Chaddy Unveiled: An Exclusive Interview with Derek Chadwick

There’s a new player in the beauty industry, Chaddy, starting with an aim to bring something new to  the game. Derek Chadwick, a prominent model, actor, and LGBTQ+ icon, along with co-founder Emmett Enriques, is on the verge of launching their clean beauty brand, Chaddy. In this exclusive interview with our editor Zarko Davinic, we delve into the inspiration behind Chaddy and its vision for their very own path in the beauty industry.

Derek Chadwick’s career spans from campaigns for renowned brands like Calvin Klein, Patrick Ta Beauty, Abercrombie, and Moschino to his venture into acting.  Chadwick and Enriques recognized a glaring gap—a dearth of products tailored for men. This realization drove themm to take on a mission to create the own line of beauty products.

Chaddy‘s debut product, the Chaddy Matte Lip Plumper, promises to encapsulate this vision. Boasting cruelty-free ingredients and all-natural flavoring, it offers hydration, dynamic benefits, and an immediate glow while maintaining a matte finish. With inclusivity at its core, Chaddy challenges traditional gender boundaries, aiming to redefine the beauty landscape.

In our interview with Derek we are offering offering an exclusive glimpse into Chaddy’s journey, its commitment to authenticity, and the story on Chaddy Matte Lip Plumper ready to make waves in the beauty industry.

Derek, what inspired Emmett and you to venture into the beauty industry with the launch of Chaddy? – Though the industry has been around for centuries, there isn’t a lot of skincare/makeup that’s geared specifically towards men. And to be fair, I don’t think men really cared to partake until recently. Being two men who genuinely care about our skin health and accentuating our natural appearances, we didn’t see a lot of what we were looking for in the existing market. Hence, the birth of Chaddy.

Given your experiences with brands like Calvin Klein, Moschino, and Patrick Ta Beauty, how have these experiences influenced the creation and vision of Chaddy? – These brands made me feel really confident from using their products, and I wanted to take that experience, simplify it, and apply it to Chaddy for a barely-there, minimalist look.

You mentioned a lack of products that catered to your specific needs, especially concerning lip plumpers. What led you to the conceptualization of Chaddy Matte Lip Plumper? – I personally prefer to wear products that make it look like you’re not wearing anything. Chaddy takes a strong stance on natural beauty, and we wanted to start with a piece that really represented that. I really loved the way traditional lip plumpers made my lips look, however, I didn’t like how it made my lips glossy, sticky and sometimes very dry. At this crossroad, we came up with the idea of a matte plumper — no colors, dyes, or loud presence. Just a simple enhancement of what’s already there.

The peptide enriched, cruelty free formula with all natural flavoring sounds promising. How does Chaddy ensure the quality and effectiveness of its ingredients? – We have been working on our original formula for about a year, with more than a dozen reformulations. It has been a learning process for us and we will continue to listen and adjust our formulas based on our consumers’ feedback. We handpicked the ingredients in this formula and left out the harmful, synthetic pieces that normally go into mass production companies’ recipes. As for the flavor – I think we’ve got it down perfectly!

One of the standout features of the Chaddy Lip Plumper is its ability to provide immediate glow and endurance over time while maintaining a matte finish. Can you delve deeper into the technology or formulation behind this? – We designed the product to be used day-to-day, so we wanted to include ingredients that would help the longevity of our skin and lips. We included ingredients like Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, an amino acid compound that increases lip elasticity, replenishes nutrients and gives a glow. Also, Portulaca Pilosa Extract, an antioxidant that helps protect and improve skin’s natural defenses. Lastly, we also added hydrating properties like shea butter and hyaluronic acid to retain moisture and plump skin.

What message or experience do you hope consumers take away when using Chaddy products, especially in embracing their natural beauty? – We designed products to be simple and minimalistic. Chaddy is all about embracing and enhancing your already-there features.

As the beauty industry is highly competitive, how does Chaddy plan to differentiate itself, especially in the digital realm, given that products will be available online at chaddycosmetics.com? – We stand by the “less is more” concept, and while we’ve found the beauty industry marketing bold colors, and maximalist looks, we want to speak to a more simplistic approach to beauty. We want beauty to be what it used to be – raw, unfiltered, simple.

Chaddy products will be available from November 8th 2023.