When Charlie Razook was diagnosed with leukemia in 2018, he went on a mission to clean up his skincare routine. “My doctors told me they could not pinpoint how I became sick, but that it was some combination of genetics and environment,” he says. “Right there and then, I decided to take my health into my own hands.” Razook began to educate himself on toxins he had been unknowingly exposed to, and when he looked at the labels of the products in his medicine cabinet and shower, he was taken aback by the number of unrecognizable ingredients he saw.
"When Charlie Razook was diagnosed with leukemia, he went on a mission to clean up his skincare routine."
“When I became sick, I could only find ‘clean’ products made for, by, or marketed towards women,” says Razook. “As I switched to these products, I couldn’t help but think some men would be hesitant to use them.” So began Razook's mission to develop a line of clean beauty for men with products that were safe and effective and a message–and aesthetic–that spoke to him and his peers.
"Jackfir is a responsible men's clean skincare and lifestyle brand offering highly-certified clean tools for wellness and connection."
After several years of research and development (all while undergoing treatment), Jackfir launched in 2022 with three core, classic products: a cleanser, moisturizer, and shave cream. “I looked in my travel duffle at which products made the cut as a necessity, and these three were them,” he says of the tight edit. Formulated with clean hero ingredients including squalane and bisabolol, hard working actives like niacinamide and vitamin C, and botanicals such as aloe, algae and licorice extract, the range is not only conscious and clean, but also high-quality and effective and combines powerhouse ingredients and subtle scents to create an experience that invokes the great outdoors.
EWG verified, vegan and cruelty-free, and certified 70% organic, Razook refers to Jackfir as a responsible men's personal care and lifestyle brand offering highly-certified tools and clean skincare for men, wellness and connection, informed by the abundance of the great outdoors. All product tubes are created from 50% PCR (post-consumer recycled) packaging and a portion of all sales are given to One Tree Planted, a non-profit organization that plants trees worldwide.
We sat down with Razook to learn more about his journey, inspiration, and hopes for Jackfir and its skincare line so good you might find yourself borrowing it from your boyfriend.
Why the name Jackfir?
The Adirondack State Park and its evergreen forests inspired the name Jackfir. It is a portmanteau of two types of pine trees, a jack pine, and a fir tree. Our tubes even look like pine trees.
Why do you think there is less focus on clean and sustainable personal care products in the men's category?
I think that we still are dealing with unlearning toxic masculinity. For so long, wellness was gendered. Women were expected to be perfect and appear beautiful by societal standards, while men were expected to be tough and unemotional. Quite frankly, wellness was for "sissies." Thankfully, this outdated thinking is changing. Men are waking up to the value of their health and moving away from harmful activities like smoking and bad diets. This includes opening their eyes to skincare, and now, cleaner skincare.
What do you think the modern man is looking for in grooming and personal care products today?
Men these days are most concerned with aging. They see wrinkles, dark circles, and bags under their eyes and immediately search for a skincare routine. Our job at Jackfir is part education. We want men to know that when they start this search, they need to pay attention to ingredient lists. Something with formaldehyde might work well to the naked eye, but I don't think you want to rub that on your face.
What is one product you can't live without?
This is a tough one but my favorite is The Classic Shave Cream. I never thought I would be interested in a shaving cream that you squeeze and massage in your hands (as opposed to one that comes in an aerosolized can). We were worried about it not being as slick as a canned cream, but the glide is fantastic. Just wait until you smell it. People have already asked us to make it into a cologne.