Sun Bum: The Beach Brand That Built a $400 Million Empire

In a world where sunscreen was clinical, boring, and frankly unsexy, a group of beach-loving entrepreneurs decided to do things differently.

What started in 2010 as a simple mission to protect friends and family from the sun has grown into one of the most recognisable beach lifestyle brands in the world.

This is the story of Sun Bum - a company that proved you could build a massive business without losing your soul or your sense of humour.

The Birth of a Beach Brand

Sun Bum was founded in 2010, but its true origin story is a bit more complex. The brand emerged from the creative mind of Tom Rinks, a branding consultant and serial entrepreneur with an eclectic resume that included creating the famous Taco Bell Chihuahua campaign, launching high-end tequila brands, and even producing Christian videos.

Rinks grew up in Long Beach, California, before moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he studied art at Hope College. After graduation, he cut his teeth in sales at a furniture store, working on straight commission—an experience that taught him the emotional nature of selling and the importance of connecting with customers.

How Tom Rinks Found the "Magic"

Around 2009, a fellow parent from his child's elementary school approached Rinks about a struggling sunscreen business that was bleeding cash. The concept was terrible, the name options were worse, and the wealthy backer was considering dumping the whole project.

But Rinks saw something nobody else did: a massive gap in the market. The sunscreen industry was dominated by big pharmaceutical-style brands that felt clinical and cold. There was no authentic brand speaking to the beach lifestyle community—the surfers, lifeguards, beach volleyball players, and sun-seekers who lived for those endless summer days.

Rinks initially hated all the name options until he came across "Sun Bum" and the concept of "Trust The Bum"—protect your lazy bum. Suddenly, everything clicked. But he knew the brand needed a character—and not a predictable surf character, because that would be too obvious.

The Iconic Ape: A Stroke of Branding Genius

Instead of going the expected route with surfer imagery, Rinks created something unexpected: a badass ape wearing sunglasses, inspired by Japanese street art. This decision alone would become one of the most brilliant branding moves of the decade.

In the early days, Sun Bum created stickers featuring just the ape image with no words, no company name—nothing. They would travel to surf areas and "sticker the crap out of everything," as Rinks put it. The strategy was pure guerrilla marketing—literally.

At a surf expo in Orlando, there was a massive buzz around Sun Bum, with people asking for more stickers and radio stations receiving calls asking, "What is this ape that we keep seeing everywhere?" The mystery created intrigue. If you knew, you knew. And that insider status made it cool.

The Philosophy: Made by Beach People, For Beach People

What set Sun Bum apart wasn't just clever marketing—it was authenticity. The company established offices in two quintessential beach towns: an old Florida beach house off A1A in Cocoa Beach, and a location in Encinitas, California, just a block from the sand.

The founding team didn't use focus groups or make decisions in boardrooms. They created products they actually wanted to use on themselves and their families. The sunscreen needed to smell good, feel good, and work—because these were people who spent all day, every day in the sun.

This grassroots approach built organic loyalty. Sun Bum handed out samples to local surfers and lifeguards, sponsored beach events, and relied on word-of-mouth to build early momentum. Cocoa Beach wasn't just their headquarters—it was their testing ground and their community.

Building a Product Line That Makes Sense

While many brands chase trends and pump out dozens of products, Sun Bum took a more thoughtful approach. Every product launch—from hair care to lip balm to baby sunscreen—made sense within the brand's world.

The product range expanded strategically:

• Original Sunscreen Line: Broad-spectrum SPF protection in lotions, sprays, and sticks
• Mineral Sunscreen: Zinc-based formulas for sensitive skin
• Face Sticks: Easy application for active lifestyles
• After Sun Care: Cooling gels with aloe for post-sun relief
• Hair Care: Protecting locks from sun and salt damage
• Lip Balm: SPF 15 protection in fun flavors
• Baby Bum: Gentle formulations for the littlest beach bums

Explosive Growth and National Recognition

By 2012, Sun Bum's retail presence expanded rapidly. Surf shops like Ron Jon picked up the brand, followed by Urban Outfitters, Target, and other major retailers. But the brand didn't abandon its roots in small surf shops and beach boutiques—they maintained those relationships even as they scaled.

Sun Bum leveraged Instagram brilliantly, creating content that felt like a personal beach diary rather than a product catalog, featuring surfers, sunsets, skate parks, and sandy dogs. This organic social strategy created deep emotional connections with customers.

The growth was remarkable. Backed by private equity firm VMG Partners, Sun Bum reportedly generated around $70 million in annual sales before its eventual acquisition.

The $400 Million Exit

In June 2019, consumer goods giant SC Johnson acquired Sun Bum at a reported valuation of $400 million—an impressive outcome for a brand that was less than a decade old.

Rinks stayed on for another year and a half after the sale to build a comprehensive brand guide, explaining, "because it's my baby, and some of my babies have been ruined after they sell". His commitment to protecting the brand's essence even after cashing out speaks volumes about his genuine care for what they'd built.

The deal brought Sun Bum into SC Johnson's portfolio alongside other lifestyle brands like Method, Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day, and Babyganics—companies that share Sun Bum's commitment to quality and conscious consumerism.

Sponsorships and Community Engagement

Sun Bum has never forgotten its roots in the surf community. The brand's ambassador roster reads like a who's who of surf culture, featuring athletes and artists who genuinely embody the Sun Bum lifestyle.

Ambassador Program

Sun Bum's ambassadors include professional surfers like Julian Wilson, Malia Manuel, photographer Zak Noyle, surfers Noa Mizuno and Bailey Nagy, as well as the Hawaiian Water Patrol. The brand also partners with surf artist Andy Davis and snowboarder Arthur Longo, showing their reach beyond just surfing.

Official Partnerships

Sun Bum serves as the official sunscreen of USA Surfing, providing earth-friendly sun protection and support for the nation's elite junior surf athletes. This partnership extends to USA Surfing Championships, where athletes enjoy Sun Bum-sponsored activities between heats—frisbee, football, cornhole, and ping pong.

The brand has also partnered with Surfing New Zealand, backing top athletes including New Zealand representative Saffi Vette, who qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics, and junior representative Spencer Rowson.

The Bum Rush Tour

Before Sun Bum had significant sponsorship budgets, they created something unique: the Bum Rush Tour. This "ambush surf contest series" celebrates ordinary surfers everywhere with no applications, no qualifiers, and no entry fees—just thirty minutes after the horn sounds, somebody walks away with a $1,000 check.

The tour has taken Sun Bum to unexpected places, including Jamaica, where they helped bring together the country's small but passionate surf community for an impromptu competition at a perfect cobblestone point break.

Environmental Commitment: Walking the Walk

In an era where "greenwashing" is common, Sun Bum has made genuine efforts to reduce environmental impact, though their journey hasn't been without complications.

Hawaii Act 104 Compliance

Sun Bum eliminated all oxybenzone and octinoxate from their sunscreens to comply with Hawaii Act 104, which banned these chemicals due to their harmful effects on coral reefs. This was a significant industry shift that Sun Bum embraced early.

However, the "reef safe" designation has proven complex. In 2025, Sun Bum settled with the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, paying $300,000 in civil penalties and agreeing not to advertise chemical sunscreens as "reef friendly" or "reef compliant". The settlement highlighted the industry-wide challenge of defining what truly constitutes "reef safe" beyond just removing the two banned chemicals.

Product Formulations

Sun Bum offers both mineral sunscreens (using zinc oxide and titanium dioxide) and non-mineral options, with all formulations being oxybenzone and octinoxate-free. The mineral line specifically caters to those seeking fully natural active ingredients.

The company's products are also:

• Vegan and cruelty-free
• Hypoallergenic
• Paraben-free
• Sulfate-free
• Gluten-free

Recyclable Packaging

Sun Bum partners with HDPE and PP packaging companies to create recyclable bottles and caps, though recycling availability varies by location. The brand continues working to reduce plastic usage and increase recycled material content.

Protect The Groms Initiative

Sun Bum established Protect The Groms, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works with schools and outdoor organizations to provide shade structures, sun safety education, and sunscreen to children, with a mission to fight skin cancer. It's a perfect extension of the brand's founding mission to protect families from the sun.

Sun Bum Today: A Legacy Brand

Under SC Johnson's ownership, Sun Bum continues to thrive while maintaining the authenticity that made it special. The current CEO is Cynthia Herrera, who leads a team dedicated to preserving the brand's beach culture ethos while expanding its reach.

The brand's product line has grown more sophisticated, with innovations in formulation and application, but the core identity remains unchanged. Walk into any beach town, surf shop, or Target store, and you'll find those distinctive yellow-and-wood-accented bottles with the iconic ape logo.

What makes Sun Bum special isn't just the sunscreen—it's the feeling. It's the promise that you can trust products made by people who actually live the lifestyle. It's the refusal to take themselves too seriously while taking sun protection very seriously. It's the understanding that the best brands aren't built in boardrooms but on beaches, with real people, real needs, and real relationships.

The Takeaway: Building Brands with Soul

The Sun Bum story offers valuable lessons for anyone building a brand:

Authenticity trumps everything: People can smell fake from miles away. Sun Bum succeeded because it was created by beach people for beach people, not by marketers trying to capture a demographic.

Let the product speak: Instead of massive ad campaigns, Sun Bum let quality and word-of-mouth drive growth. When you make something people genuinely love, they become your best marketers.

Community matters: From sponsoring local surf events to the Protect The Groms initiative, Sun Bum consistently invests in the communities that support them.

Strategic scarcity creates desire: Those early logo-free stickers created mystery and insider status that money can't buy.

Stay true through growth: Even after selling for $400 million, Sun Bum has maintained the quirky, authentic personality that made it special.

In a crowded market dominated by pharmaceutical giants, Sun Bum carved out space by simply being real. They made sunscreen cool, turned sun protection into a lifestyle, and proved that you can build a massive business without compromising your values or your sense of humor.

So next time you're at the beach and spot that distinctive ape logo, remember: you're not just looking at sunscreen. You're looking at a brand that changed an industry by refusing to play by the rules—and had a damn good time doing it.

Trust The Bum. 🦍☀️