UK Enterprise Awards 2026/ 42 Male Grooming Start-up of the Year 2026 Priority Male is a Derby-based body waxing, grooming and skincare business, first launched by David Beniston as a side-hustle in 2024. In early 2025, though, David discovered that he – along with 300 colleagues – would be made redundant from the Finance Function at the head office of a major UK retailer, and from that time he has sought to diversify and scale-up his business at pace into something bigger. Today, Priority Male is thriving with a loyal client base from right across the Midlands, delivering specialist, Axiom-certified male waxing and skincare treatments that are high-quality, and personalised, from the comfort of a discreet home salon. To begin, why choose Priority Male? Well many of its clients prefer to be treated by a male specialist and they also like the seclusion of a salon away from the busy High Street – not to mention the free on-site parking and later appointment availability. As such, David brings a professional, friendly, and entirely judgement-free service with a highend feel to every one of his clients, creating an environment that helps them feel at ease, whether it’s their first appointment or forms part of their regular grooming routine. While Priority Male’s flagship service is waxing – from brows to toes and everything in between – manscaping is the latest addition to the catalogue, where some clients like to mix and match, such as getting their back waxed but their chest hair trimmed. This comes alongside a range of body skincare treatments, including the innovative and novel “booty facial”, which might usually only appear on the treatment menus of salons based in London or Manchester. However, you may be wondering why people still choose to see a professional to get waxed when waxing has become so affordable and accessible to people at home, with budget-friendly wax pots and a raft of influencers offering “how to” videos. David would say it’s important to think about the quality of the outcome, as well as the convenience of not having to try and do this on yourself. “Let’s be honest, there are some parts of the body you just can’t reach on your own” he says. When you factor-in balance and symmetry, he has a point! What looks great to you in the mirror may in fact look quite off when viewed from a different angle not to mention bits you might miss, or snapped hairs and significant skin bruising from incorrect technique. “There’s still a lot of embarrassment and stigma for men surrounding personal grooming – many of whom would be too shy to walk into a women’s salon. I look to bring those two worlds together – discretion in a high-end setting but with some of the best training available within the industry. My aim is to create a chilled, safe space to enable men to benefit from the same 5* treatments women have been accessing for years.” David acknowledges that due to his business being called ‘Priority Male’, it may make it difficult for him to expand into women’s waxing treatments in Derby. That’s not to say his services are for men exclusively, on the contrary: “I strive to create a welcoming and safe environment for all genders, whether new to waxing or experienced,” says David. “Inclusivity drives me and I’m shocked to hear how trans and BAME people have been treated by some within our industry at times.” For this reason, David is constantly keeping an eye out for relevant CPD courses to make his treatment offering more inclusive. As of April 2026 he is now fully trained and qualified to provide intimate waxing services for women and is also able to accommodate trans men who often feel they have nowhere to go. His few female clients have been recommended to David by their male partners who are regulars at Priority Male; however, he feels it may be time to consider launching a separate website or to change the business name to accommodate a wider audience. Currently, David is studying for a VCTC Level 3 in Anatomy and Physiology, saying, “My goal is to continue in studying an NHS-approved route into electrolysis hair removal. Electrolysis has fallen out of fashion somewhat in recent years due to the improvements in laser technology. However, there are some people where truly permanent hair-removal solutions are necessary and for whom laser is less effective. “I’d love to be able to offer this to trans clients, given how much persecution they’re facing in the world at the moment.” And with that, he concludes, “Creating a safe and inclusive space has always been close to my heart and I see no reason why this can’t work in tandem with providing bespoke treatments for men at a time and location that suits their increasingly busy lifestyles.” Having recently gone viral on X, with 2,600,000 interactions in a 7 day period, Priority Male is looking forward to a truly promising future ahead. Of course, this is an excellent achievement in addition to its current success as it is named Male Grooming Start-up of the Year 2026. Company name: Priority Male Contact name: David Beniston Website: www.prioritymale.co.uk Facebook: Priority Male Instagram: prioritymale365 TikTok: priority.male X: @PriorityMale365
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