Men, like women, come in all different shapes, sizes and smells. There is that manly man smell that can be associated with the outdoorsy gentleman who sports a No Shave November beard and can be seen drinking craft beer with his friends. Then there is the sophisticated smell of the businessman who slicks back his perfectly placed hair and wears a fresh pressed shirt each day. Then there's that unpleasant smell of the man who wears days old socks.
But no matter your smell, all kinds of men can freshen up with the help of male specific laundry detergent from a few Maryland-based entrepreneurs.
But is this product practical or just plain ole sexist?
The laundry detergent, called Real, was created thanks to a Kickstarter campaign which was started by the Frey brothers. The brothers believe that men need a laundry detergent of their own, especially since they believe that detergents commonly found on shelves are mostly aimed at women. The product has raised $4,417 of its $5,000 goal and has 14 days to go
Real is packaged in a black and red bottle. Most mainstream detergents feature pastels and cuddling bears on their bottles. The detergent has a "manly" smell (think Ron Burgundy or Ron Swanson), which includes the scents of oak, leather, sandalwood, bergamot and frankincense.
Real is marketed to combat stains and odors, but their Kickstarter does not demonstrate how well the detergent is at handling stains and odors. However, bottles already exist even though the product is still in its funding stage.
Even though the product seems just tailored for men, Real is actually said to promote gender equality when it comes to cleaning roles.
"And ladies, "men's laundry detergent" doesn't mean you shouldn't give us a try," the Kickstarter reads. "It's wrong an entire industry feels that only you should be doing the laundry. Let's help change that."
The product will be available as a subscription service, so guys (or gals), don't have to ever worry about running to the store to wash their clothes.
So do men really need their own detergent? Probably not. But if it encourages men to do their laundry more often, that can't be a bad thing.
