Hairbond Mattifier has been part of the range for years.
Barbers know it.
Customers know it.
Some have used it for years.
So when you replace a product like that, you need a proper reason.
We had one.
Some of the ingredients used in Mattifier were discontinued.
Others became increasingly difficult to source.
And this has not been an isolated problem.
Since Covid, manufacturing has changed.
Raw materials became harder to get.
Lead times increased.
Packaging costs rose.
Freight rose.
Energy rose.
Inventory became more expensive to carry.
Everything became slower.
Everything became more expensive.
And innovation slowed with it.
But there was one thing we were never prepared to do.
Compromise on quality.
We Could Have Quietly Changed Mattifier
That would have been the easy option.
Change a few ingredients.
Find cheaper alternatives.
Keep the same jar.
Keep the same name.
Carry on selling it.
Most customers would probably never know why their favourite product suddenly felt slightly different.
But we would know.
And if we could no longer make Mattifier to the standard we wanted, there was little point pretending it was still the same product.
So we stopped it.
And we started again.
I would rather discontinue a product than quietly make a worse one.
Meet Forger
Hairbond Forger Putty replaces Mattifier.
If you used Mattifier, Forger is the product you should look at next.
It sits in that same part of the Hairbond range.
A matte styling product made for texture, control, definition and a natural finish.
But this is not Mattifier poured into a different jar.
It is a new product.
A new formulation.
Built for where Hairbond is now.
The important thing for existing Mattifier customers is simple.
You have not been left without a replacement.
Mattifier is gone.
Forger takes its place.
If You Used Mattifier, What Changes?
This is the bit that matters.
You do not need a marketing lecture.
You need to know whether the new product is for you.
If you used Mattifier because you wanted a matte finish, texture and control without making the hair look wet or overloaded, Forger is the product designed to take you forward.
We will also make the differences clear across Hairbond.com, barber material and product information so customers are not left guessing which jar replaces which.
Because discontinuing a product is one thing.
Making customers work out the replacement for themselves is another.
We are not doing that.
We Have Done This Before
Moulder was once one of the products most associated with Hairbond.
People loved it.
It sold well.
We could have kept it forever.
Instead, we replaced it with Super.
Super replaced Moulder.
Not because Moulder suddenly became bad.
Because products have to move forward.
Now the same thing is happening again.
Forger replaces Mattifier.
Different reason.
Same principle.
Do not keep something alive just because it has always been there.
Make the best product you can make now.
Two Years
The new Hairbond products we are launching took around two years to approve.
That probably sounds ridiculous in an industry where brands launch something new every five minutes.
But we were not interested in rushing.
We tested.
Changed things.
Rejected things.
Tested again.
Looked at texture.
Hold.
Finish.
Application.
How the product actually behaves in hair.
And if it was not good enough, it did not launch.
Simple as that.
It would have been easier to move faster.
It would also have been easier to get it wrong.
Hairbond Should Not Have Twenty Versions Of The Same Thing
I do not want Hairbond becoming one of those brands with endless products doing almost the same job.
More products does not automatically mean a better range.
Sometimes it just means more confusion.
Every Hairbond product should earn its place.
It should have a reason to exist.
If we believe a new product is better, we should back it properly.
That sometimes means an old product has to go.
Moulder became Super.
Mattifier becomes Forger.
The range evolves.
Quality Has To Win
Hairbond was never built around making the cheapest product possible.
There are enough companies doing that already.
We want products that barbers, hairdressers and customers genuinely enjoy using.
That means quality has to win.
Even when it costs more.
Even when development takes longer.
Even when ingredients disappear.
Even when the easier commercial decision is to compromise.
Because once you start lowering the standard to protect the margin, the brand starts disappearing long before the customer notices.
The name on the jar means nothing if the product inside is getting worse.
Hairbond Is Moving Again
Forger is part of a bigger change at Hairbond.
New products.
New formulations.
New ideas.
Products being made and filled here in the UK.
And after several difficult years for manufacturing, the range is moving forward again.
The jars are waiting.
The products are coming.
And this time, we were prepared to wait until they were right.
Mattifier had a great run.
But when we could no longer make it the way we wanted, we did not lower the standard.
We replaced it.
It took two years.
It cost more.
It would have been easier to compromise.
We didn’t.
Mattifier is gone.
Forger earned its place.
What Happens Next
Forger will replace Mattifier across the Hairbond range.
We will publish full product guidance covering finish, hold, application and who it is best suited for before launch, so existing Mattifier customers know exactly what to expect.
And when Forger is ready to buy, we will make one thing very clear:
If you used Mattifier, start here.