Hampton Sun is getting a new look — and a new investor.
Rande Gerber has taken a minority stake in the business, which was previously founded by Salvatore Piazzolla in 2005.
Early to the sun care craze, Piazzolla said the brand was among the first prestige offerings in the category, and he’s adapting the brand’s visual identity to better suit consumers who use SPF products daily.
“We founded the company in 2005, when we saw a huge gap in the market for luxury sunscreen. Nobody was playing in this space — it was all generic and very prescriptive,” he said. “One thing that sets us apart is that we recognize what’s coming down the pipeline, what’s new, and we want to be the first to jump on it and deliver it to the consumer.”
Gerber discovered the brand on vacation with his family, he said in a statement. “It doesn’t leave a greasy feeling or look. It’s silky and smooth, which is very different than most brands. We bought a bunch and sent it to friends who all loved it. I was intent on finding a way to partner with the company.”
Piazzolla said that part of reiterating on the formulas is also due to shifting Food and Drug Administration guidelines. “We want to be in compliance and make sure we’re on top of everything,” he said.
With the new infusion, he’s expecting to both ramp up the brand’s innovation pipeline.
“The most important thing is innovation,” he said. “The customer is still gravitating toward the UV advanced sunscreen over mineral, and that conversation, five years ago, has leveled out now.”
Although it took Piazzolla 20 years before gaining outside investment, he said of Gerber, “He’s a serial entrepreneur, he’s a marketing genius, and he has many companies. He wants to tell the world how fabulous the product is, and we sell it globally.”
On the distribution front, Piazzolla has found success in the resort channel and plans to double down on it. “We’re heavily in the channel but we plan on penetrating it even more aggressively,” he said. “The plan is to roll this out as a lifestyle brand. We don’t really have any competition, because competitors play in the mass channel or are a bit more playful. Travel retail is also a big one I’m going after.”
In that vein, he’s limiting distribution and doesn’t plan on entering the mass channel. “This is a lifestyle brand that elevates your experience, and that’s why it does well in resort,” he said, adding that he’s casting a wide demographic net. “We want to keep it really special. Resorts are looking for something special that guests can’t find anywhere else. We also work with luxury cruise ship operators. It’s $36 for a continuous mist spray. It’s not unreachable.”