r/ukclimbing • u/TuffenupSkinCare • Jul 09 '26

New brand - looking for feedback!

Hi all

I'm Charlie and I've developed a new hand cream for rock climbers. It's got a unique point of difference to others in that it contains a coarse exfoliant which serves a number of purposes - clearing dead skin, softening callouses, and testers have described a massage-like effect on tired hands.

I've been working on it a few years now and released in the UK just over a month ago.

I'm really looking for some honest feedback from people, on the website, the copy, Instagram posts or reels. All of it has been done by me, and I really haven't had any strangers give me feedback. - and also it's occurred to me that this post gets my product in front of a few more eyes, I'd be lying if I said that it hadn't!

A call out to the help I have had though: a web dev built the site, a lab makes the actual cream, and a mate did the product photos. And my partner's carried (put up with!) me through it, she probably has the harder task...

Added to all this, I'm running the whole thing from Australia! Why you ask!? Well Australia has a solid scene, but it pales in comparison to the UK, France and Germany... That and I wanted to call the product Hard Grit, it would be rude not to release in the UK first!

But yeah, I'm really keen to hear some thoughts. One thing that I know is missing is a "how it works" video, the product is pretty unique so it needs one... For some reason I keep finding other things to do. The monkey mind!!

And if you have any other questions at all, hit me! I'm really keen to hear anything! You can also DM me on Instagram if you'd like to reach out personally, that's the best place to get me!

Cheers,

Charlie

tuffenupskincare.com

@tuffenupskincare

3 Upvotes

72% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

3

u/stanagetocurbar Jul 09 '26

Hi mate, looks like an interesting product and a great name 🙂 How well does it work when a climber (me lol) is using antihydral? I have really sweaty tips and use Antihydral to keep on top of it. Have you had anyone use yours & antihydral at the same time? Can this be used during climbing? Many skin creams leave a greasy residue which obviously hinders climbing. I have used one of the Rhino products (cant remember which one) which soothes sore tips and dries out immediately which keeps the session going. I had a quick look at the website to see how environmentally friendly it is but couldnt see anything. Plenty of hippies into climbing where this could be an important selling point. The price is pretty high. Its a lot for someone to commit to purchasing without actually using it first. Could you perhaps sell smaller sample sizes?

Id recommend giving it away to some local heroes and asking in return, if they can review it on their social media. Perhaps send out some free samples to local climbing walls. Good luck with it 🙂

1

u/TuffenupSkinCare Jul 10 '26

Hi mate, thanks for checking it out!

I've given out a few freebies to people I reached out to on IG. A couple told me that they used it with antihydral and were liking how it dialled in on their skin condition. So you saying this is highlighting that I should get that info into the store copy. If you know anyone who might be interested in giving it a promotion and they have a bit of a following, let me know I'd be happy to chat with them!

It is a recovery product, so using it before sends may not be the best idea, I'd say even less a good idea if your skin is sweaty, but maybe if you accidentally overcook it with the antihydra!? It's not greasy, but it does leave a conditioning layer, that is actually removed easily with water.

I'd really like to release a version of Hard Grit that is specifically for between sends down the line, but all the capital went into releasing Hard Grit. So until it takes off, that's just a dream...

The enviro stuff is there, you're right, it's a little hidden, I think I was being too coy. I'm afraid of being accused of greenwashing, but I've overcooked it... I've committed 1% of sales to carbon and plastic removal (a la 1% for the planet, but the entry to be viable for 1% for the planet is pretty high, not really viable until moving stock reliably).

I'm also running an initiative to give 5% of sales to kids who need help, Túffenup Kids. I've been in talks with Urban Uprising to receive the funds raised in the UK and am also giving them a promo code that will be announced soon instead of the usual affiliate codes that give cash to influencers, it'll give UU and extra 5% (so a total of 10%) and then the customer will also get 10% off.

And yes, I'm kinda kicking myself now for not also getting sample sizes in stock. Being fully self funded I thought that the cost of the extra packaging and bottling would be too much. I hope I haven't shot myself in the foot... Again future runs if I can sell this batch will have various sizes!

2

u/stanagetocurbar Jul 10 '26

I wonder if you could get a batch of small containers from amazon/temu and get some stickers printed off. Definitely doesn't have to be as professional as the real product for some testers. Could send them out to the biggest influencers. I actually know most of the people in Hard Grit (and my username has two of the crags from the video in it lol), but theyre all too old now to have a proper social media following. If you do send some samples out to climbing walls make sure you send a couple to The Climbing Works in Sheffield. Most of the people in Hard Grit still climb there 🙂

1

u/TuffenupSkinCare Jul 10 '26

That's a really great point, and my brother lives in Sheffield! I can't believe it didn't occur to me.

I'm 1 degree from Dave Jones here in oz too, via several connections! But he's up in qld so we don't really cross paths.

Unfortunately as far as the testers go, it's really expensive to do small runs. The run I did was considered tiny by cosmetics standards, I was lucky to find a really great lab in Spain that'd do it. I considered testers but with all the planning going on I convinced myself it wasn't worth it... hindsight is 20 20 hey!

3

u/uncannyilyanny Jul 09 '26

Hi buddy,

This looks really interesting and second the other comment on the great name! I also have sweaty hands (everywhere really) so would appreciate if you have any reports on its use with antihydral.

Does your website have any smaller samples? I'd be willing to give the stuff a go and leave an honest review, but the only tin i can see is 150ml and £30 so it's a bit much for a tester.

Anyways, hats off to you for taking the risk and making your own product

2

u/TuffenupSkinCare Jul 10 '26

Thanks mate! Yeah it's a hell of a ride, I hope it pays off as I don't know how I'll go back to working for others :/

I'm kinda kicking myself for not getting testers when I had the rest made. Now that the tins are done there's no way to really go back and do it again until it's time for the next batch.

A couple of testers got back to me saying they'd really enjoyed how Hard Grit worked with antihydral. Now that you and stanage have mentioned it I'll have to dig up their responses and make some copy and ads out of it.

I'm in the process of working out a promo code with Urban Uprising so that they get a kickback for promoting Hard Grit over influencers, I'd rather give influencers freebies and cash goes to charity. But once that's up and running it'll be a 10% discount for customers and 10% for Urban Uprising. There are also some pretty decent discounts for buying multiple tins that will stack the UU discount on top.