In a way, Kent Roth was always destined to go into the skin care business. The owner of Seven Sons and a lake-area resident, Roth grew up working alongside his father, who worked in the beauticians’ product manufacturing industry and created hair styling and grooming products, including the Lustrasilk line in the 1960s.
Roth’s dad started out making shampoo and conditioners, with relaxers for curly and stubborn hair. Over the years, he became interested in what went into the products, and started focusing on using safe, natural ingredients. At the time, much of what he—and others—manufactured used lye or abrasive acids that were tough on skin.
As a kid and as he became an adult, Roth worked for his father. As he got older, he became interested in venturing into the beauty market, and started looking at men’s products in particular. “I wanted to create a system approach for men, so they can have one product line for everything they need,” Roth says.
He knew there were plenty of options on the market, and plenty that were considered “natural,” but he wanted to do something different. “The trick isn’t just what you put on your skin, but what you put on and how it reacts with your skin,” Roth says.
Roth had used plenty of face washes, shaving creams and moisturizers that hadn’t left him satisfied. Many of the products left his pores feeling clogged, which led to irritated skin. Roth set out to fix things with his own men’s skin care line, Seven Sons. He felt there were plenty of guys out there who, like him, weren’t comfortable with skin care, and would be looking for something different.
Working with a chemist, Roth homed in on hyaluronic acid as the active ingredient in his products. Roth says this is a naturally occurring acid in the body, and it works like a sponge under the skin to retain moisture. Using it in his skin care line, Roth says that it keeps skin looking healthy. The Seven Sons system, which is a sequence of three products, includes a cleanser that doesn’t dry out the skin, a shaving cream that helps prevent nicks and a face lotion that moisturizes and helps the skin heal.
It took Roth about two years to develop his product line and gather everything he needed to launch his business. He officially released Seven Sons in 2015, selling through his website, on amazon.com and in select local men’s salons. Roth says, “I’m learning that professional salon businesses are the best way to set product exposure, and get the product in the hands of professionals.”
Rick Howell is an Excelsior resident who met Roth at a local restaurant. Roth shared his skin care line with Howell, and Howell has been a satisfied customer for more than a year. “The product is good for someone getting on in years who may be losing collagen in his face,” Howell says. “It seems to plump up the skin cells.”
When he first met Roth, Howell wasn’t necessarily looking for a new skin care product, but he was interested in Roth’s approach. He did some of his own research on hyaluronic acid and liked the innovative ingredient, which led him to continue using Seven Sons.
While hyaluronic acid is available in other products, many of those are for women and are more expensive. His hope is that as more people become aware of the ingredient and find it available, they will see the benefits. At its core, Roth’s mission is pretty straightforward. “I want to make it easier for men to take care of themselves,” he says.
