Men’s skincare has expanded quickly over the past decade, but much of it still looks the same. Packaging changes, ingredient lists shift, but the underlying approach rarely moves very far. Most products are designed to be broadly appealing and stripped of identity, making them easy to slot into an already crowded category.
Setú is starting somewhere different by building itself around Latin American botanicals, focusing on ingredients that have long histories in regional wellness but have seen limited representation in mainstream men’s grooming. And they aren’t just treating the ingredients as a marketing layer. Setú is integrating them directly into its formulations, pairing them with standard clinical actives.
The company was founded by siblings Ricardo Aranda and Dr. Jennifer Aranda, a board-certified dermatologist. The idea came from a combination of personal observation and professional experience. Within their own community, skincare for men was often overlooked. At the same time, much of the existing market lacked any real cultural context. The result was a category that functioned, but didn’t feel particularly connected to the people using it.
Setú’s product line reflects a more structured approach. Look at the Complete Set, their, well, complete set. It includes four core products, including a daily cleanser, vitamin C serum, moisturizer with retinol, and eye cream. It’s a standard combination of products, but the execution leans on a combination of familiar actives and region-specific ingredients.
Moringa and yerba mate appear in the cleanser, working alongside niacinamide to address oil and environmental buildup. The vitamin C serum incorporates Camu Camu and sarsaparilla, while the moisturizer contains açaí. Then there’s the eye cream, which uses guaraná and caffeine to target puffiness and fatigue.
That mix isn’t new on its own. What stands out is the consistency of the sourcing and the narrative behind it. Ingredients like camu camu, guaraná, and açaí are widely recognized in certain contexts, but they rarely anchor a men’s skincare line in a cohesive way. Here, they form the foundation of the product rather than a secondary detail.
The brand also leans into the idea that men’s skin has its own set of needs. Generally thicker and more prone to oil production, it also tends to deal with irritation from shaving. Setú’s formulations are designed to absorb quickly and avoid the heavier textures that can discourage regular use. The goal is not to complicate routines, but to make them easier to maintain.
There’s a broader positioning at play as well. Setú frames itself as part of a larger movement toward representation within the beauty industry. Latin American ingredients are central to that, but so is the perspective behind the brand. Rather than adapting an existing template, the company is building from a specific cultural reference point and expanding outward.
That approach extends to the products. Take the Complete Set, which is structured as an entry point and offers a full routine in a single package. It removes some of the friction that often comes with starting a skincare regimen, particularly for consumers who haven’t engaged deeply with the category before.
At the same time, the formulations avoid leaning too heavily on trend-driven claims. The products are vegan, cruelty-free, and free from parabens, sulfates, artificial dyes, and synthetic fragrances, but those details are positioned as baseline expectations rather than the primary selling point. The emphasis remains on how the products perform and where the ingredients come from.
Setú is still early in its development, but its focus is relatively clear. As opposed to “redefining” skincare altogether, it is narrowing in on the specific gap of products for men that combine clinical effectiveness with a sense of cultural grounding. That level of specificity stands out, not as a radical shift away from industry norms, but as a more deliberate way of building something within an already established space.
