Please take a moment to introduce yourself/selves. Who are you and who is your team (if you have one) where are you based?

Clayton, O'Douds: Hello! My name is Clayton Douds, I’m the owner and founder of O’Douds, an all natural apothecary based in Brooklyn, NY.

How and when did you get started brewing your own products?

Clayton, O'Douds: I started making my own pomade in the fall/winter of 2013. We sold our first jar on Etsy in February 2014.

What’s behind the name?

Clayton, O'Douds: It’s my last name! Well, sort of. When my family immigrated from Ireland they changed their name, or their name was changed for them, to remove the “O” from “O’Douds”. I decided to put the “O” back in “O’Douds” to pay respect to my family.

If you had to choose a ‘hero’ product/s from your line which would you say it is and why?

Clayton, O'Douds: You really put me on the spot with a question like that. How could I possibly choose just one?! Our most popular product is definitely the Matte Paste. It’s super versatile and works wonders, we are crazy happy with it. My personal favorite, however, is probably our soap! That seems random, but I grew up in high humidity and living in NY severely dries out my skin. So many people damage their skin every day for their entire lives only to spend thousands of dollars trying to fix it in their old age. Nah, I’d rather just take care of it now.

If you had any advice for budding home brewers who are interested in making their own products what would it be?

Clayton, O'Douds: Have fun!! I started O’Douds because I was having fun making my own hair products. I didn’t, and still, don’t consider myself an entrepreneur. I know that I am, but this started from a passion for something, and that passion is the most important part, not the money. O’Douds is filled with people who are passionate about making products that work well and are good for you and the earth, simple as that.

If not answered above, what are some of the challenges being an independent brewer that the average consumer may not be aware of?

Clayton, O'Douds: Cost. Major companies are cutting costs at every corner, no matter the impact on your skin/hair, peoples lives, the environment, etc. We use responsibly sourced natural ingredients and we make our products in the USA. That means our products cost 2 to 5 times as much as many of our competitors. They turn around and spend that money on advertising, but our hope is that our products will speak for themselves.

How important is packaging/labeling?

Clayton, O'Douds: For better or worse, the packaging is extremely important. People buy with their eyes, especially in an industry where you can’t try things on. If a product looks natural or cruelty-free then people will assume it is, even the company doesn’t make those claims. That’s just a small example of how powerful design can be.

What can we expect from O'Douds in the future?

Clayton, O'Douds: New goods & Improvement! We’ve got way more new products in the works for 2019 than we had in 2018, and we are super excited about that. Our promise since day 1 has been to constantly improve. We will never say that anything is perfect because nothing ever is.

What did we miss?

Clayton, O'Douds: We’ll be releasing a skincare line in 2019 - you heard it here first! My favorite hair product is our multi-purpose pomade. I have a tattoo of a jar of pomade with a dagger going through it. My favorite color is black. My favorite food is Ramen. I enjoy video games, dungeons and dragons, and other nerdy things.

But wait there’s more!

Clayton, O'Douds: O’Douds is an apothecary dedicated to quality and responsibility. We believe that every choice has an impact, and we provide products without compromise. O’Douds is Sensible Grooming for Sensible Humans.

Thanks!

Be sure to check out all of the O'Douds Apothecary products on our site here.