Many wetshavers start wetshaving because they want to improve their shaving experience. Artisans and users determined, in a now deleted thread from Badger and Blade user “LBussy” that his soap was impossible to make, as labeled. Of particular note was the HTGAM-touted kokum butter. Erik Hodges intentionally re-arranged the ingredient list so that his soaps appeared to have more “expensive ingredients” than they actually did. By law, products that make a health claim (HTGAM chose a moisturizing benefit) must provide ingredient labels must contain the ingredients used in order of weight. HTGAM’s Synergy Soap featured an ingredient list that was a lie. For non-soapmakers, “hot process” is a technical term in soapmaking, with a very specific meaning, which does not and can not include melt-and-pour soaps. HTGAM’s 1.0 formulation was claimed in ad copy by “Smythe” to be a “funky, hot-process soap,” when in reality it was a melt-and-pour. This flies in the face of all "honest disclosure understanding" between vendor and customer. Part of this trust is the belief that reviewers will disclose their relationship with their audience, if any exists. Because of the subjective value of hearing/watching/reading someone's experience, we tend to trust reviewers. In a small community such as wetshaving, we have to put a lot of trust in reviewers because everything is based on user experience. Doug/Hodges/Erik claims that it was public information that he/they were the same person. Reviewing your own products by sock-puppet accounts/users that are, in fact, just yourself, is obviously deceptive and unethical. In this interview, Smythe reviews and speaks of products while clearly distinguishing that the companies and people are different. ( Source 2) “Allow Me To Introduce… Myself.”Īt the time (circa 2014) Douglas Smythe, artisan owner of HTGAM, interviewed Hodges Apellido and Frances of Petal Pusher Fancies for his own blog. With Douglas Smythe, many users realized that they had been interacting with this person for over a year, and that person (Douglas Smythe) didn’t even exist. We’re fortunate that we are able to interact with the artisans at professional and even personal levels. This also matters, because we value our connection with artisans as a shave community. This means that these three companies were vying for the same market and taking up space that could have otherwise been allocated for other diverse product lines. Why Does This Matter? From a business perspective, Erik Hodges/Douglas Smythe/Hodges Appelido were selling products to vendors as three different companies. Erik Hodges is fully banned from reddit for violating the Terms of Service. Erik Hodges, the person, has been banned from a number of shaving social media platforms for setting up multiple accounts and multiple usernames and then using those to shill his own products and deride other artisans. “Who is Douglas Smythe?”ĭouglas Smythe is one of many pseudonyms for Erik Hodges. Erik Hodges had documented experience in Costa Rica with an entertainment/marketing/writing firm before founding HTGAM. HTGAM was purportedly founded and run by Douglas Smythe. Erik marketed heavily and promoted his company through blog posts, videos, and reviews. How to Grow a Mustache or HTGAM was founded in 2013 and was Erik’s first foray into soap making. ( Source Video #1) New shavers frequently find his products and don’t realize the historical and on-going extent of Erik’s unscrupulous business practices. Erik Hodges advertises heavily and offers free soap products to reviewers in exchange for glowing remarks. The company started as How to Grow a Mustache in 2013 and is owned by Erik Hodges. Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements has a long (infamous) history in the artisan soapmaking world. Spring is Imminent - Your springiest Stirling soapĭr Mudgil (dermatologist) & Sri (Wholly Kaw) This is a community for discussions, reviews, and general sharing of thoughts about wet shaving and life in general.īe respectful, have a sense of humor, and don't cause needless drama. DARK MODE LIGHT MODE IRC CHAT DISCORD CHAT WIKI RULES
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