Sidebars

• The Many Faces of Sun Care

  The Many Faces of Sun Care

  In its December 2008 series of reports on the sun care market, Euromonitor International noted that the market has been characterized by the entrance of beauty brand marketers not typically associated with sun care blurring the boundaries between sun care and other beauty segments. Subsequently, products with touted sun care properties have become more aligned with color cosmetics or skin care. Value-added benefits in the form of sun protection have morphed into primary claims in many products that could more appropriately be defined by another segment—i.e., skin care, color cosmetics, etc. Examples of new such products have come to the attention of GCI magazine.

  Targeted Care in Color

  Sunforgettable SPF 30 Eyescreen by Colorescience Pro (www.colorescience.com) is a powder SPF protection specifically for the eye area designed to protect, diffuse and accentuate.

  The sheer pink, light-diffusing powder plays tricks on the eyes, according to the company, camouflaging dark circles and giving fine lines a soft focus while touting an SPF 30 rating.

  Sun Block in a Pill

  GliSODin Skin Nutrients Advanced Skin Brightening Formula (www.glisodinskin.com) is claimed to enhance the strength of topical sunscreens. It is said to have photo-protective and anti-inflammatory properties that help protect the skin and reduce inflammation caused by UV exposure and oxidative stress. Citing consumers’ propensity for insufficient sunscreen application and poor compliance with application directions, the product—because it does not depend on the adequacy of topical application—is claimed to be both effective and complementary to topical products. It is also claimed to even out pigmentation.

  For the Beach and with a Twist

  Tropical Seas (www.beachbuff.com) introduced a line of “reef safe” sunscreens claimed to biodegrade in ocean water, thus protecting fragile subsurface ecosystems. The Beach Buff “Reef Safe” sunscreen line also received an official endorsement from the American Lifeguard Association, and found success on shelf. The company followed up with additional testing that claims to show 99% of the Beach Buff sunscreens also biodegrade in river and lake water in less than 90 days.

• Sunscreen Symposium: In Brief

  Sunscreen Symposium: In Brief

  The theme of the Florida chapter of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists’ (FLSCC) 12th Sunscreen Symposium, “Perpetuating Beauty through Protection,” was at the forefront of three days of lectures.

  Among the highlights, Craig Bonda (HallStar Personal Care) noted that “the behavior of sunscreen products is not predictable from its individual ingredients.”

  Julian Hewitt (Croda), who delved into formulation strategies to meet differing global UVA requirements, noted that while SPF tests are similar worldwide, UVA testing differs greatly. Hewitt, among others, noted his anticipation of the new monograph from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). “I feel sorry for sun care formulators in the United States,” said Hewitt, who added there are few usable UV filters in the United States.

  David Steinberg (Steinberg & Associates) opened with suggestions for changes he would make to the FDA monograph. He also suggested removing number and star rating systems, as well the words “low,” “medium,” “high” or “very high” that indicate levels of UV protection.

  A full report is available at www.cosmeticsandtoiletries.com.

• Another Viewpoint on Sunning

  Another Viewpoint on Sunning

  “If you protect the skin from the sun using SPF, are you causing a larger health issue?” asks San-Mar Laboratories’ Frank Penna. “What of the controversy of vitamin D deficiency in one of three women—in part because SPF prohibits the body’s production of vitamin D.”

  Penna and company believe the future in sun care lies in “intelligent sun exposure,” and San-Mar is completing work on an SPF product that will allow the body to produce vitamin D while protecting from UVA and UVB overexposure.

  “Nature provided our bodies with melanin, the best protection from sun damage,” says Penna. “The key is short exposure to the sun (10 to 15 minutes a day), allowing the melanin in the body to bloom and providing a ‘healthy tan’ to simultaneously stimulate vitamin D production. SPF 15 (UVA and UVB) should be applied after the initial 10- to 15-minute exposure to the sun for long-term protection.”

• Niche Marketing in Sun Care

  Niche Marketing in Sun Care

  In a number of recent reports, Euromonitor International has noted that segmentation and narrowly defined positioning are, increasingly, drivers of growth in a number of market categories.

  Two of the more interesting efforts to narrow the target for sunscreen consumers—one because of the size of the potential segment; the other for, simply, the unusual positioning—are Race Face sunscreen and Will Ferrell’s Sexy Hot Tan, Sun Stroke and Forbidden Fruit SPF 30 sunscreens.

  NASCAR fans can choose their SPF and bottle size as well as their favorite driver number and bottle design with Race Face sunscreen. Launched by Agility Sports, the line was created to appeal to the estimated 75 million race fans. In addition to availability in different formats and sizes, the bottles showcase the most coveted drivers—including Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Jimmy Johnson.

  The company also provides an assortment of custom-produced sunscreens that facilitate branding within and to niche markets—as well as for promotions.

  Agility Sports first needed to secure licensing, creating a handful of products to send for approval of NASCAR. The company worked with its production partners—sister companies CL&D Graphics and CL&D Digital—to print 40 shrink sleeve varieties to present, and then assembled and filled bottles to pitch for shelf space to potential retail partners. There were design changes and additions along the way, and now Graphics has full production runs on nearly all of the items presented for license.

  Launched in May 2009, 10,000 units of Will Ferrell’s Sexy Hot Tan, Sun Stroke and Forbidden Fruit SPF 30 sunscreens moved in two months. The line is positioned as a charitable sunscreen line that “provides sun protection, laughs and college scholarship money for cancer survivors.”

  The line was launched on Amazon and through www.cancerforcollege.org.