Actor Simon Rex Is the Face of Mox Skincare – WWD

Actor Simon Rex is the face of Mox Skincare, which is relaunching with a new strategy. 

“We met through a mutual friend about a year ago, and I was just so struck by Simon’s charisma,” said Peter Murane, chief executive officer of Mox Skincare. “I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is the person to make this category accessible.’”

Rex, who lives between Los Angeles and Joshua Tree, sees Mox Skincare as an opportunity to enter the wellness market. 

“I’ve been getting different companies reaching out to want to do some type of partnership, and I really wanted to do something in this space,” said Rex. “I wanted to do something positive.…I think there’s sort of a shift happening right now for men to take care of themselves — physically obviously, their body, what they eat but skin care, too.“

He grew up around wellness practices, he said. He had lost the interest, busy traveling as an actor, but found it again. 

“A few years ago, around when I turned 40, I kind of went through that midlife existential dude, L.A. guy crisis,” Rex said. “I think you kind of hit a point where, at least for myself, I had been kind of treating my body and life like a party and not taking care of myself. All of a sudden you hit that age and you’ve got to make some changes because you don’t want to just keep living that lifestyle. So I started treating my body more like a temple and less like a roller coaster years ago.”

He was introduced to breath work in his younger years by his dad and started incorporating the practice, took up yoga and ice baths.

“The cliché stuff,” he said. “I’m kind of finding out what in the wellness world that we’re talking about is bulls–t and what isn’t, because just like anything, I think there’s a lot of bulls–t out there underneath that umbrella of quote unquote wellness, right?”

He trusts what’s science-backed, and Mox Skincare is just that, he said. “I wanted something grounded and real. And I just started using the product all the time, and I loved it. And I use it every day and everyone’s always telling me how great my skin looks. So I’m sticking with it.”

Murane started Mox Skincare with business partner Ben Fuchs in 2017. 

“I became connected to a very, very well-known pharmacist and nutritionist in Boulder, Colo. with 40 years of formulating experience in skin care,” Murane said of Fuchs.

“He said, ‘I think men need a system for their thicker skin that works at the cellular level.’ And I said, ‘Well, tell me more,’” he continued. “He said, ‘Well, most skin care is superficial in that it’s working on the surface layer. And I want, as a health care practitioner, to invent a system that works at the cell level and up regulates the cell by feeding it.’ So I was really intrigued, and we spent a fair amount of time creating the chemistry and the formulas for Mox. The best way to think about it is like taking your skin to the gym. It’s a nutrition platform that’s really nutrient-dense.”

Formulas, made in Boulder, don’t have added water and don’t use wax or oil, he said.

“There are no preservatives, so instead, there’s high doses of lipophilic or fat soluble vitamins like vitamins A, C, D, E and K and then minerals and natural moisturizers like squalane,” Murane added. “So he took out everything that was kind of wrong with skin care, all the inactive ingredients, and replaced them with high, high doses of activity. And the cells love it. The cells consume nutrients like food and when they’re healthy, they make better skin.”

Mox Skincare launched as a unisex brand, direct-to-consumer and at Urban Outfitters. Their focus now is on the men’s market, eyeing retailers like Sephora and Ulta. They’re revamping the brand site. And they’ve tapped Rex, known for his humor, to communicate the brand message and resonate with consumers. 

“We did pretty well, but the market is so crowded now that brands have to focus and our choice is to lead the men’s skin care movement. And we think we can do that with Simon and also with our chemistry advantage,” said Murane. “He’s able to open the door I think for men to stop and think, and I think [people are going to] love the content you’ll see when it starts to be released. Simon also has an appeal with women. And as you know, many, many skin care transactions for men happen by girlfriends or wives, and as a result, we have to think through not just retail environments where men shop, but also retail environments where women shop.” 

They offer a complete skin care routine, including a Peppermint Cleanser, Multinutrient Serum and Mineral Hydrating Mist. They have two new products coming: a mineral sunscreen that’s reef safe and a pain relief and anti-inflammatory balm. 

“Even just looking at Mox and Rex,” said Rex, referencing the similarly of the words, “it’s just meant to be.”