“The ocean is our home”, “The ocean is my playground”, “The ocean is my whole life”, all strong pledges made by surfers, that many of us recognize as our own. However, as entrepreneurs particularly close to the ocean and the surfing world, today we are a bit stunned…
Always curious, we are constantly on the lookout, following, and keeping up to date with what is happening in the sunscreen market, in France and internationally, for both family and sports-related use. As in any sector, brands appear, others disappear… And you could say that, in general, organic and environmentally friendly products are on a roll. Over the years, our clients are always better informed, more aware and exacting.
In the universe of sunscreen products marketed to surfers, we have seen appearance of many brands that seem to have a lot of success with Australian and American surfers. These brands have teams of ambassadors, surfers and watermen well-known for their various exploits. When it comes to efficiency, all proclaim the merits of their water-resistance, sun protection, feel, and practical packaging but when it comes to their environmental impact, things get complicated… For example, the use of chemical filters, toxic for the oceans and our health, is only very quietly mentioned if at all.
Paradoxically, even if on their websites these brands push a “healthy” image of these watermen, with pictures of beautiful surf spots, there is no mention of the protection of the environment in general or of human health. Even worse, a potential international distributor told us that organic products do not interest American and Australian surfers, and that it wasn’t their priority.
At the risk of appearing naive, is that even possible? Is the information that they are getting different from ours? Can their commitment to their “playground” be that phlegmatic?
Today, we’re urging surfers that are exploring new spots on all ends of the continents to help us change mindsets. The idea? We will give you two very high protection SPF50+ sunscreen sticks, one for you, one for a surfer of a different nationality that you convince to use a product that is non-toxic for the ocean. All we want in exchange is that you tell us about the conversation and that you send us a picture of the new recruit. Does that sound good to you? Write to us at: [email protected]