Introduction of a Swedish Brand into Brazil’s Premium Men’s Grooming Market
This case demonstrates how market education, premium narrative, and influence can create new consumption categories and position brands within the Brazilian market.
Introduction of a Swedish Brand into Brazil’s Premium Men’s Grooming Market
This case demonstrates how market education, premium narrative, and influence can create new consumption categories and position brands within the Brazilian market.
Recipe for Men is a Swedish men’s skincare brand developed to address the specific needs of men’s skin, with a focus on performance, practicality, and sophistication.
Recognized as a relevant brand within the Scandinavian Beauty (S-Beauty) movement in 2014, Recipe for Men introduced a distinctive proposition to the Brazilian market: niche products tailored for men’s skincare, featuring minimalist design and a functional approach typical of Scandinavian design.
The market entry strategy in Brazil was structured around selective distribution and premium positioning, prioritizing channels capable of building brand value.
In its initial months, the brand was launched exclusively at Sephora, establishing presence in a high-prestige, aspirational retail environment. Subsequently, distribution expanded to specialized players in the men’s grooming segment and premium boutiques across different regions of the country.
Key strategic differentiators in the Brazilian market included:
- the first and only Scandinavian beauty brand available in Brazil at the time
- niche positioning within the men’s skincare segment
- a hybrid distribution strategy combining major retailers and specialized channels
Despite its premium positioning and international recognition, there were significant gaps in communication and digital presence.
Available materials were limited and did not reflect the brand’s aspirational potential in the Brazilian market.
The main challenges included:
- lack of a standardized visual identity for digital communication
- absence of product imagery aligned with a sophisticated visual language
- a European market that was still underdeveloped on social media at the time
- the need to build a clear narrative around men’s skincare and grooming routines
It was also necessary to translate the brand’s Scandinavian positioning to the cultural and behavioral context of Brazilian consumers, where men’s skincare was still at an early stage of development.
We developed a visual system and key visual tailored to the Brazilian market, ensuring consistency across digital channels, institutional materials, and point-of-sale presence.
We also carried out the review and enhancement of product imagery, elevating the brand’s visual perception and aligning communication with its premium positioning.
We structured the brand’s institutional storytelling for the Brazilian market, refining presentation copy and developing content to introduce the concept of a men’s skincare routine — still not widely established in the country at the time.
Communication was culturally adapted for the Brazilian audience, translating the Scandinavian brand values into a language more aligned with the local universe of grooming, fashion, and men’s lifestyle.
The content strategy also included collaborations with influencers and key opinion leaders within the men’s segment, bringing the brand closer to an audience interested in style, personal care, and well-being, while reinforcing Recipe for Men’s positioning as a reference in premium men’s skincare.
These contents were deployed across both digital and physical assets developed by ThinkLAB, ensuring consistency across all brand touchpoints.
Key deliverables included:
- development of the institutional website and e-commerce
- creation of social media content
- production of editorial and institutional materials
- development of folders and printed materials to support commercial efforts
Point-of-sale and visual merchandising materials were developed, with a focus on conveying sophistication and facilitating the understanding of the product line.
These materials also helped educate consumers on men’s skincare routines, presenting product benefits and usage guidelines.
The communication strategy prioritized qualified relationships with press, influencers, and key opinion leaders aligned with the brand’s lifestyle.
The launch of Recipe for Men was featured in publications such as GQ, Vogue, Glamurama, Poder, and Carbono Uomo.
Brand activations were also carried out with influencers and specialists, including dermatologists and content creators within the men’s segment.
Continuous activations were carried out in dermatology clinics, premium stores, and retail locations, along with regional influencer campaigns. In Porto Alegre, for example, a local activation resulted in the store achieving the highest sales volume across the network during the campaign period.
The Recipe for Men case demonstrates how branding, channel curation, and strategic communication can consistently support the entry of an international brand into a competitive and highly segmented market.
The combination of premium positioning, selective distribution, and narrative building enabled the introduction in Brazil of a concept that was still relatively unexplored at the time: niche men’s skincare with Scandinavian inspiration.