A Korean sunscreen with rice and probiotics in it, retailing for around eighteen dollars, has racked up millions of views and more than a hundred thousand videos on TikTok. That is the market you are entering if you are working out how to start a sunscreen brand today — one where SPF is no longer a seasonal afterthought but a daily skincare hero with a cult following. The opportunity is large and still growing, but sunscreen is also the most technical and regulated corner of skincare, and the brands that win treat it that way.
This is not a generic checklist. It is a look at what actually determines whether a sunscreen brand succeeds: the market you choose, the chemistry that market allows, the claims you can defend, and the manufacturer who can deliver all three. If you are already evaluating a producent af private label solcreme, the decisions below shape every quote you will receive.
One framing note up front: this guide is for brands selling where sunscreen is regulated as a kosmetisk — the EU and the UK under Regulering (Ec) 1223/2009, much of Asia, Sydamerika, Golfen, and parts of Africa. The United States and Australia treat sunscreen as a drug or therapeutic good, a separate and more expensive pharmaceutical route this guide does not cover. As you will see, that distinction is not a footnote; it changes what you can put in the bottle.
jeg. The Opportunity Is Bigger Than Sunburn
The global sun care market sits somewhere between 16 og 19 billion US dollars in 2026, with forecasts reaching the high twenties to thirty billion by the early 2030s. The exact figure depends on whose report you read — Mordor Intelligence puts the market near 19 billion dollars in 2026 and growing close to 10 percent a year, while Fortune Business Insights estimates a more conservative six percent — but the direction is unanimous. Sun care is outgrowing much of mass beauty.
What is driving it is a behavioral shift: sunscreen has moved from a beach product to a daily one. By one industry estimate, the share of US adults using sunscreen specifically to slow aging jumped from 44 til 69 percent in a single year. Younger buyers now treat SPF as the final step of a skincare routine, and brands have answered with hybrids — Anastasia Beverly Hills, for one, launched a sunscreen-makeup primer at SPF 50. Sun protection and skincare are merging into one purchase.
Just as telling is where that growth lives. Europe is the largest sun care market, and Asia-Pacific is the fastest-growing — both cosmetic-regulated regions. The center of gravity in sunscreen is not the United States; it is the cosmetic markets. That matters far more than it first appears, and the reason is chemistry.
II. Your Target Market Decides Your Formula
Most founders start with the formula. The sharper move is to start with the market, because the market dictates which UV filters you are even allowed to use — and this is the most underappreciated fact in the category.
The United States regulates sunscreen as an over-the-counter drug and has not approved a new UV filter since 1999. Brands selling there are confined to an aging list. Cosmetic markets are a different world: the EU, Sydkorea, and Japan permit modern filters such as Tinosorb and Mexoryl that absorb UVA more effectively and feel lighter on skin. This is precisely why so many of the sunscreens beauty consumers obsess over are Korean, Japanese, or European.
The Beauty of Joseon story makes it concrete. Its Relief Sun became a global hit on the strength of a lightweight, modern filter system — but when the brand expanded to the United States, it had to reformulate around that country's limited options, producing a noticeably different product. The same formula could not cross the border. For a new brand, the takeaway is direct: build for cosmetic markets and you gain access to better chemistry. The filters that make a sunscreen feel like nothing on the skin are the ones cosmetic regulation allows.
III. Where Sunscreen Brands Actually Win
With a market chosen, the product decisions that matter are texture, format, and a clear reason to exist — not the SPF number alone. A high SPF is table stakes. What sells is a sunscreen people genuinely want to wear every day.
Look at what broke through. Supergoop built a brand on invisible, makeup-friendly textures; its Unseen Sunscreen is sold as a primer as much as an SPF, and the company positioned itself as the rare line devoted entirely to sun protection rather than a skincare brand adding SPF as an afterthought. Beauty of Joseon won on a featherlight feel plus a skincare story — rice and probiotics — at an accessible price. Formats keep multiplying too: sticks for easy reapplication, glow drops, spray, and tinted SPF that doubles as base makeup. Tinted sunscreen is now a category in its own right.
Underneath those choices sits the mineral-versus-chemical decision. Mineral formulas built on zinc oxide and titanium dioxide appeal to a clean-beauty and sensitive-skin audience, but they lean toward a white cast and a heavier feel. Modern chemical and hybrid systems deliver the invisible textures that drive repeat purchase, especially with the filters available in cosmetic markets. Let your audience and your market decide this, not habit.
IV. A Claim Is a Liability Until It Is Tested
Every protection claim on a sunscreen label has to be earned with a test, and in any cosmetic market this is not optional. The claims you settled on at the product stage now become a testing bill.
| Claim on the label | What has to prove it |
|---|---|
| SPF værdi | In-vivo SPF test, ISO 24444 |
| UVA -beskyttelse / PA vurdering | Persistent-pigment-darkening test, ISO 24442 |
| Bredt spektrum | In-vitro UVA test for UVA-PF and critical wavelength, ISO 24443 |
| Water resistance | Immersion test, re-measuring SPF after timed water exposure |
| Shelf-life stability | Stability and photostability testing |
Each row is a separate, paid test, which is why claims are cost decisions as much as marketing ones. The SPF reference method alone, ISO 24444, runs on a panel of human volunteers. Our guide to SPF test walks through how these methods produce the number on the label, og vores private label sunscreen cost breakdown covers what each test typically runs.
Testing is also brand protection. When the independent lab Valisure reported finding benzene — a known carcinogen — in more than a quarter of the sunscreens it tested a few years ago, several major names issued recalls that dented trust across the whole category. A single contamination story can undo years of brand-building, which is why the quality system behind your product is not a back-office detail.
V. Choosing a Manufacturer Built for Sunscreen
Sunscreen raises the bar on a manufacturing partner. General cosmetics experience is not enough; the work demands fluency in filter systems, claim boundaries, the testing workflow, and the documentation your target market requires. A partner who only knows base textures will leave you exposed on exactly the things that get sunscreen brands into trouble.
You will choose between two models, and the trade-off is real.
| Betragtning | Private label (aktieformel) | OEM / ODM (custom formula) |
|---|---|---|
| Speed to market | Faster | Slower |
| Upfront cost | Sænke | Højere |
| Minimum order | Often lower | Usually higher |
| Differentiation | Limited | Høj |
| Best suited to | Testing a new line | A signature product |
Whichever you pick, confirm two things: that the manufacturer is set up for your target cosmetic market — including the filters and claims that market allows — and that it holds ISO 22716 (GMPC) cosmetic manufacturing certification and can supply the test reports and safety documentation you will need to register and sell. You can usually review that through a manufacturer's kvalitetssikring program. It is also worth asking how a partner helps protect your formula and brand: counterfeiting hits successful sunscreens hard, and Beauty of Joseon had to publish a list of authorized sellers to fight fakes.
Ausmetics fordel: Ausmetics has formulated for cosmetic-regulated markets for more than 28 flere år, with an R&D team led by Dr. Jadir Nunes, tidligere global præsident for IFSCC. In practice that means access to the modern UV filters those markets allow, in-house SPF screening to refine textures before the expense of clinical testing, og ISO 22716 (GMPC) production — the combination a serious sunscreen brand needs but a general contract manufacturer often cannot provide. You can see the full capabilities of an experienced OEM solcreme producent her.
VI. Branding and Launch, the Part That Is Yours
The chemistry and the compliance can be delegated. Your brand cannot. This is where you decide why a customer should reach for your sunscreen instead of the dozens beside it, and the strongest sunscreen brands all have a sharp, single answer. Supergoop's is that it does only sun protection, and treats it as a lifestyle. Beauty of Joseon's is fun, accessible K-beauty that went viral by being genuinely good and genuinely shareable. Vacation built a following on deliberately retro, tongue-in-cheek branding. None of them won on the SPF number.
The practical pieces follow from positioning. Your format guides your packaging — a stick, a pump, a tube — and packaging is where minimum order quantities and tooling costs bite, so weigh it against your costs early. On channel, the K-beauty playbook is instructive: many of these brands grew digital-first, through TikTok and direct-to-consumer, before expanding into retail. A soft launch to a focused audience lets you gather honest feedback before you scale.
Ofte stillede spørgsmål
How much does it cost to start a sunscreen brand?
It depends on your formula, emballage, påstande, and order volume, so there is no single number. The two costs founders most often underestimate are efficacy testing — which runs into the thousands of dollars per product, because each claim needs its own test — and per-market regulatory documentation. Ordering more units lowers the cost per unit but raises your upfront spend. Our guide to private label sunscreen cost breaks down both the per-unit and one-time figures in detail.
Can I sell the same sunscreen formula in every country?
Usually not. The permitted UV filters, allowable claims, and registration steps all differ by market. A formula built with the modern filters allowed in the EU, Korea, or Japan may not be sellable in the United States, which regulates sunscreen as a drug and permits a narrower, older list of filters. This is why brands often run different formulas for different regions. Decide your primary market first, and confirm its specific rules before you formulate.
Do I need a very high SPF to compete?
Ingen. Beyond a certain point, what differentiates a sunscreen is not the SPF number but the experience: an invisible finish, a pleasant texture, a skincare benefit, and reliable broad-spectrum protection. Many of the most successful recent sunscreens win on lightweight, makeup-friendly feel rather than a headline SPF figure. A dependable SPF 30 til 50 with elegant texture and proven UVA protection competes better than a heavy, high-number product no one enjoys wearing.
How long does it take to launch a sunscreen brand?
It varies with complexity. A stock formula in standard packaging can move relatively fast, while a custom formula with bespoke packaging and several claims takes considerably longer. The slowest stages are usually efficacy and stability testing, followed by packaging procurement and production. Confirm timelines with your manufacturer at the start and build in margin, so you do not miss a season — sunscreen demand, while increasingly year-round, still peaks in summer.
Should a new brand choose mineral or chemical sunscreen?
It depends on your audience and your market. Mineral formulas suit a clean-beauty or sensitive-skin positioning but can leave a white cast and a heavier feel. Chemical and hybrid systems — especially with the modern filters available in cosmetic markets — deliver the invisible textures that drive daily use and repeat purchase. Ingen af dem er i sagens natur bedre; the right choice follows your brand and the filters your target market permits.
Where to Start
Starting a sunscreen brand is less about a long checklist than about getting a few decisions right, in order: choose a cosmetic market, use the chemistry that market allows, make a product people want to wear daily, prove every claim, and partner with a manufacturer who understands sunscreen specifically. The brands breaking through right now did exactly that. They competed on experience and trust, not on a number.
When you are ready to turn a concept into a product, the next move is a manufacturer who can take you from filter selection to finished goods. Ausmetics works with brands as a private label solcreme partner across cosmetic-regulated markets; kontakt vores team with your target market, SPF niveau, format, and volume to start a quote.