From SOTD to Global Luxury Brand: An Interview with Peter Charkalis of Ariana & Evans

Peter Charkalis is living the life many wet shavers only dream about. What began like it does for so many of us—with a simple Shave of the Day photo—has grown into one of the most adventurous, edgy, and sought-after brands in the wet shaving world. But Ariana & Evans didn’t emerge overnight, and Peter didn’t build it alone. His wife, Evelyn, and daughter, Thalia, have been with him every step of the way, through years of hard work, trial and error, hits and misses. The road has been long, but the trajectory has always pointed skyward. With a blend of savvy innovation and artistic boldness, Ariana & Evans continues to push the envelope of what’s possible in artisan grooming. I had the chance to catch up with Peter to talk about his journey, explore the philosophy behind the brand, and get a glimpse of what’s next. Here’s Peter…

Q: Ariana & Evans has taken a unique approach by segmenting the traditional tub soap market into distinct price tiers—K2e for entry-level, Ultima for premium, and Legacy for ultra-premium. Has this strategy been effective? Are buyers aware of the differences, and has it helped expand your reach?

A: Actually, our shaving cream is our entry level offering.  This has worked exceptionally well for us. In business, you want to 'touch' as many people as possible. We are now able to do this with unique offerings and a targeted pricing strategy. I believe we are uniquely positioned to offer products irrespective of price range now. I don't believe our offerings are too difficult to digest at all. I measure this by the success each base has been able to achieve . The Danielle Maullu line is our ultra premium line and has honestly done so much better than I ever dreamed possible.

Has this strategy been effective? Yes. Our sales have literally doubled and has been on this track consistently since November. Our brand is unique and compelling to new wet shavers as well as seasoned veterans who expect nothing but the best. We measure our success many different ways, but I'm very keen on whether we are attracting new customers, are they then reordering, and is revenue increasing. I'm very thankful for our growth and pleasantly surprised how many new customers/first time buyers are discovering our brand. These new customers are returning and continue to choose our products which shows we're doing something right.

Q: You've also launched parallel brands like Pedro Fiasco and the vegan Barbiere di Famiglia, based on the VR2 base. How have these lines performed, and in what ways have they helped broaden your presence in the market?

A: Pedro Fiasco has now merged into A&E for simplicity. Our Shaving Creams have done very well. People are amazed how well our tallow base shave creams perform at this price point. The Barbiere di Famiglia line has done well. We have recently started offering the creams in aluminum tubes. Our 4th offering in a tube will be Nirvana and you'll get your nose on it at the event on June 7th. We will also release two new VR2 for the Barbiere di Famiglia line which are Trastevere and The Spanish Steps. Eventually all shaving Creams will be made in these aluminum tubes. I believe this will further expand our appeal for hobbyists as well as the non-hobbyist market.

Q: With the launch of shaving creams, it looks like you're making a push toward the mainstream shaving market. What has the response been like so far? Have any mass-market retailers expressed interest?

A: We will never be mainstream, as mainstream is boring and we're far from a boring brand. We're a traditional company with a very untraditional approach. I think the fact we're so different than other brands is why we're attracting so many new customers. It also helps to have a good product. The response has been fabulous! Have any mass-market retailers expressed interest?  We have no interest in a mass market offerings. You will not see our brand at a Target or some other large retailer. First, we are still a small family business and scaling up would be a challenge. We have the capacity to make 1,000 soaps per day because the equipment I have invested in. That doesn't mean we are making that many or have the staff to do it. Having the capacity and able to do it are two different stories 😆. I honestly would have no interest in making mass market crappy products. I like where we are and prefer to offer the best damn products in the industry at a reasonable price. The rest will take care of itself.

Q: With Thalia’s help, you’ve begun moving into unisex fragrances—and possibly even a future line for women. What challenges come with extending the brand beyond men’s grooming? How do you plan to connect with this new audience?

A: Thank you for mentioning Thalia. I'm so proud of her. She has a brilliant business sense, she's incredibly intelligent, thoughtful and artistic. Most of our fragrances are unisex. I mean, what's feminine & masculine anyway. Hell, I love a beautiful rose fragrance. Portrait of a Lady by Frederic Malle is magnificent and considered a woman's fragrance, yet a large percentage of men wear it. I'm one of them, it's gorgeous! Birthday Suit which has received a great deal of interest within the fragrance community is a composition created by Thalia. We're shipping these all over the world. It's crazy, in a good way. Thalia did an amazing job with this and to be honest it leans slightly masculine although it's a unisex fragrance. Many women are buying this as well, which to your question has further expanded our customer base. The fact that woman are buying our products now proves that our strategy to focus on skincare & fragrances for 2025/26 is the right strategy for our brand and our growth.

Q: It’s clear from recent interviews that your collaboration with Thalia is deepening. How is she influencing the A&E brand and its product direction? Has she started her perfumery studies in New York yet?

A: Ariana & Evans is a family business. My wife Evelyn is an unsung hero. She likes to keep a low profile, but the company doesn't exist without her. I just wanted to mention her because she really prefers to be in the background, but is every bit as important as Thalia and myself. Thalia has really become such an integral part of the business. She is initiating processes which will help streamline operations, as well as took over designing our labels, graphics and the web site. She also recently negotiated and arranged fantastic terms with a new partner to improve our labels. She has truly made her mark in a short period of time. I rely on her at this point for all aspects of the business. Most every decision I make is discussed with her. In most cases if she says no, then it's no! lol. She's the new sheriff in town and I couldn't be more proud and in awe at what she has accomplished in such a short period of time. I don't believe it's a coincidence that the spike in growth coincides with her working full time here. The world is her oyster. As far as her influencing the brands direction. This has been quite significant. Because of her, our goal is to be good stewards of the environment and be 95% plastic free (or more). Our goal was to achieve this by year end, but the tariffs and uncertainty of supply chains may have slowed this down a bit. We will be an ECO-Friendly brand. She is very involved in scent creation and nothing gets released at this point without her approval. I trust her nose that much. As far as the Pratt Institute, we had to put that on hold. We have been so busy and the cost was incredibly high. We just finished paying for her college (we never took a loan) and realized we needed a financial break. She will go because perfuming has become a passion and the success of Birthday Suit & Pistachio Silk have really stoked those flames for her passion of perfuming.

Q: A&E seems to be gaining strong traction in Europe. To what do you attribute that growing popularity, and how might it shape your plans for international growth?

A: We are doing quite well, but we can do better. Our growth is not limited to the EU. We are doing very well in India, China and throughout the Asian Pacific. I actually think there's tremendous opportunity throughout the world and in North America in particular. We just took our training wheels off and are ready to go full speed ahead.  We attribute our growth to having good partners and offering exceptional products. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is the value you bring to the market. The European market is very important, so is the US (our largest market), China (fastest growing market) and beyond.

Q: Your collaboration with Daniele Maullu has resonated with many. What’s next for that creative partnership?

A: Daniele is a partner and a close friend. We recently released Latte e Menta and will make these available as soon as possible to retailers. Legacy, which was our first release for this line has done better than we anticipated. In fact, I had no idea how well received this would be but had no expectations on the success we have seen. There's really no limit, but we won't go crazy with a new release every month. I envision 4 scents in total with supporting products such as matching fragrances, brushes (we recently collaborated with Trotter Hand Crafts) and perhaps body soaps, beard oil, shampoos etc.

Q: The community was relieved to hear that the recent fire above your facility didn’t cause serious damage. You also mentioned that A&E is on the verge of outgrowing its current space. Are there plans for expansion or relocation in the near future?

A: We will stay put for now and see how things unfold with supply chain issues & tariffs. I don't know if people realize how much impact this can have for a business like ours. Ideally, I would like to own our building, so we'll see what the future holds.

Q: Your showroom events have become one of the premier wet shaving meetups on the East Coast. How have they evolved over time? Any plans to expand or take them on the road?

A: I just had a conversation about doing something outside the US. Literally just yesterday. I won't say where yet 😊. I think this is our 4th event in Ansonia and this will be our largest. I invited 2 artisan friends to join me at our showroom to sell their products as well. We'll have Doug Layne of Adopted Acres Soap Co and Joe Dean of Subtle Art Soap Co and they'll have tables setup as well. They are great guys and I'm thrilled they'll be here.  Several years ago, I rented a yacht in NYC which went around Manhattan down to the Statue of Liberty. It was a magical day with well over 100 attendees. I'll probably look into doing this again next summer God willing.

Q: Like many in the community, your journey into wet shaving began almost by accident. What do you think it is about wet shaving that draws people in so deeply?

A: I think it depends on the person. Some go into wet shaving to save money 😆, others for tradition or to get away from plastics. Others want something which will give them a better shave without harsh chemicals. Once they're here, what keeps them here is the camaraderie, friendships, the feeling of belonging and that their not the only one obsessed with smelling soaps lol. None of our outside friends understand, but WE do.  Some of my closest friends I've met through this wonderful hobby. Heck, I've gone from posting SOTD pictures to making a living doing what I love. What a great hobby and blessing this has turned out to be.

Q: In a recent interview, you said what you love most is the act of creation. What is it about creating that fuels you? How does it make you feel?

A: You have to understand, I never did anything like this before. I never knew I had this in me. I'm going to be 62 in a couple weeks and at an advanced age, this business unlocked a creative side I never knew existed. The best way to answer this is to tell you what I did after work today. When everyone left, Thalia and I were working together, she was making more Birthday Suit and I had an idea for a new fragrance. We are together creating. She added more of the whiskey Lactone and asked me to smell it. I had just added some Ambrox DL to what I was working on and we're sharing our glass jars back and forth and cheering each other on and she's suggesting more French Lavender (Grosso) for mine and we're just both in our own zone working and creating together. Words can't describe what a special moment this was for me. I love creating, challenging myself to be the best I can be and I see Thalia has this same passion. It's wonderful.

Q: Looking ahead, where do you see Ariana & Evans in 10 years? What might the company and its product offerings look like a decade from now?

A: I doubt I'll be here, but I believe A&E will be. I see the brand leaning more towards fragrances & skincare than it is at the moment. Fragrances have become a very big part of our business and I see this increasing significantly now and in the future. I also see our skincare line growing. I believe we will settle-in and in 10 years our shaving soaps will be highly regarded, but we won't be a part of the artisan base races any longer. Our brand will be more premium, luxury packaging, eco-friendly and respected as such (I hope). As the dust clears and sun sets on my career, I have much to be proud of. I went from being an obsessed hobbyist deep in the rabbit hole to making my own soaps in the kitchen. We then moved to an addition a year later I built on my house for more space and we quickly outgrew that and moved to a factory space 8 months after building the addition. Now our facility runs the length of a city block in Ansonia. We're still a small family business with a lot of hopes & dreams. I think in 10 years we will continue to lead, create & thrive.

Peter & Thalia