The sun protection marketplace is expanding.
Last week, the FDA officially approved America’s first new sunscreen ingredient in more than 20 years. Bemotrizinol, a chemical sunscreen filter that’s been used in Europe and Asia for more than 20 years, was added to FDA’s list of permitted sunscreen active ingredients on June 9. The new filter will be exclusive in the U.S. to Swiss-Dutch multinational DSM-Firmenich, maker of the Parsol Shield brand, for 18 months because the conglomerate sponsored the regulatory approval process.
Then, on Thursday, consumers were introduced to what could be the next health tracker trend: a wearable device that tracks a user’s sun exposure.
Launched by tech startup The90 and helmed by CEO and co-founder Stacy Salvi, a former director at Google-owned Fitbit, the new device launched with a limited run but a wide runway, she told Glossy.
“[The Gem wearable] has a photodiode sensor that detects UVA, which is the aging UV, and UVB, which is the burning UV,” Salvi told Glossy. “It’s important to understand that you can’t get that information from any weather app that you have on your phone, because that’s all based on UV index, which is like a weather forecast [with a] 100-mile radius [that] doesn’t really tell you anything about your personal exposure.”
Instead, the Gem — which is shaped similarly to an Apple AirTag and slides neatly into an included pendant attached to a gold- or silver-toned necklace – monitors sun exposure in real time. It then alerts its user when to seek shade through a corresponding app that factors in the user’s unique sun tolerance, sunscreen habits and vitamin D needs.
The90’s Gem sells DTC for $299, which includes the necklace and free access to the app, and is being marketed to women as a skin-care device.
The sun-care marketplace could exceed $20 billion in value by 2035, growing at a compound annual growth rate of more than 4% starting in 2025, according to market research company S&S Insider.
“This is an ecosystem play,” Salvi said about the launch. “It starts with tracking, because we need to be measuring [sun exposure], but there’s much more that we can do here and that we’re planning on.”
For one, Salvi believes that Gem’s eventual integration into the backends of everyday wearables, such as Oura ring and Whoop devices, will allow for better overall health insights into sun exposure’s impact on sleep, mood, productivity and overall health.
“The data layer we’re building is going to be the next generation for beauty tech,” Salvi said. “We see this as an opportunity to build custom products to recommend things in a different way for people, and this is really just the beginning.”
Of course, the Gem tool is new, but the concept has been explored. In 2016, L’Oréal Groupe-owned La Roche-Posay launched a single-use alternative called My UV Patch. According to the company, it was the first-ever stretchable skin sensor designed to monitor UV radiation in real-time to further educate the public about their personal sun exposure. It was designed to last a few days once applied — such as before a vacation or sunny weekend outside — and uses photo-sensitive dyes to alert consumers when to seek shade. The patch is free and still available to consumers through the brand.
Then there is Sun-a-Ware, a privately held Swiss tech startup that launched its $89 UV sun tracker tool back in 2017. The company sells a variety of products to hold the tool, like hats and watch straps, and syncs data with its app.
To stand out, Salvi onboarded influencer and podcast host Lauryn Bosstick as an investor and advisor. The90 has taken on around $3 million in funding led by Bosstick, Salvi told Glossy, and the company has 10 full-time employees plus an additional 50 who work on a fractional basis. Salvi plans to roll out new jewelry designs soon, including a clip to affix the Gem to one’s watch, as well as partnerships with jewelry brands.
Salvi told Glossy she plans to target men soon and hopes to have a waterproof version of the Gem soon, which is currently splash-proof.
She plans to maintain a DTC business model for now, with eyes on Amazon next. Her eventual retailer targets include Ulta Beauty and Sephora. Salvi also recently hired Marta Mae Freedman, co-founder of Dieux skin care and the insider-popular Air Milkshake gifting suite, to reach influencers.
“All the other wearable companies are focused on sleep and heart [health],” Salvi said. “Those are very big issues, but sometimes it takes looking through the lens as a woman and what a woman would want. Obviously, we really don’t want to get skin cancer, but I would also like to make sure that my beauty routine is working as well as it should and not undermine it on the daily [with excess incidental sun exposure].”
