player Rob Gronkowski and sportswear model Camille Kostek in a major advertising campaign. The campaign connected the brand's intimate-grooming proposition with sports and entertainment culture.
Outcome. The campaign increased the brand's public visibility, although the available reference does not provide a quantified result.
Brand decisions
2021
Pursuit of a Bright Lights business combinationM&ABackground
Manscaped discussed a possible merger with Bright Lights Acquisition Corp., a special-purpose acquisition company.
Action taken
The parties pursued a proposed combination but canceled the transaction later in 2021.
Aftermath
Manscaped remained privately held and did not become publicly listed through the proposed merger.
Reported proposed transaction valuation. (2021)
2018
Pursuit of television-backed investmentStrategyBackground
Manscaped appeared on Shark Tank while seeking $500,000 in investment for the business.
Action taken
The company accepted a handshake offer involving Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner for a minority stake, but the proposed deal did not close after filming.
Aftermath
The appearance provided substantial public exposure, while the investment arrangement did not become a completed transaction.
Recent events
Attentive launches AI Grow for email and SMS sign-ups[3]
Reported:
Attentive launched AI Grow, a tool that uses real-time browsing and shopping behaviour to decide when website visitors see email or SMS sign-up invitations. The product is now generally available after beta testing with brands including Yankee Candle, Clove and MANSCAPED.
MANSCAPED brings Lawn Mower 3.0 to the UK[4]
Reported:
MANSCAPED announced the UK arrival of its Lawn Mower 3.0 electric trimmer, with the product available through its UK website and Amazon.
MANSCAPED announces multi-year partnership with UFC[5]
Reported:
MANSCAPED announced a two-year marketing alliance with UFC, naming MANSCAPED the official electric trimmer for UFC. The partnership was set to begin with UFC 249 on May 9.
MANSCAPED announces sponsorship of UFC 245[6]
Reported:
MANSCAPED announced its sponsorship of the UFC 245 event, with brand integrations planned for the pay-per-view broadcast and Octagon event on December 14, 2019.
Sources6 sources
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