Our mission is you. We believe everyone has the right to live a joyous, healthy life. We believe in full transparency from soil to skin. We know that grooming and mental health go hand in hand and it is our mission to create thoughtful skin and beard care products that not only enhance your life but also improve society and the environment around us. We all grow together.
stubble + ‘stache® was founded in 2012 by Nicholas Karnaze following the combat death of his good friend and fellow special operations Marine Justin Hansen. Justin had a big beard when he was killed, as is common in the special operations community. Nick decided to grow his beard out in Justin’s honor in what he describes as a coping mechanism. In doing so, Nick was reminded of numerous issues facing bearded men and looked for a skincare solution. Unable to find one, he created his own and launched stubble + ‘stache® in 2013 with the world’s first facial moisturizer for men with beards. Learn more about our founding story and military heritage here.
Our formulas take more than a year to finalize. We scrutinize every ingredient, its function, its effectiveness and safety. Every ingredient serves a purpose. We take the extra steps to ensure that our ingredients are equally nourishing for both skin and facial hair, and we use a combination of all-natural botanicals and clinically proven ingredients of the highest grade.
The way forward:As a small indie brand, we believe in constant improvement. Some things we have the power to change now, others are a work in progress. Our big focus for the future is employing regenerative organic practices in the growing of our botanical ingredients.
Eight million tons of plastic enter our oceans every year. We want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Our newly redesigned packaging is made from 100% Post Consumer Resin (PCR) also known as post consumer recycled plastic. We’re also committed to removing additional plastic from the oceans. For every item purchased, we remove five plastic bottles from the ocean.
Accessibility. In addition to shifting to packaging made from 100% recycled plastic, we also ditched the tubes. Why did we do that? Well, as a service disabled veteran owned small business, we have a number of customers who don’t have use of both hands. When one of our community members emailed us expressing his gratitude that we use an airless pump (which he can use one-handed) for our beard oil, a lightbulb went off and we decided then and there to increase the accessibility of our packaging. Our new airless pumps are wide allowing for stable, one-handed operation.
Prior to starting stubble + 'stache, Nick served over seven years as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. First as an Intelligence Officer, then in 2007 joining the Corps' newly formed elite special operations unit: MARSOC aka the Marine Raiders. He was a member of the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion with multiple combat deployments to Afghanistan.
Following his time in the Marine Corps, he co-founded an international stabilization firm based in Washington, DC and later lead a team of thirty intelligence professionals supporting a variety of intelligence organizations in the Washington, DC area.
Nick co-hosted the Discovery Channel show CONTACT and traveled the world investigating credible UFO encounters including foreign military engagements.
Nick recently completed an internship at the world renowned Rodale Institute where he honed his regenerative organic farming skills that will be incorporated into stubble + 'stache's ingredient production process.
Nick is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and attended the Stanford Graduate School of Business’ Post 9/11 Veterans Ignite program. He is also a Global Good Fund Veteran Fellow.
Nick is an advocate for veteran mental health issues and testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs.
