Consumers know the importance of protecting against the sun, but aren't lathering up enough. Vive Sana hopes its natural entry will turn that around.

There has been a dearth of innovation over the past few years in sun care, especially in the luxury market. That’s been reflected in flat sales, according to data from IRI.

But Daniel Signorelli, cofounder of a new line called Vive Sana, has cooked up a solution to revive sales. He’s tapped his Italian culinary skills to incorporate ingredients into a new sun protection line that is clean and simple enough that the products could be consumed. That, of course, isn’t the intended use of Vive Sana, but Signorelli hopes the line, launching online this month, will encourage consumers to lather up more to protect against sun damage.

Natural is an emerging movement in the $15 billion global sun care market and it “better for you ingredients” are viewed as an accelerator to future sales.  MarketResearchReports forecasts that worldwide sun care volume will expand to $25 billion by 2024. An impetus for growth will be rising awareness of the dangers of sun exposure, but also more user-friendly formulas.

Signorelli is familiar with the roadblocks to proper use of protection. “I never liked sunscreen as a kid, I never liked putting it on,” he recalled. Moreover, he was also turned off with the toxins and cosmogenic oils in traditional skin-care formulas. “Sunscreens shouldn’t be a lesser of two evils,” he suggested.

With a vision to merge his experience as a chef, a businessman and an attorney (and his awareness of the sun’s power after living near the equator), Signorelli cofounded Vive Sana with Seth Haber. Eschewing the status quo in sun care, the duo did a deep dive into skin-care ingredients, especially those in tune with the natural movement. The result is an organic, mineral-based luxury line. Minerals moved the needle on cosmetics; the company hopes for a similar reaction in sun protection.

Inspired by trends in skin care, Vive Sana harnesses the power of uncoated zinc and photo-protective organic botanicals to mitigate the harmful effects of the sun. There are two entries, Vive Sana Daily Protezione and Serum Crema, that are both all-natural mineral-based sun-care products with antioxidant-rich botanics and extracts without synthetics or fillers. As the foundation product to the Vive Sana skin-care collection, Daily Protezione offers moisturizing SPF 30 protection with an absorbent, skin-smoothing matte finish, while the Serum Crema is a complete nutrient-dense daily organic face treatment, SPF 20, designed to nourish, protect, repair and rejuvenate with a brightening finish.

Prices range from $55 for the Daily Protezione to $75 for the Serum Crema. The brand is pursuing a direct-to-consumer path for the launch but has physical store distribution on its radar. Vive Sana was also designed for pre-sun, in-sun and post-sun usage.