Sol Goods founder Steph Woods.
Steph Wood, founder of Sol Goods, tells the Herald how a surfing trip to Central America with her partner inspired the idea to create a natural, environmentally friendly sunscreen.
Wood says the company’s journey started with making sunscreen in the kitchen - and the product is now stocked in more than 100 stores nationwide.
What is Sol sunscreen?
Our main product is a zinc-based SPF-40 broad spectrum UVA and UVB sunscreen.
Made right here in Aotearoa, it’s water-resistant for up to two hours, suitable for sensitive skin and all ages from 6 months and up – so one tub is all you need for the whole family. We’ve added a slight tint to help the product blend clearly on to skin.
Importantly, it’s certified to Australian and NZ standards, so customers can head into the great outdoors with the assurance this stuff actually works.
Sol has been tried and tested by avid surfers and outdoor enthusiasts partaking in all kinds of watersports, as well as land and snow activities, in many different countries and climates, including Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Mexico.
The feedback we’ve received has been amazing, and solidified our stance that you can use natural sun protection that actually works.
What drove you to create Sol?
Our mission is to safely protect people from the sun without costing the planet.
The idea came about after my partner Luke and I were travelling the coast of Central America chasing waves and struggled to find a sunscreen to naturally protect us.
We found many sunscreens contained harmful chemicals, and a lot of the ones that did have the right ingredients looked good on paper but were too tricky to spread, or left you looking like you’d seen a ghost. None came in sustainable packaging.
What started as a small idea created a fire inside me to be better, do better and produce a suncare range that is safe, effective and doesn’t come at the cost of our environment.
On our return home from our surf trip, we spent endless days and nights researching formulas and cooking up batches of sunscreen in the kitchen. Sol was eventually born, offering the NZ market chemical-free, zinc-based sunscreen in sustainable packaging.
We have created low-waste, plastic-free packaging (yes, we’ve ditched the plastic tube) with a closed-loop programme, and are always on the hunt for ways to improve sustainability.
How long have you been in business?
Sol was launched in 2019, and we haven’t looked back. We’ve progressed from making sunscreen in the kitchen to getting our product made in a laboratory here in NZ. We are proudly now stocked in more than 100 stores nationwide.
They say the first three years in business are always the hardest. We’re starting to notice the business growing in leaps and bounds, with a bit of scale and volume in sales behind us.
Who is the team behind Sol?
We run a tight ship here at Sol with a small team of passionate, entrepreneurial experts who have a raft of transferable skills. My role primarily focuses on product development, brand identity, packaging, distribution and anything creative.
I’m backed up with support from sales and marketing husband-and-wife duo Troy and Michelle Riley of brand management agency Life of Riley Industries.
I formed a business relationship with Troy a few years back, and his specialist understanding of the surf retail industry has been instrumental in getting into stores nationwide.
Michelle’s corporate communications and advertising agency background is bringing another commercial perspective to the table.
How do you get people to move to a more sustainable choice?
One of our key insights is that busy people or people with financial limitations are perhaps less likely to lean into sustainability.
For example, if you look at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a psychological concept arguing that humans cannot achieve our fullest potential without taking care of our most basic physical and emotional needs, it becomes obvious that people struggling to put food on the table or people busy with work or family commitments may not be as open to thinking about their impact on the environment or taking that extra step to reduce waste.
That’s why one of our core brand values is simplicity – if our product is as accessible, convenient, affordable and functional as less sustainable competitor products, then we’re removing some of the barriers for people to make the swap.
What is your channel to market?
In line with our aim of being accessible for all Kiwis to purchase, we have a multi-pronged approach to the market, reaching consumers through retail and health stores nationwide alongside an online store. Sol also makes a beautiful gift, and we’re noticing an increased interest from boutique gift and homeware stores.
Who is your target audience?
Everyone needs sunscreen, which is a great place to start! Basically, anyone with an appreciation and enjoyment of the great outdoors, natural environment and ocean sits within our core target audience.
From someone heading out for a hike (because our sunscreen creates a physical barrier on the skin, it’s great for wind protection, too) to mums of children with sensitive skin or hardcore surfers.
People are drawn to our product for several reasons. They may be environmentally conscious and looking for a product to protect them from the sun while reducing their load on our planet.
We also get people who may have a reaction to chemical sunscreens or simply don’t want to put chemicals on their skin looking for a mineral-based sunscreen.
Then there’s people into adventure or watersports who appreciate the physical barrier that Sol provides, and the confidence that comes with knowing their sunscreen will last the distance.
What’s next for Sol?
We have big ambitions to become NZ’s top sustainable, mineral sunscreen brand within the next three years.
The foot is firmly on the pedal. Our focus remains on our core product, and we are making inroads with the creation of a bulk dispensing solution for refill stores, in true keeping with our sustainability values.
It’s harder than it seems, due to the viscosity of our product.
In addition, we are also looking to launch a new everyday sunscreen formula in time for next summer, and investigate a small, simple beauty range to complement our offering.
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