We didn’t set out to build a brand - we just wanted something that worked.
Growing up on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, we spent most of our days barefoot, raised by the sun and salt air. Sunburns were just part of summer. But as we got older, we started to understand that sunburn isn’t just skin deep. Each one increases your chances of melanoma, and it also disrupts your body’s natural defenses - including the delicate ecosystem of good bacteria that live on your skin, known as your microbiome. After a brutal bout with Hell’s Itch, we knew we needed more than aloe gel and tropical-smelling lotions.
With help from our granddad - a scientist and beach lover who taught us to respect nature - we started testing our own remedies. We didn’t have a lab, just mason jars, old notebooks, and a set of guidelines for ingredients. After 27 iterations (and a few scents we’d rather forget), we landed on the formula that became Sol Aid.
Today, Sol Aid is trusted by sun lovers up and down the East Coast. Powered by apple cider vinegar - used for centuries to calm burns and support microbiome balance - our formula blends soothing botanicals that hydrate, cool, and restore. No perfumes. No preservatives. No chemicals. Just clean, effective ingredients that feel as real as the sun on your shoulders.
But for us, it was never only about making an effective after-sun spray. It was about creating something clean, honest, and responsible - skincare that heals people while helping the world we all share. That’s why we commit part of every sale to causes we love, from protecting oceans with Surfrider Foundation to advancing regenerative farming with Rodale Institute, advocating for safer products through EWG, conserving nature with WWF, and funding skin cancer prevention and screenings with the Skin Cancer Foundation.
