Meet Bulldog’s founder, Simon Duffy – the guy creating smart, zero-stress skincare. The brand’s handy moisturisers and speedy face scrubs aren’t just easy to add to your routine, they’re also loaded with skin-boosting ingredients to nourish your skin: think vitamin-rich rice, moisturising algae and even green caviar. The latest energising range (which just landed on ASOS) brings with it a host of new ingredients to discover, so we caught up with Simon to find out more…

Let’s talk about your new energising skincare range – how did you come up with the idea?
‘Our complexions can get tired as they have lots to contend with these days – lack of sleep, the elements, etc. So we wanted to create an energising collection to counter that, using hydrating and brightening techniques from South Korean skincare. I can identify with this myself since I have three lovely young children keeping me on my toes at home, so this range was much needed personally!’

Talk us through the key ingredients…
‘Rice, which is widely known for its brightening properties, is rich in vitamin B. In our moisturiser and mask, we use sodium phytate (phytic acid) from rice bran which is a polyhydroxy acid (PHAs are gentle chemical exfoliants that brighten the skin). Then there’s algae, known for its moisturising and skin-softening properties. Finally, we’ve got “green caviar”, which is often used in Japanese skincare thanks to its hydrating properties.’

Is there a hero product? 
‘Each of these products has been created to wake up your complexion, but my personal favourites are the Energising Moisturiser and Energising Mask. The gel-like formula in the moisturiser is hydrating and refreshing, while the non-bleached sheet mask is made from bamboo and great for brightening up your skin. It’s super easy to use, too. You just put the sheet mask tablet in the pot provided and then soak it with the essence until it can’t absorb any more liquid. Then you unfold the mask and place it on your face for 10 minutes.’

How do you discover new skincare ingredients?
‘We get a lot of inspiration from southeast Asia. I was really attracted to the idea of using rice as one of Bulldog’s key ingredients after learning a beauty hack from this region: you get a bowl of rice and put enough water in it to have the rice be submerged by about an inch, leave it for about 15 minutes (don’t cook it), then apply rice water with a cotton pad like a toner. It’s traditionally believed that this will give you a brighter complexion. Of course, most of us don’t have the time to do this, so I knew I had to use it in our new range!’

Pictures: ASOSHave you noticed a shift in the way we consider skincare ingredients today?
‘Most definitely. Skincare and wellness are increasingly aligning. For example, when we launched our Oil Control Face Scrub (containing charcoal), at the time, people were also using charcoal in their lattes and even toothpaste. I also think a lot of us look at skincare in a similar way to wellness: putting on a mask, for example, is relaxing and when your skin looks good, you feel good about yourself, too, which is great for confidence!’

How important is it to stay innovative in the grooming industry?
‘I could answer this both ways. It’s interesting that our best-selling product is our Original Moisturiser. This product was in the very first range of six products that Bulldog launched back in 2007. It’s become an absolute hero item for the brand and something of a cult classic now. However, I do think it’s extremely important to be innovative. We are always looking for new ingredients to improve existing items or to launch in new items. We also think innovatively about other aspects such as our new sugarcane plastic packaging