Jack Black: Brand Review and 10 of the Best Products

It’s almost hard to imagine these days, but just a little over 20 years ago, at the start of the new millennium, higher-end men’s skincare was almost non-existent in the marketplace.

After noticing a trend toward men becoming more image-conscious, Curran Dandurand and Emily Dalton, both of whom worked for Mary Kay Cosmetics, founded Jack Black in 2000. Shortly after making their first few products available at country clubs and golf courses around Dallas, Jack Black began to get picked up by retailers such as Stanley Korshack and Nordstrom before becoming available nationwide. The Jack Black brand has since grown into a full line of men’s grooming products including everything from moisturizers to shampoo and deodorants.

“When our founders created Jack Black, they knew there were plenty of companies out there that made luxurious and efficacious products for women, but no one was addressing the needs of the modern man,” Taylor Hooker, marketing communications manager for Jack Black tells us about the brand’s origins. “They took inspiration from cigar wrappers and whiskey bottles for the packaging and chose cobalt blue as the brand signature color,” she says, referring to the bright blue apothecary-style bottles that seem to jump off the shelf at customers in department stores.

“Our mission is to deliver no-nonsense products that work as advertised, use the best ingredients, and never, ever test on animals. We are the epitome of nothing complicated, nothing cosmetic, just superior skincare,” Hooker says of the brand’s laid-back approach to men’s skincare. 

Hooker stresses that customer feedback is one of the most important aspects of the brand’s evolution. “We stay close to our customers and listen to what they want (and what they don’t),” she says, noting that they have an entire team dedicated to customer feedback. Listening to what men want to see more or less of has been a big part of the brand’s success—everything from ingredients to packaging and even product names are considered. “We even went as far as to change an ingredient name from peppermint to just mint because a customer said peppermint reminded him too much of Christmas," says Hooker.

Now, let's take a look at 10 must-have Jack Black products that will keep you looking good.