The 4:30AM Club Can Be For Grooming Too

At 4:30 in the morning, most men are doing exactly what you’d expect: snoring, drooling, or negotiating with their alarm clocks. And then there’s a different breed of man — the ones who are awake, caffeinated, probably deadlifting.

And then there’s a third category – the one quietly taking time out for themselves to embark on an online shopping spree. And as the data says, it’s for grooming.

Forest Hill — the homegrown grooming brand that’s been steadily rewriting the playbook for Indian men — has the data to prove it. “We’ve noticed that men carve out time for themselves in those silent hours — shopping at 4:30AM is just an extension of that,” says founder Arjun Bhargava. “It’s not about convenience, it’s about intention. Choices feel sharper when you’re not distracted.”

I mean, it’s a little wild, but also… kind of makes sense. For the hustler, it’s probably about control. At 4:30, there are no Slack notifications, no WhatsApp family groups, no colleagues asking if you “have five minutes.” Just you, your basket, and the quiet thrill of buying Aqua Shaving Cream while the city sleeps. Grooming, in that context, stops being a chore and starts becoming armour. You’re not frantically shaving because you’re late. You’re taking 15 quiet minutes to get your face right before anyone else even stirs.

That’s exactly what Forest Hill designs for. Their Pre-Shave Oil softens and shields your skin with natural oils. Their Aqua Shaving Cream hydrates instead of drying out. The Ashford Shaving Brush turns it tactile, a small luxury in your hand. And their Alcohol-Free After Shave Balm calms everything down without the chemical sting. Four steps, zero fuss, all built for men who want their routine to feel clean.

Bhargava calls it “turning a necessity into a ritual.” And it’s not just talk — Forest Hill’s entire range is built around that philosophy: natural, globally sourced ingredients, clean formulations free from sulfates and parabens, and sleek, modern packaging that makes your bathroom shelf look like a boutique counter. From beard oils and hair clays to fragrances, they’re piecing together what they call “an ecosystem for high-performing men.”

Grooming That Is Quiet, But Powerful

Here’s the thing: anyone can buy an expensive watch. Not everyone can pull off discipline. That’s what the 4:30AM Club is — a grooming discipline hidden in plain sight. The luxury is in the ritual, in being the kind of guy who’s already taken care of himself while everyone else is still drooling into their pillows.

Forest Hill has leaned into that philosophy since 2021, when Arjun and Ratna Bhargava founded the brand to fill the gaping hole between overpriced imports and sad supermarket gels. The whole ethos is “affordable luxury”: globally sourced, clean ingredients, sleek packaging, no parabens, no sulfates, no nonsense. And clearly, men are buying in. Forest Hill products rank as bestsellers across Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, and even Blinkit (yes, grooming kits delivered in 10 minutes at 5AM — that’s commitment).

Here’s the thing about the 4:30AM Club: you don’t need an invite. You don’t even need to be awake at 4:30. The point is carving out time when the world isn’t asking anything of you — whether that’s dawn, dusk, or a stolen fifteen minutes between flights. Forest Hill just happens to be the gear that makes that ritual stick.