Supergoop! Founder Holly Thaggard sat down with Tatler to chat about the story behind her brand, her skincare tips, as well as the importance of wearing sunscreen
Few skincare labels have garnered as strong of a cult following as Supergoop!, let alone been able to maintain such level of hype in today’s already crowded beauty scene. When Holly Thaggard officially launched Supergoop! in 2007, her move made quite a buzz in the industry as she pioneered the clean beauty trend with safe, innovative and feel-good products that make SPF skincare easy to experiment with for better skin health.
Less than 10 years later, the brand has become a go-to label for all things SPF skincare worldwide. From the popular sunscreens that cater for a wide spectrum of skin types, to nourishing serums, body creams, as well as make-up setting powders and eyeshadows, everything at Supergoop! is carefully curated to be reef-safe, cruelty-free and made with clean ingredients to provide your skin with all-year-round sun protection.
“I’m on a mission to change the way people understand SPF skincare. I want to educate the world about the importance of skin cancer prevention and sunscreen usage, but in a fun, playful way—this is the spirit of my brand,” she said with steely confidence.
We had the chance to speak to Holly Thaggard about the inspiration behind the launch of Supergoop!, the importance of wearing sunscreen daily, her skincare tips, and what the idea of living sustainably mean to her.
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What were you doing before Supergoop!
It’s been almost 17 years since joined I the beauty industry and launched Supergoop!. I was a teacher post-college, and today, I’m still an educator but not confined to the four walls of the classroom, teaching people about the importance of using sunscreen.
Thinking back, I couldn’t stand to see people were not teaching children about this healthy habit as we did about washing hands and brushing teeth. Sunscreen was often thought to be a seasonal product for summer and beach days, and over the past decade, Supergoop! has worked hard to eliminate this common misconception. I really want to change the way the world thinks about sunscreen and raise people’s awareness of SPF protection.
How did Supergoop! begin? What’s the inspiration behind your brand?
It was a need to make people rethink the importance of this health habit [applying sunscreen] that inspired me to create the brand. The moment when I found out my friend had been diagnosed with skin cancer in 2004 was a turning point in my life, which led me to launch Supergoop! and create game-changing SPF beauty solutions to ignite public awareness about skin cancer prevention.
Through continuous research, I learned that the reason why people tend to neglect sunscreen as part of their daily routines, is because it doesn’t don’t feel good on the skin. So, we have been dedicated to inventing clean, reef-safe and cruelty-free products that not only guarantee quality sun protection, but also feel incredibly comfortable.
Thinking inclusively of every skin type, colour and tone is also a core part of Supergoop!’s DNA. We want to encourage people to use SPF as a daily habit, and that’s why we have a wide range of sunscreens tailored to all skin concerns and routines, alongside other innovative SPF products including body cream, lip balm, setting powder and more.
And instead of talking about the scary side of skin cancer, I’d like to educate people and end the skin cancer epidemic in a fun and positive way. I don’t think you scare people into changing their behaviour, you inspire them into it. That’s always the spirit of Supergoop!—just think about how playful the brand name is!