Entrepreneurs start skincare companies for many reasons. Sometimes, they see a market opportunity that offers a potential solution. For others, it’s based on industry experience and knowledge of the best skincare routines, ingredients, and products.
For Seth Nelson, though, founding SOL LABS was personal. He started the company together with his wife Jenny after he survived a bout with skin cancer at the tender age of 27. Nelson is determined to give back based on his experience, so he’s helped form a major partnership with the Melanoma Research Alliance to make that happen.
Giving back after a harrowing experience with skin cancer
The partnership with the Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) is designed to champion skin cancer prevention and reshape consumer attitudes toward daily sun care along the way.
“Together, we’re fostering a world where sun care is seen not as a chore but as an essential and empowering part of self-care,” Nelson states. “We’re protecting more than just skin — we’re protecting futures.”
The CEO’s own future was secured with what Nelson calls a “lucky break.” After his early diagnosis, he had four inches of skin on his leg removed during a MOHS procedure.
“Many people don’t get so lucky,” he says.
The partnership goals are ambitious
To keep luck out of the diagnostic equation for others going forward, the partnership has three basic goals:
- To fund groundbreaking melanoma research and prevention initiatives
- To educate and empower consumers about effective sun safety
- To transform traditional perceptions of sunscreen by offering luxurious and eco-friendly sunscreen products that consumers can enjoy on a daily basis.
Marc Hurlbert is the CEO of the MRA, and he understands the value of this partnership.
“SOL LABS has developed innovative sunscreens that should be a part of sun-safe behaviors,” he says. Indeed, the combination of effective sunscreens and protective behaviors can save lives, and the MRA has an impressive track record in this area.
The organization was founded in 2007, and its researchers have played a vital role in the adoption of 17 new therapeutic approaches for melanoma that have earned FDA approval. The MRA is recognized as one of the most fiscally efficient non-profits in the country, and this forward-thinking partnership represents an effective step in the fight to eliminate melanoma.
