Love Sun Body

Sunscreen & Skincare that is Safe for Your Body & the Planet

I'm Dr. Terry Zickerman and I founded Love Sun Body over a simple conversation with my family about sunscreen while visiting Point Pleasant, NJ. 

We were discussing how difficult it was to find a natural sunscreen that actually worked and was safe to use because so many could not deliver sufficient protection and others were still incorporating potentially harmful synthetic chemicals.  

Also, as a doctor, I was already familiar with studies showing sunscreen chemicals may be absorbed into our bodies and the health risk that they may pose (not to mention how bad they can be for the environment).  So, we asked ourselves – what if we could create something natural that really worked, that was safe, that people would find easy to use and would be more eco-friendly?  We spent the next 7 years working on it and that’s how Love Sun Body was born!

Love Sun Body is the only Cosmos Natural certified 100% natural origin mineral sunscreen in the U.S. We like to think that this makes us the most honest, trustworthy, cleanest and safest sunscreen available -- but it's not just us saying it -- the Cosmos Natural certification validates it.

Given the lack of global regulation on natural cosmetics and the misleading marketing from many companies, Love Sun Body has pursued Cosmos Natural Certification as a way of proving to consumers and retailers that our products are truly 100% natural and environmentally responsible.

Many companies use the phrase “natural” even when chemical ingredients co-exist with natural ingredients in a formula. The unregulated use of “all-natural” devalues the notion that a product is completely natural. Having Cosmos Natural certify that our formula is of 100% natural origin – may prompt explanation – but it gives us an opportunity to educate consumers and ensure they know that our product is sourced and produced responsibly, with an understanding of where our ingredients come from and are truly 100% natural and free of any harmful chemicals.

Cosmos Natural certification is one of the toughest set of requirements for natural cosmetics in the world.  A certified 100% natural origin sunscreen means:

• We use only certified 100% natural ingredients traceable to the source or their origin -- so we know where every single ingredient comes from!
• All of our ingredients are non-GMO, non-toxic and use no synthetic chemicals even during production and processing

• Even our manufacturing process and cleaning products used during production must be certified non-toxic and safe for humans and the environment 
• Our packaging labelling claims are reviewed to ensure they are not misleading and our packaging must be recyclable and kept to a minimum

This is why we say Love Sun Body is safe for your body & the planet.

Love Sun Body 100% Natural Mineral Sunscreens 

• We offer an SPF 30 Moisturizing Mineral Face Sunscreen and SPF 30 and SPF 50 fragrance-free and lightly scented body formulas
• Use only non-nano zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as sunscreen filters
• Have been designed to rub in easily and not leave the white coating typically associated with mineral sunscreens
• Are water-resistant up to 80 minutes and our face sunscreen is clinically proven safe for use on or around the eye area
• Exceed the FDA requirements for sunscreen and meet the even tougher EU regulations, whereby the UVA protection must be 1/3 as potent as the total SPF
• Our formulas were awarded #1 for safety & efficacy by EWG
• Our formulas are hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, vegan and cruelty-free
• Made in the USA

Within 6 months of our launch, the sunscreen industry experienced two major shakeups -- and we were perfectly positioned to capitalize on both of them.  

First, studies revealed that up to 10 chemical sunscreen ingredients were harming the coral reefs around the globe.  It was reported that it takes only 1 drop of these chemicals in an Olympic size swimming pool to affect the toxicity levels.  Studies also indicated these chemicals may harm marine life such as disrupting reproductive systems of fish.  

Ultimately, several countries, the state of Hawaii and cities like Key West voted to ban chemical sunscreen ingredients for harming the coral reefs.  I even had the honor of attending and speaking at the the meeting in Key West.

Since early 2019, searches for reef safe sunscreen and oxybenzone-free sunscreen have only grown.

The second development came from the FDA.  After multiple studies revealed potential health risks from active chemical sunscreen ingredients, the FDA no longer considered these active chemical ingredients as GRASE (or generally regarded as safe and effective) and state more research is needed to confirm their safety.

The FDA has declared minerals like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as the only safe sunscreen filters.  As a result, Google searches for mineral sunscreen have increased 100%.

A Green, Sustainable Company

At Love Sun Body, we are united by our sustainability strategy that is built around pillars that put health and a green initiative at the heart of our work, "Safe for your body and the planet".

Sustainability and Traceability is no longer an option. It is a necessity.

When it comes to sustainability and traceability, all aspects of our operations come into play: sourcing ingredients, packaging, labeling, manufacturing and waste reduction … all in the name of protecting the climate, the forest, waters and people.

All of our products are biodegradable, all of our packaging is recyclable, minimized and is environmentally friendly.  We are actively sourcing new, even more environmentally-friendly packaging for our future product development.

Our manufacturing incorporates natural cleaning ingredients.

At Love Sun Body, we seek to leverage our reach, scale and expertise to effect real change in sustainability issues. Our green activities and initiatives include recycling, manufacturing, socially responsible investments (SRI) that focus on conservation of natural resources, manufacturing, implementation of clean air, and other environmentally conscious business practices.

Research & Development and Intellectual Property

Our accredited independent contract research organization (CRO) and contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) collaborator has assisted Love Sun Body with all product development and intellectual property.

Manufacturing

Our contract manufacturer is a world leader in cosmetics R&D and manufacturing, with a state of the art CGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulations enforced by the FDA) facility. The facility has the most advanced technology and exceptional quality control. The facilities team of accomplished scientists’ test and manufacture all Love Sun Body’s revolutionary formulas.

Our Milestones

We were proud to launch with the leader in the clean beauty movement, Credo Beauty, but throughout 2019, we added many other top clean beauty retailers to our list of distribution partners including:  Pharmaca, Follain and Detox Market in the U.S and Canada.  This year we added Macy's to our list of retailers.

Four months ago, we entered our 3rd year and despite 65% of all of our retail stores being closed during this period due to COVID (and 2 months during our peak season) we are still on trend to outperform Year 2.  

• In just these past 4 months, we've already realized more than 50% of the revenue from Year 2.
• Our pivot and focus on digital marketing has been instrumental in building a profitable and lucrative growth strategy for Love Sun Body go forward.  
• We are seeing 100% growth in sales MOM and July will be our best month yet, seeing over 600% growth in revenue as compared to the same month last year.   Overall our digital sales revenue has already beaten our total sales revenue from 2019 and is up 30%.
• Adding our new Moisturizing Mineral Face Sunscreen to our assortment provides new opportunities for all year round sales and marketing with a product designed for every day use as a moisturizer with SPF with anti-aging benefits from raspberry seed oil and sunflower oil.

Partners and Sponsors of the Melanoma Action Coalition and Member Organizations

This summer, we established a partnership with the Melanoma Action Coalition and are proud to be their official sunscreen partner. We will be supporting the fundraiser and awareness events and programs of their members with samples and marketing support. See a complete list of members here: https://www.melanomaactioncoalition.org/about-our-members.html

The Global Sun Care Market

The sunscreen industry is forecast for double digit growth annually for the next decade. Consumers are realizing the benefits of proper sun protection.

Furthermore, doctors and physicians are also advising sun care to protect skin against harmful damages caused by UV rays. Spurred by these factors, the global sun care market will witness significant prospects for growth between 2018 and 2024, driven by a shift towards new product development to create healthier, natural alternatives by companies that will ascertain the market’s growth in the coming years.

Growth Plans

Our future product development will further expand our brand into clean beauty skincare and cosmetics, with products that are designed for use 365 days/year.  The global natural cosmetics market is projected to hit $47B by 2024.  

Product Line Extensions and Expansion into Skincare & Cosmetics:  Our mission is to be the first and only Cosmos Natural certified skincare and cosmetics in the US.  We also have additional sunscreen products in development to expand and complete our assortment.  These projects are targeted for launch in 2021.  

A Breakthrough Invention: We also have a revolutionary invention for self-application and easy delivery of sunscreen that we believe will be not only disruptive to the sunscreen spray industry (worth over $7m) but also present licensing opportunities with major sunscreen manufacturers given our IP protection in over 10 countries.  This product is in development, but capital from this raise will help us bring the product to market.  Early market research indicates consumer interest:

• 64% of participants positively rated the concept of the device 
• this number rose to 77% amongst premium sunscreen users, the main benefit: applying to hard-to-reach areas
• 98% found the concept unique and 2/3 felt it was better than other sunscreen products

Expansion into Europe:   Europe is projected to be the largest consumer market for natural cosmetics and they also represent over 30% of the global sunscreen market.  We see expansion into Europe in 2021 as an essential to our growth strategy.  We are seeking capital for inventory and marketing support of a European roll-out.

Build on Digital Success:  We are seeking to invest more in the digital activities that are driving sales while expanding our resources and team to strengthen and optimize our digital marketing and e-commerce business.  

Our Team

As CEO, my undergraduate studies focused on biology, chemistry, physics and business. After receiving my doctorate and practicing for several months, I decided to work in finance in New York City. For the next 23 years, I worked as a Senior President for over 10 years at Gruntal, Prudential, UBS and Smith Barney. My career than transitioned to work in institutional sales and research for Citi Smith Barney and Morgan Stanley. While working on Wall Street for 18 years, Love Sun Body was founded upon a conversation on sunscreen application, protection and toxicity. After 6 years of research and development, we created the world's safest and highest quality sunscreens, with no compromise on efficacy and safety, using 100% natural ingredients that are certified to ensure traceability and sustainability. Love Sun Body's products are safe for your body & the planet.

Our board member Dr. Brian Brazzo is graduate of the Harvard Medical School and University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Brazzo is a board-certified ophthalmologist and a fellowship-trained plastic surgeon. His practice is devoted to the most advanced techniques in ophthalmic plastic surgery. Our board member Kevin Gallagher was the President of Croda’s Global Personal Care & Actives business. In this capacity, he had P&L responsibility for Croda’s Global Personal Care & Actives businesses around the world. In addition, he was President Croda Inc. He also served as a member of the Executive Committee of Croda International Plc. Throughout his 37-year career at Croda, Mr. Gallagher has held diverse roles in R&D and Quality Management, Sales and Marketing.

Our shareholders include UBS and Morgan Stanley executives, a fund manager, medical doctors specializing in plastic surgery, anesthesiology, gastroenterology and private domestic and international investors.

We have an experienced team of beauty industry experts and business leaders shaping and building the future of Love Sun Body.  We have had tremendous support and partnership from our award-winning PR agency, RED PR.  We have top notch accounting and legal partners -- including one firm focused on protecting our intellectual property.  Our head of retail sales began her career at Nordstrom and brings over 20 years expertise selling, marketing and merchandising products to retail customers.  Our head of marketing has over 12 years experience driving growth and profitability amongst several industry start ups and emerging brands like T3, Temptu, Living Proof and BIOEFFECT.  She has over 10 years experience building multi-million dollar businesses within the world of home shopping at HSN and QVC.  She also has a strong track record in product development, having conceived and launched over 10 best-sellers and award-winners, including at least 6 Allure Beauty Breakthroughs.