Michael Strahan Enters the Skin Care and Grooming Game with Launch of Namesake Collection

Courtesy Michael Strahan Daily Defense

Are you ready for some … Strahan Skin Care and Grooming! Great, because Michael Strahan just entered the beauty game.

The NFL pro football Hall of Famer and Good Morning America coanchor introduces Michael Strahan Daily Defense, a collection of five products to help every man score great skin.

Strahan tells PEOPLE, "I've always been into my skin" — but never prioritized it until his career shifted from the football field to the TV studio.

"As an athlete, you're just putting the helme, on, taking a helmet off, and using soap and whatever — you don't have time for a routine. Now, [because of] the career that I am in and the makeup that I have to wear, I have one that I stick to."

Strahan explains that the move is also about boosting confidence, in himself in and others. Having launched a highly successful apparel line, he says skin care and grooming products were a logical addition to his growing lifestyle empire to help guys look and feel good.

"Clothes are about confidence. We've done that. Skin is about confidence, too. So it was the next evolutionary step," he says.

Courtesy Michael Strahan Daily Defense

Strahan says his family played a role in his interest in his decision to branch into skin care and grooming, too. "The women in my life take care of their skin and have always said, 'you should do this and you should do that.' But when searching products, I found that there was a missing link in that market."

The legendary — and very busy ­— athlete set out to fill it with a collection "that doesn't take a lot of time out of my day and gives me everything that I need."

He partnered with biotechnology company Evolved by Nature to deliver formulas "premium ingredients" such as its patented Activated Silk technology, which uses silk proteins to improve the skin's outer barrier. "It was important to differentiate ourselves from other products — ours has some serious benefits."

It was also critical that the products not only be efficacious, but good-for-you. "I take what I'm putting onto my skin very seriously. It's kind of like in sports  ­— I didn't do or take anything to aid my performance or recovery because I want to live a long life without doing something that's going to catch up to me later. So that's what our products are about — making your skin healthy first and foremost, and giving you a great quality second to that."

Michael Strahan Daily Defense, he adds, "is about how we tackle every day and defend our skin."

Courtesy Michael Strahan Daily Defense

The assortment — a Hydrating Face and Beard Wash ($14), Clear Shave Lotion ($12), Calming Post Shave Balm ($12), Face and Neck Moisturizer ($14) and Conditioning Beard Oil ($14) All products are available at michaelstrahanskin.com — will roll out in CVS stores and CVS.com later in September. ­Strahan was determined to make the collection affordable. "I am not trying to tell people, 'follow what I am doing,' then charge them a premium. I wanted to give this to them for the best price possible."

As for the products themselves, Strahan tapped into his own needs to create smarter skin care. We wanted a clear shaving lotion because in a development process, I said, 'I have a beard, and I hate when I put on [an opaque] foaming gel, because sometimes I cut too much off of my beard. I want a clear shaving gel so that you can see the outline as I shave."

Strahan can't pick a favorite, but says he "loves" the face and neck moisturizer "because we neglect that area" and the beard oil, the latter of which was inspired by his son, Michael Jr. "My son has always had a nice beard and he came to me and was like, 'I want to do beard oils,' and he was making them himself at home. And was like, 'There's got to be a better way to do this.' So we created one."

Courtesy Michael Strahan Daily Defense

The star had an eye toward sophisticated packaging, something "you could keep on your counter and be proud of."

"I think that that's important to be able to display your product and not feel like you have to hide them because the packaging is wrong or doesn't look good, even though it works for you," he says.

Sustainable packaging was also paramount. The metal bottles are recyclable, something Strahan is very proud of. "When you're a father, you want the world to be a little bit cleaner and better for your kids." The back of each bottle drives home his stance with the printed hashtag "MichaelRecycles."

For Strahan, who works on both coasts, portability was also key. He made the products in travel sizes with twist caps that lock so there are no spills, and no excuses when it comes to having your essentials with you at all times.

Courtesy Michael Strahan Daily Defense

He hopes the thoughtful assortment will help men feel good about skin care and grooming. "I think now guys are more committed to this type of thing [now]. I know I am, and I'm not ashamed to say it. My skin is my confidence. I know if I have a blemish or something and I've got to go to work, I can just feel it the whole time I'm on air. I'm going, 'Everybody's staring at it!' So I am committed because I don't like that feeling, and now I have a chance to avoid that feeling I'm going to do everything I can to do that."

Strahan sums up the launch: "For me it's always about authenticity. It's never 'let's just throw something out there and hopefully it works.' I think that's the wrong way to approach any business. That's the wrong way to approach something that you're going to give people. I want people to really believe in something as much as I believe in the things that I'm using and producing."

Despite his packed schedule, Strahan says it wasn't at all hard to commit to another passion project.

"I look at this as the natural progression of my clothing business. People say, 'When do you sleep? Why do you work so much? You do Fox. You do GMA. You do The $100,000 Pyramid.' I love it though. And I'm now at the point of where I don't have to do anything I don't enjoy. And  if it gets to the point where I don't, then it'll be time to let that [thing] go. For now, every bit of it is fun."