HIMAYA SUNSCREEN 2025 PREVIEW

Retail Buyers Guide: Sunscreen 2025 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: Himaya
Interviewee: Marketing Team

How was demand in the sunscreen market in 2024?
The demand in specialty shops has increased, accompanied by a rise in the number of brands these shops offer. As with any growth, this brings competition and market dilution, ultimately benefiting customers by providing them with more choices and fostering competitive pricing issues. However with growth of natural sunscreen brands, also brings bad formulation that lead to more whiting experiences for new customers and this ends up in shrinking the market as they tend not to come back.

What are the new trends in Sunscreen?
This niche market evolution follows the trends seen across many industries as they grow, with everyone wanting a share of the success. Himaya, a pioneer in the natural eco-sunscreen market for over 20 years, has observed a surge of new entrants this year, ranging from major chemical companies to private label zinc stick “sunscreen brands” sourcing online and selling on large online platforms. These newcomers often bypass R&D and product testing, leveraging low costs and greenwashing tactics to boost sales. This undermines consumer trust and threatens the long-term viability of the niche market. By introducing non-sunscreen products into their ranges, they further confuse customers, eroding the integrity of true sunscreen companies. However, this stage of market evolution is typical for the industry, and the next phase will likely see only genuine brands with quality products prevail.

Please Tell us about your innovations for 2025.
We re-examined the fundamentals of skin protection for outdoor activities and focused on the critical issue: 90% of skin cancer cases stem from sunburn and prolonged UV exposure. Despite offering the best natural protection on the market, the underlying problem became clear. Our research revealed two main reasons: people often forget to bring sunscreen or fail to apply the correct amount, resulting in sunburn. To address the first issue, we continued our focus on protecting both our customers and the environment. Our solution was to introduce small 10ml aluminum tins as an “emergency” sunscreen supply. These compact tins made in EU can be kept in a rucksack, board bag, cycle pouch, or similar, ensuring protection is always within reach when needed. The cream inside is identical to the one in our larger bottles, allowing customers to refill their “emergency” supply. This approach not only helps prevent sunburn but also reduces packaging waste and lowers costs for the customer. The second issue, well-known in the industry, relates strongly to natural zinc sunscreens being very white, which leads people to apply too little. Most users fail to apply the correct amount, which diminishes the SPF effectiveness. As SPF value follows a curve, this under-application exacerbates the problem, often resulting in over exposure to UV rays. Himaya has been addressing this challenge for over 20 years, continually researching, developing and launching new formulas over the years. Our goal has always been skin protection, whilst not damaging our planet. Now we launch a new formulation after three years of development and testing. By working on the dispersion of our zinc filter with a combination of oils, we developed an innovative way to evenly disperse our zinc on the skin, offering superior protection while significantly reducing whitening and eliminating congealing of zinc in the skin. The new formula brings Himaya’s natural sunscreen closer in appearance to typical chemical sunscreens, providing better skin coverage and reducing the risk of under-application, ensuring customers fully benefit from the intended SPF protection. Since Himaya research has found out since years 98% of all plastic tubes end life with burning or landfill. Himaya launched refillable bottles nearly 10 years ago now. The reason for Himaya’s refilling concept is, it saves 99% of CO2 and 95% plastic compared to plastic recycling packaging. So how could we improve this? Himaya launches the first sunscreen in a silicone tube. This new packaging can be washed out in a dishwasher so that it is clean to refill and used again and again. Along with the anti bacterial properties, this makes for a very hygienic refillable packaging that has no sharp edges, so eliminating any issue when falling on a bottle in a pocket or even creating holes in pockets from sharp corners rubbing. Again elongating the life of outdoor clothing and helping the environment. We have introduced a transparent rub-in zinc stick—natural, vegan, and packaged in eco-friendly cardboard. While Himaya has historically opposed zinc sticks for face application, as they are often marketed as face-only protection for surfers, but notably, most skin cancer cases in the surfing community occur on areas like the back of the ears, neck, and hands rather than the face’s T-zone. Also our sun creams have always provided reliable, all-around protection in water since launching the world’s first mineral SPF 60+ waterproof cream in 2002. For those seeking a stick application without adding colour to their face, we have developed a transparent version, perfected over four years, to provide effective and discreet protection

What are the main ingredients you are using and how do you address sustainability/eco friendliness in your products?
Himaya was founded in 2002 with a mission to create sunscreens that leave no trace in the water, embodied by the campaign slogan “Leave the ocean as you found it.” Since its inception, Himaya has been committed to social and eco projects, continually innovating to protect both people and the environment. Now, building on over two decades of expertise, Himaya is launching an improved range of products that provide top-tier protection for outdoor enthusiasts and safeguard ocean life. Still using mineral sunscreens and using its own zinc developments. Sourcing natural ingredients from sustainable supply chains as it has done since years. For years, Himaya has offset double the amount of CO2 and plastics it produces through innovative initiatives, such as collecting ocean plastics and converting them into diesel. The founder has been deeply committed to such projects and is now personally involved in a new educational initiative to replant grass savanna land in Africa. This effort helps prevent land erosion, promotes sustainable land management and grazing practices, and contributes to CO2 offsetting. We have developed a GMP to support shops participating in our refill station concept, ensuring they comply with the latest EU, CE, and ISO standards for packaging and refilling. Our entire range, from 500ml to 10ml, is now refillable as part of our commitment to eliminating packaging waste entirely. Additionally, we are upgrading secondary packaging, required by the EU, from box-style to resealable paper bags with a dual-purpose design. Research shows that over 50% of customers place sunscreen bottles in extra bags when traveling, so this new packaging can be reused for that purpose, offering both convenience and sustainability. We believe we’ve reimagined every aspect of our mission—to protect skin from UV exposure while safeguarding the planet—extending this vision to our packaging and sales concepts. Finally we now give 100% of profits to regenerative earth projects and Cancer research.

What other benefits, apart from sun protection, does your product offer?
Our products incorporate alpine flower extracts and seaweed to protect and moisturize the skin against the elements. These ingredients nourish the skin, supporting its regenerative processes to counteract the harsh conditions experienced in mountain environments or the ocean. The company is proudly planet-positive, actively initiating and supporting regenerative projects, as replanting is essential to reversing the damage already done. Additionally, we have been committed to social work programs since day one, furthering our dedication to sustainability and community impact.

Why should retailers stock your brand & your latest collection?
We have carefully listened to retailer feedback and structured the entire company to address their needs, particularly regarding the online market. To support local dealers, we launched the refilling station concept, encouraging customers to return to their trusted shops. With refillable products being more affordable, this approach eliminates online price competition. Himaya, a pioneer in this market segment for over 20 years, continues to set itself apart by demonstrating its unwavering commitment to protecting customers, safeguarding the environment, and now its support to local retailers.

What POS are you helping retailers out with?
We offer three POS options similar to standard setups. The small option sits on the counter and holds minimal stock. The medium option, also counter-based, has two tiers and accommodates more stock. The large option is a free-standing island display with five tiers, designed to hold a substantial amount of stock. All sustainably sourced.

Key Products:

Himaya Refillable silicone tube:

Himaya Refillable silicone tube

Himaya spf50 stick:

Himaya spf50 stick

Himaya new silicone bottle:

Himaya new silicone bottle