Smart Girls Who Surf, a Laguna Beach creator of skin care products, has introduced chemical-free and paraben-free SPF 30+ sunscreen.
Jennifer Taylor
“Most of the sunscreens on the market contain chemicals,” says Smart Girls President Jennifer Taylor. “So I sat down with my manufacturer and chemist and said there has to be a better way. Ispent 11 months last year reformulating my products.”
Smart Girls’ sunscreen products contain zinc oxide and titanium dioxide (a derivative of clay, Taylor explains for the chemically challenged in the crowd) which form a protective barrier on top of the skin, rather than soaking into the body.
Zinc oxide, an antibacterial used to fight acne, has the added benefit of acting as an anti-inflammatory for sensitive skin, she says.
Most big-name competitors are made in China, where quality control is sometimes suspect.
Smart Girls’ contract manufacturer is in San Diego and the products are bottled in Huntington Beach.
“Small businesses are more into keeping quality of their products high, which we can do because it’s all US made,” Taylor says.
The company was started in 2006 by a friend of Taylor’s mom. The woman was going to let the business go when her husband became ill, so Taylor took it over.
“I was at the point where I wanted to go back to work because my kids (Jordan,9, and Josh, 7) were in school,” she says. “As a mom with two kids I’m always at the beach, but I don’t want to put products with chemicals on my skin or my children.”
In addition to sunscreen, Smart Girls makes lotion, soap, lip balm and logo clothes (click on image for larger view).
Photos courtesy of Smart Girls Who Surf
A 4-oz. tube of sunscreen costs $15.99. The face stick sells for $13.99.
Smart Girls products are sold on the company website and in such stores as Laguna Drugstore, Laguna Beach; Girl in the Curl in Dana Point and at the Montage Resort.
Other entrepreneur stories…
- Local CPA firm sets $1 million charitable giving goal
- Eight from O.C. win entrepreneur honors
- O.C. body armor firm buys helmet technology
- O.C. company buys a neighbor
- Is that sofa made of ice?
- How to vacation when you can’t afford it
- Britney Spears’ tour uses O.C. firm’s security badges
- 3 O.C. companies to receive awards for growth
- Local firm bucks trend, raises $2.5 million
- O.C. firm bought by Canadian company
- Tori Spelling chooses glam hospital gown by O.C. firm
- O.C. entrepreneurs tackle high cost of textbooks
- O.C. firm wins $388 million patent lawsuit against Microsoft
May the consumer look for this in the near by drugstore anytime soon? Nice job, just goes to show you, In America a person can do anything.
re sunscreen. what is chemical free? zink oxide “is” a chemical
i suppose this woman wants to ban all chemicals??? what is she going to breath???? ignorance is bliss…..at least out here in southern california. does this woman have any idea what is in baby wipes or baby medicines??? i’ll beat my over valued home the answer to that is absolutely NOT!
hehe, good one.
If you people had a child that couldn’t wear ANY sunscreens, you might understand. He can use this type because it is a barrier on TOP of the skin, it doesn’t soak in. When I use any kind that soaks in, he is itching the rest of the day and even sometimes after a bath. Poor kid ends up with bloody nail marks all over his legs. So you may find products like this to be “ridiculous”, but to mother’s like me, it’s the type of product I need for my child. Yes, I can keep him covered with clothes and indoors a lot (which I do), but what 2 year old wants that?!
Zinc oxcide is a mineral like salt. All oxide means is combined with oxygen. Rust on an iron pipe is iron oxide, so no Zinc oxide is not a chemical it is a mineral, and thus should be totally safe with no side affects at all.
Paraben free, chemical free sunscreen has already been introduced. She did not “create” it or introduce anything new.
Bare Escentuals has a mineral powder thats SPF 30 and Burts Bees has had “natural” sunscreen long before this!
Burt’s Bee’s sunscreen can be found in any drugstore with the Burt’s Bee’s stuff.
Bare Escentuals can be found at Sephora, Sephora.com.
I forgot to mention, i’ve been using natural sunscreens that are Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide for YEARS due to an allergy to chemical sunscreens so they’ve been around for a long time!
She did create a sunscreen and the article never stated she introduced something “new”. Nike always creates and introduces new shoes even though shoes were “invented” hundred of years ago. Quit trying to be so controversial, it points out to everyone what a complete imbecile you are.
if you want UV protection…keep your clothes on and stay out of the sun.
Hey… I just saved you money!! Send me $5.00
Da—please–what is Chemical free. Your chemist should go back to school. Water h20 is a chemical. Please if I hear chemical free again I am gonna protest to the American Educational Standards Council.
Great product, good protection, easy to apply, stays on in h20..we use it all the time.
Rob
Can the Oc register get a science editor. The article would be interesting and have merit if “chemical free”-was taken out—this makes it look stupid! Please do not perpetuate chemical free-language!! Insult to any science student.
More substandard reporting from the OC Register. It seems that the OC Register is “Intelligence Free.”
I have had Smart Girls Who Surf in my salon for 2 years now and I think Jennifer has done a remarkable job creating this product. As a woman doing business with this company,. I enjoy watching it grow and change, answering to a growing market of beach lovers with an awareness of the damage that can be prevented by the regement of using these products. Keep up the good work! Victoria Owner of Sunset Sport Salon
How do you survive in business with such poor vocabulary skills? A regiment is an army division of up to 5000 soldiers. I am quite certain that is not the word you intended.
Nice to see a new business launched, but zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are chemicals. And these ingredients have been around forever in skin care products. I guess what’s new is the marketing. “Old” becomes the “new.” Maybe someone will introduce TSP (trisodium phosphate) as a revolutionary “new” chemical free cleaning product - hey there’s an idea!
The product sounds good to me. How about a label for smart men?
Not only is it made of two metal oxides, it will look as goofy
as any white paste —classic lifeguard nose.
The reason people like the other blockers is because they
are clear.
“Chemical free” will likely get the FTC on her case.
Oh, and what’s the binder? With only water, it will flake off.
Complete OC ditz, hausfrau wants a business…
Sorry, but there are many chemical free sunscreens that are available on the market that are not made in China. I too have been using them for many years, so sorry to say this is nothing new or unique. I could name brands, but I’m not so sure my post wont get deleted.
She probably uses micronized ZO so that the whitish cast isnt as bad, but it still looks white, and definitely dont have a flash photo taken!
I am not chemically challenged–actually a Chemical Engineer–did you know that ……….air …………is………………..made of what!! Guess————————-chemicals—. Lordy Lordy —chemicals please qualify–??
Your product is probably really good and does the job—-but please if you want to sell to bimbos–just get an Oc register reporter to report on it!!
zinc oxide. wow. not only has it been used as sunscreen for decades, if not longer, the raw material is probably $25/rail car. if people are forking over $8 for the tube with the cute name, her only innovation is the marketing, not anything scientific. there IS a sucker born every minute. this chick counts on it…