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Supergoop! Sunscreen Superhero?

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Thoughts of the sun call to mind the first juicy bite of watermelon, the slap of sandals against your heels, and a sun-drenched snooze by the lake or beach. But for many people, it also conjures wincing memories of pink, painful sunburns. Dermatologists recommend that sunscreen should be a part of everyone’s daily skincare routine – yes, even during the fall and winter months – because even slight sun exposure can cause damage over time. According to Dr. Dendy Engleman, a nationally renowned dermatologist, even 10-15 minutes of sun exposure can cause significant sun damage over time, even affecting children. Yet, slathering on a greasy, heavy, often chemical-smelling sunscreen doesn’t really fit into everyone’s morning ritual. But, one San Antonio-based company is on a mission to do exactly that. Supergoop! wants people to wear sunscreen every day.

Supergoop! is earning rave reviews from top beauty editors, for a number of fabulous reasons. One of them might be because the company was founded on a good cause: to protect our children from skin cancer and other harmful forms of sun damage. Holly Thaggard, Supergoop! founder, discovered just how vulnerable people are to the sun when a close friend was diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer at the age of 30. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Holly recalled, “Because I learned from my dermatologist that sun damage starts at a very young age, we must protect the children first,” and that’s exactly what she set out to do. 

As a Texas resident, Holly was startled to learn that schoolchildren, including her own kids, weren’t allowed to use sunscreen during school-sanctioned outdoor activities. So, she started Supergoop! in 2007 with the goal of getting sunblock into classrooms across America. However, in 2008 it turned out California was the only state that allowed children to use sunscreen at school since sunscreen is classified as an over-the-counter medicine. Most public schools also don’t have the funding to provide every child with the sun protection they need, and some school districts just weren’t ready to accept any responsibility to protect children from the sun’s harsh rays.

Undeterred, Holly rededicated herself to educating families about the importance of sun protection and building the Supergoop! brand into a brand parents could trust. This meant developing a sunscreen that went on easy, lasted all day, and didn’t make you look like Casper The Friendly Ghost. In an interview with Allure, Holly shared her new game plan, “Our consumers are so vocal about what they like and dislike about SPFs, so [Unseen] was more about putting this dream list together that, regardless of skin tone, everyone can pull this product into their routine every single day. We knew that we could push ourselves to really deliver on that checklist of things, [including] invisible, weightless, scentless, makeup-gripping.”

In 2020, Supergoop! is well on its way to delivering an effortless, invisible product. Supergoop!’s Unseen Sunscreen earns rave reviews from Popsugar, Marie Claire, and Business insider for its oil-free invisibility on the skin and silky texture that holds makeup, allowing it to serve as a silky-smooth primer. With an SPF of 40, it’s more than enough protection to combat incidental sun exposure every day. Unseen might feel weightless, but it doesn’t need to be reapplied every hour. Condé Nast Traveler reported that even after cliff diving and steep-incline, high-temperature hiking, the sunscreen stays strong without running into your eyes and burning.

If a mineral sunscreen is more your speed, Supergoop! has plenty of options like the Sunnyscreen 100% Mineral Lotion and Mineral Stick. Mineral sunscreens come highly recommended from Dr. Engleman because they are chemical-free and won’t seep into your skin. In a recent, sunbaked study, The New York Times tested seven sunscreens on different skin types and decided that Supergoop!’s Play Everyday Lotion SPF 50 with Sunflower Extract was the best product for most skin types. The publication says it rubs in easily without being greasy, has a nice, subtle aroma, and comes in a variety of sizes to suit everyone’s needs. 

Supergoop!’s new formulas are also reef-safe, which means you can protect yourself from the sun in some of the most beautiful and colorful parts of the world without damaging the environment. And, Supergoop! is constantly working to reduce its carbon footprint by removing excess packaging and clarifying which parts of its products are widely recyclable. They are dedicated to finding the most eco-friendly, natural ingredients, without sacrificing the efficacy of their formulations.

In an effort to provide ongoing education, Supergoop! developed The Sunny Side, an online resource full of interesting and informative categories ranging from “Learn From a Derm” to “Chemistry Lesson” to “Sun 101.” Now that Supergoop! has done the work to build the platform, they are fulfilling their original mission with their Ounce by Ounce program. The initiative puts sunscreen into schools for free while educating kids on the importance of sun protection from an early age. Reflecting on this past, crazy year, Holly Thaggard noted “I started this brand not as a product, but as a movement, with the goal that everyone, everywhere, every day, would learn the importance of keeping their skin safe through SPF, and ultimately stop the epidemic of skin cancer.” With a mission like that, Holly is certainly a living, breathing sunscreen superhero.

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