Harry's

Harry's is an American manufacturer and seller of shaving equipment and men's personal care products via online and retail channels. They utilise a subscription service where customers receive new razor blades, shaving cream, and other grooming products by mail.

Based in New York City,[2][3][4][5][6] it was founded in 2012 by Andy Katz-Mayfield and Jeff Raider[7] and launched its subscription service a year later. In 2014, Harry's purchased the Feintechnik razor factory in Germany.[8]

In May 2019, Edgewell Personal Care announced it would purchase Harry's.[9][10] In February 2020, the Federal Trade Commission sued Edgewell to block the merger, stating that the merger could hurt competition.[11]

History

The company was founded in July 2012 by Andy Katz-Mayfield and Jeff Raider, who met at Bain & Co.[7] It launched its direct-to-consumer subscription service in March 2013.[12]

The original products were designed by Prime Studio Inc., and the branding was developed by the creative agency Partners & Spade (now known as Mythology), who collaborated to create the company's initial range of launch products and packaging.[13][14]

In January 2014, Harry's acquired the German razor blade manufacturer Feintechnik for $100 million,[15][8] in an effort to provide control over the entire process of manufacturing their products.[16][17]

In 2015, the company received a third-round financing of US$75.6 million.[18][19] In an interview published in July 2016, Katz-Mayfield said Harry's had two million customers.[20]

By January 2017, its shaving products were also available at Target and Walmart stores.[21] In late June, it started selling its products in the United Kingdom.[22]

In February 2018, Harry's raised $112 million in Series D funding co-led by Alliance Consumer Growth and Temasek co-led, with participation from Tao Capital Partners.[23] In October, Harry's launched Flamingo, a women's skin care brand.[24]

In May 2019, Edgewell Personal Care, the owner of the Schick brand of shaving products, announced plans to purchase Harry's for $1.4 billion.[9][10][25] The merger was intended to finalise by the end of the first quarter of 2020.[10]

On February 3, 2020, the Federal Trade Commission sued Edgewell to block the merger, stating that bringing Schick and Harry's together could hurt competition[11] and Edgewell backed away from the deal.[26]

In March 2021, Forbes reported that Harry's had raised a Series E round at a $1.7 billion valuation.[27] In December, Harry's announced it would acquire deodorant brand Lumē for an undisclosed price.[28]

By 2023 the product line generated $300 million out of a total $750 million in annual revenue for the company.[29] In 2025, a year after Reuters reported that Harry's had filed to go public in an IPO,[30] the firm unveiled its first major rebrand since launching in 2013, updating its logo, packaging, website, and visual identity.[31]

Manufacturing

Harry's razor blades are manufactured at Feintechnik GmbH Eisfeld in Eisfeld, Germany.[8] Feintechnik was founded in 1920,[32] and was later nationalised in 1948 as VEB Feintechnik Eisfeld,[33][34] which was later privatized by German government agency Treuhand in 1990.[34] Feintechnik was acquired by Harry's in January 2014 for $100 million.[15][32] The handles of the Harry's razors are manufactured in China.[35]

Business model

Similar to Warby Parker, which was also co-founded by Jeff Raider, Harry's began with a buy-one-donate-one business model, donating a free razor blade (or the cost of one[36]) to charitable organizations.[37] The program started in 2013 by supporting The Mission Continues to help veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan,[36] and it was called the "Give a Shave" program.[38]

By the end of 2013, the "Give a Shave" program had changed slightly such that Harry's would donate 1% of their sales and the employees would donate 1% of their time to charitable organizations like City Year.[39][3] Currently, the donation model remains 1% of sales, and employees now receive five days of paid time off to volunteer with a registered non-profit organization.[40] Various charities have received this benefit, and Harry's has recently focused on promoting better mental health care for men and suicide prevention,[40] making news for working with organizations such as Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM),[41] HEADstrong Foundation,[42] and The Trevor Project.[43]

See also

• Dollar Shave Club
• Warby Parker
• Away
• Outdoor Voices

External links