Like many of our favorite products, Stryke Club was founded by moms—four of them. They all have their own unique professional backgrounds—Nicole Brooks is a family therapist; Sheilagh Maguiness, MD, is a pediatric dermatologist; Darci Rosenblum is a product development pro; Stacy Blackman is a mompreneur. But they have one important thing in common—being parents. Between them, they have four boys. As their boys got older, they realized they were buying acne products aimed at girls, so they decided to come together and fill this hole in the skincare market.
Stryke Club, a one-of-a-kind product line made specially for today’s teenage boy. Designed for the busy teen boy, who’s ready for a lesson in self-care, the brand is set to revolutionize the beauty industry thanks to its unique, meticulous and effective combination of clean ingredients. Comprised of three core products and formulated over two years with help from a board-certified pediatric dermatologist, the skincare system promotes clear skin, confidence and mindful grooming habits for life.
Here’s a bit more about this dynamic team, innovative skin products and life as working moms. Plus, how to support your child if he’s dealing with acne.
Can you tell us a little about your families and backgrounds?
Stacy: I live in Los Angeles, CA with my husband and three kids (16-year-old boy and two girls, 13 and 10) I am CEO of the Stryke Club and have a background as an entrepreneur. I sold my first company twenty years ago and Stryke Club is number 3, tackling completely new territory. Challenging but tons of fun!
Darci: I live in Northern California with my husband and two daughters, aged 13 and 11. I am Chief Marketing Officer of Stryke Club and have a deep and long background in consumer products, including OLLY, Method and Yes To.
Nicole: I live in Los Angeles, CA with my husband and four kids. My son is 13 and my three daughters are 17, 15 and 10. I am co-founder of Stryke Club and a clinical psychologist as well. Through my practice, I have seen how boys struggle with shame and their appearance. I want to empower them to show up without filters and take pride in themselves.
Sheilagh: I live in Minneapolis, MN with my husband and two sons, ages 6 and 8. I am a Board Certified pediatric dermatologist with a busy practice in Minneapolis. I am Chief Product Officer of Stryke Club and excited to be creating products that I know are needed by our boys!
How did the idea for Stryke Club originate?
Sheilagh, Stacy & Nicole: We all have boys of varying ages, some of whom were starting to experience acne and care about their appearance in different ways. We shopped for skin care products and found that there was nothing just for the boys. We wanted to create incredibly effective formulas with the most modern, cutting-edge ingredients. We wanted locker-room worthy packaging, boy approved scents and clean, cruelty-free formulas. We felt our boys deserved better than an outdated 80’s product or something borrowed from the girls. We decided to create that product.
Darci: I was excited to leverage my decades of consumer product experience and launch something new and meaningful, tackling a fun and exciting white space. I feel like we are making a difference for boys…because boys have skin too!
What are you most excited about with this brand?
Stacy: I am excited to empower boys to take care of themselves with products they love and see true results from.
Darci: I am excited to give boys a lifestyle brand that they think is cool. I want them to stop being embarrassed about self-care.
Nicole: I am excited to give boys a voice, to help them show up with pride and not be ashamed of caring for themselves.
Sheilagh: I absolutely love that our line uses ingredients that I know are effective. Based on my clinical experiences with teen boys over the years, they need products that address the many changes impacting their skin during adolescence. Our washes are gentle AND powerful – removing dirt and bacteria without irritation.
Can girls use Stryke Club?
Yes. Females can also benefit from Stryke Club’s proprietary skin formula. We made these products with boys in mind, but everyone can benefit: Young/Old/Male/Female…Anyone! PS – our founders have used them for over a year with great results. No dryness, no irritation – no adult acne!
How do you balance work/mom life?
Stacy: I am a master juggler! I try to work while the kids are at school and be present with them in the evenings. Sometimes they see me work, or even help…and I love that! I think that seeing me take risks and create a company from scratch is good for them. None of this happens by magic – they see the highs and lows and know that I work hard to make it all happen.
Darci: What Stacy said!
Sheilagh: Work-life balance is a constant struggle for all working moms, myself included. I get help and try to find shortcuts where I can so that I can spend more time with my boys. Part of accomplishing that is being super efficient during the day and trying not to bring too much work home. Loving what I do helps a ton. Being a pediatric dermatologist is literally the best career in the world, and I think my boys see how much I enjoy my work.
Do you have any strategies for handling tough days as working moms?
Darci: My family comes first. If there are issues with both, I try to put the work down and focus on my family. It’s OK for them to see me struggling with work issues, but at the end of the day when they need me I really try to prioritize them and be present.
Stacy: What Darci said!
Sheilagh: Find those shortcuts! Order in food, get the help when you need it and to try and smooth out the edges of the day. I’ve learned that you can’t be in two places at once. As a physician, sometimes there are patient issues that need my immediate attention, and my family understands that. Most of the time though, when I’m at home, I do my best to focus on family and make sure that they know they’re my top priority.
What is the best way for moms to support teenage boys experiencing acne?
Nicole: Teen boys in particular may not feel comfortable bringing up the subject that their acne is bothering them, so it is important for the mom to feel comfortable introducing the topic which can be tricky, because teen boys can be prickly about their moms commenting on their appearance. So the best approach is to introduce the conversation by validating
how normal it is to have acne and feel embarrassed or uncomfortable about it. Then give them the tools to help themselves and this can be as simple as handing your son a bottle of our Everywhere Wash and our Stryke Stick and simply explain how to use them.
What don’t most parents realize about acne, from an emotional perspective?
Nicole: The severity of acne is not correlated to the amount of distress it causes …meaning a teen could have relatively mild acne and feel completely mortified, and experience social anxiety while another teen with severe acne could be emotionally unscathed. So it’s important to open up the conversation focusing on self care and hygiene and not focus just on the external presentation, but the internal commitment to taking care of one’s self. The concept of self care has to do with an internal commitment to oneself and acknowledging one’s self worth.
How can acne affects kids emotional health?
Nicole: Acne can erode a teen’s self esteem. Especially in the age of social media where appearances and how someone looks are used as their social currency. Many teens with acne do not feel comfortable making eye contact or meeting new people as they are consumed with the insecurity about their skin. There are a lot of myths as to what causes acne and there is shame and guilt often associated with having acne.
Should your son see a dermatologist in addition to using Stryke Club?
Sheilagh: Stryke Club is a fantastic place to start for any teen boy. Building good hygiene practices early on will help promote clear skin. Most teens will get some acne, usually it is fairly mild and doesn’t scar – Stryke Club will definitely help with the basics. However, if the acne becomes more severe and inflammatory, or you see any scarring at all, it’s time to see a doctor.
How are the formulations higher quality than what’s out there—and how do they compare to prescriptions like Accutane?
Sheilagh: Stryke Club takes a different approach to clear skin than what’s currently on the shelves. Our formulations are clean, cruelty free and hypoallergenic – because that is the very best place for our boys to start. We have novel ingredients that cleanse gently but thoroughly and are also very moisturizing (plant-based surfactants) – while other ingredients in our formulas pack a powerful hit on bacteria. Teen boys have changing skin, and our formulations meet those needs.
With respect to Accutane, or isotretinoin, our products are not meant to be compared with this treatment. Isotretinoin is a strong, oral medication that must be administered and monitored by a physician, usually a board certified dermatologist or pediatric dermatologist. Isotretinoin therapy is completely different than any topical or over the counter medication available in the US, and it is certainly a very appropriate and effective treatment for individuals with severe, scarring acne. No topical skin care regimen should be compared to isotretinoin. However, we definitely recommend Stryke Club as a first tool teen boys should turn to for establishing good hygiene practices and preventing breakouts.
To find out more, go to StrykeClub.com, and use code LOCALMOMS for 15% off.
This post is sponsored by StrykeClub.