Dieux Cofounders Launch Sun-Screener, a Tool Meant to Demystify SPF Filters for the Masses
Dieux cofounders Charlotte Palermino and Joyce de Lemos are looking to tackle SPF misinformation.
The duo are launching a virtual tool, called Sun-Screener, which allows users to copy-paste the ingredient list of an SPF product in order to receive confirmation of its efficacy, plus breakdowns of active UV filters in the formula, how they each work, and in which regions they are approved for use.
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The launch comes at a time when the sun care market — propelled by TikTok, the virality of Korean and Australian SPF brands around the world, and proliferating launches — is booming. But as the category has grown so, too, has misinformation surrounding it.
'We want to empower people with the information to make their own choices in an unbiased way — for us, that looks like stating the facts as they are, and making them easily accessible,' said de Lemos, who is also Dieux's cosmetic chemist.
In recent months a movement toward beef tallow as an SPF alternative has gained momentum online, while influencer Nara Smith also took to TikTok to share how she makes her sunscreen from scratch, sparking a conversation about the viability of homemade SPF (which was quickly denounced by dermatologists). In addition, usage of product-scanning apps like Yuka, which designate ingredients as 'high-risk' or 'risk-free' without taking into account ingredient quantity or form of delivery — which are often key to determining ingredient safety — is soaring.
'We want to get people to wear sunscreen, but also to educate them in a nonjudgmental way, where we're not saying something is 'good' or something is 'bad' — that creates fear, not education,' said Palermino, who is known for creating content that makes skin care knowledge accessible to her 700,000-plus collective social media followers.
Sun-Screener, developed and peer-reviewed alongside cosmetic chemists Rebecca Perry and Ava Perkins, briefs users on more than 35 different UV filters — from mineral filters titanium dioxide and zinc oxide to chemical filters like avobenzone, octocrylene and more. The brand will also build out a blog component addressing common SPF-related questions tied to the tool, which is accessible via Dieux's own direct-to-consumer site.
'The fun thing about Sun-Screener is that there's no 'bad' answer: it's either, good news — your sunscreen has sunscreen in it — you're fine! Or, we need more information,' said Palermino.
Eventually, the tool could involve a feature enabling users to contact their representatives to request action regarding long-stalled FDA approval of newer, more sophisticated chemical SPF filters, many of which are available in other countries, hence the popularity of international SPF brands.
'We want to create a zero-fear environment to help people understand what's in their products, in a way where it's clear that sunscreen is good,' Palermino said.
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