How Fatboy Perfect Putty Crossed Gender Barriers To Advance Second-Day Hair For All

When Tyson Kennedy created Fatboy’s first offering Perfect Putty, he didn’t classify the matte finish pomade as only perfect for one gender. The longtime hairstylist, partner in the salon Cutler Brooklyn and lead singer of New Zealand-born rock band Steriogram doesn’t stick to standard divisions whether they pertain to demographics or product development. “The brand has boy in the name, but it’s certainly not a men’s line and, by traditional standards, a pomade might have been thought of a men’s product, but the Kardashians have used it and liked it,” says Kenny Kahn, CEO of Fatboy. “In a very organic sense, it’s found its own path.” Beauty Independent talked to Kennedy and Kahn about Perfect Putty’s path and where it’s headed next.

Launch year: 2016

Units sold since launch: More than 125,000

Total salon doors: 1,000 across the U.S., Norway, Australia and New Zealand

Development process: Musicians have to look cool, of course. If they’re sweaty and resemble drowned rats, they don’t look so cool. Kennedy, a skinny guy whose nickname is fat boy, wanted to whip up a product with a creamy texture that would help his bandmates’ hair stay looking cool when they were performing and perspiring. He spent roughly two years perfecting Perfect Putty in between Steriogram gigs and doing hair. Kennedy figures he tried 2,000 recipes. “I would come home, get drunk, cook away, and give it to my friends and family,” he says. “There was no business plan. It was a passion project.”

Distribution strategy: Perfect Putty found its first home outside of Kennedy’s Lower East Side home at Cutler salons. Word spread to other salons that Fatboy had made something special, and Kennedy began to field requests for his product. He facilitated word of mouth by sampling fashion shows and salons. When he was on tour, he’d pop by salons he thought would be good fits for Fatboy and drop off tubs of Perfect Putty even if the salons were closed. The brand also took a cue from Kennedy’s music career and did a bus tour for Fatboy during which hairstylists roamed the country handing out Perfect Putty. To encourage reordering at its salons today, Fatboy has implemented a texting program that sends messages to its salon accounts weekly with content and promotions to keep communication ongoing. The salons can reorder via text. “That was pivotal in watching the numbers jump,” says Kahn.

Outside of salons, Urban Outfitters was an early retail acccount, and it’s been critical to Fatboy reaching millennial and gen z customers. Online, the brand entered Amazon’s luxury beauty category in October and landed on Ulta’s website in February. Fatboy has partnered with Ipsy and FabFitFun to further build its following of young consumers and draw women shoppers. Kahn details the brand arranges to put 5,000 to 10,000 samples in front of Ipsy’s audience rather than the hundreds of thousands the subscription company can command to make sampling financially feasible for it. He adds the relatively small initiatives may last 48 hours rather than a month.

Retail price: Perfect Putty is priced at $21 for a 2.6-oz. size. “It’s a putty for the people. I really wanted to position the price at a place where it was achievable for everyone to have it,” says Kennedy. “It’s affordable, but, at $21, we have enough wiggle room to go through wholesale channels and to get it into different countries.”

Packaging design: There’s not much to the packaging on purpose. Perfect Putty comes in white jar with Fatboy written on its top and side. “It was about creating clean packaging that lets the product performance speak for itself,” says Kennedy. “Working at the salon, there are products that are crazy colorful. A few years ago, it was getting out of hand. I really wanted it to be simple, and I didn’t want to market it toward any particular person or lifestyle, but, instead, around hair types and results.”

Key milestone: Justine Marjan, a celebrity hairstylist who handles the tresses of the Kardashians, Chrissy Teigen, Olivia Culpo and Ashley Graham, was an early Fatboy convert. “To see it being put on some of the girliest girls in that way was great to open up people’s minds and show them that it’s the Swiss Army Knife of hair products,” says Kennedy. “We use Perfect Putty on everyone, and we see it as a hair tool, not just a putty for dudes.”

Hiccups on the way to success: Fatboy’s manufacturer in New Zealand loaded 10,000 units onto a boat that were never recovered. “The order was mixed with another order. It was our second run, and that was our only 10,000 units,” remembers Kennedy. Fatboy didn’t sever ties with the manufacturer after the units were lost, and he emphasizes forging strong relationships with suppliers is crucial. “Especially now that we have gotten through the first few SKUs, it’s about pushing boundaries. There’s no point in putting out a range that’s slightly cleverer,” says Kennedy. “We want to create products that are fun and actually needed.”

Customer base: Fatboy’s customer base is 60% male and 40% female. “I really hoped not to be pigeonholed into any [gender] category, and it’s exciting to create a unisex product that is working [as a unisex product],” says Kennedy. Kahn points to the subscription sampling programs as impactful in wooing women to the brand.

Investment: Fatboy raised $2 million in a round of private capital announced in January. “Originally, the responsibilities all fell on Tyson’s s plate – payroll, growth, sales, marketing and more – and it can become overwhelming,” says Kahn. “A partner and I have helped manage the finance, marketing and sales, and Tyson can focus on the products and growing the brand.” He notes that subsequent investment may be secured shortly to support Fatboy’s growth and ramp up expansion.

Future plans: Perfect Putty is spawning successor products. Fatboy will release a spray putty that leverages the bestseller’s equity to erect a merchandise franchise. “It’s something that everyone can pick up and use in their hair whether it’s short or long,” says Kennedy. He teases a tacky oil is in Fatboy’s pipeline as well. “Every company has put out an oil, and it’s a handy thing to have in a crew of products, but we didn’t want to follow the same path,” says Kennedy. “We have come up with an oil that goes on the hair smooth, but, as it dries, it gets tacky, and you can get great texture with it.”