Hawaiian Blend

Skin

Skin is one of the most amazing organs in the human body. Skin is made up of very specific cells and tissues, and their collective purpose is to act as the boundary between "you" and the "world". If you take a look at the cross section of the typical skin you will find that it is made up of two main layers: epidermis outside and dermis inside. The epidermis is the barrier while the dermis is the layer containing all the "equipment" - things like nerv endings, sweat glands, hair follicles, etc.

Tanning

When you get a tan, what is actually happening is that melanocytes are producing melanin production. The pigment has the effect of absorbing the UV radiation in sunlight, so it protects the cells from UV damage. Melanin production takes a fair amount of time - that is why most people cannot get a tan in one day. You have to expose yourslf to UV for a short period of time to activate the melanocytes. They produce melanin over the course of hours. By repeating this process over five to seven days pigment builds up in your cells to a level that is protective and optimal. This applies especially to Caucasians. However, in a variety of other races melanin production is continuous, so the skin is always pigmented to some degree. In these races the incidence of skin cancer is much lower because cells are constantly protected from UV radiation by melanin.

Sunlight

Sunlight arrives on earth in three forms: infrared (heat), visible light and ultraviolet. Ultraviolet is classified into three categories:

* UVA (315 to 400 nm) - also known as black light, which causes tanning

* UVB (280 to 315 nm) - which causes damage in the form of sunburn

* UVC (100 to 280 nm) - harmless and is filtered out by the atmoshphere and nver reaches earth.

99% of the sun's UV radiation at sea level is UVA. It is the UVB that causes most of the problems related to sun exposure - aging, wrinkles, cancer and so on. However, research is mounting these days implicatiing UVA as a cancer causing contributor as well.

Sun Protection

Basically there are two types of sun protection products available in the market: sunscreens and sunblocks. The active ingredients in all sunscreens/sunblock products today either absorb (filters) the UV rays or blocks (reflects) them. The consumer can block UV rays with opaque creams like Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide or they can absorb UV radiation with chemicals like Parsol 1789 (Avobenzone), Methoxycinnamate, Octinoxate, Oxybenzone, etc. The latter ingredients working in much the same way that melanin does, albeit chemically triggered.

Q & A

Q): What advantage does a "breathable" sunscreen'sunblock have over its non-"breathable" counterparts?

A): Many sunscreens/sunblocks that claim to be waterproof use petroleum based ingredients to achieve its durability when it comes in contact with water (whether through perspiration or water immersion). The problem with these hightly water-resistant formulas is that they form a waxy barrier on the skin that will not allow the poress to expel sweat effectively enought to keep the body cooled properly. Conversely, "breathable" formulas will also repel water. However, the sheered molecular weight or thickness of our unique formula after application will not obstruct or prevent sweat from getting out. The perfect word-picture to help illustrate the point of difference is having a person put on a wet-suit ("breathable" formula) instead of a plastic yard bag (non-"breathable" formula). One allows your skin to function normally; the other retricts your skin from performing at its optimum.

Hawaiian Blend's sunblocks will block-out the water from getting in without blocking water from getting out. The first generation "super-waterproof" formulas (and even some today) were the worst offenders when it came to sealing pores and causing overheating. Ingredients like Petrolatem, Paraffin or Beeswax are some key water-proofing ingredients used in many sunscreens/sunblocks. As we stated previously, Hawaiian Blend formulas are the liquid equivalent of "Gortex" and non-"breathable" formulas are the equivalent to wearing a plastic garbage bag over your body.

Q): Are Hawaiian Blend sunblocks reef-friendly?

A): Quick answer is YES. The primary reason is that our formulas are truly "waterproof," which means they will not wash-off easily and leach into the reef ecosystem. Additionally, the predominant ingredients that make up our sunblocks are chemically inert (Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide are minerals), therefere they cannot react negatively with anything in the ocean.

Q): Can Hawaiian Blend sunblocks be categorized as "oil-free" products?

A): Yes. The way the "oil-free" marketing game is played is: If you don't add any additional oils other than the liquid sunscreens that are part of your active ingredient deck, then you can say that your product is "oil-free". "Oil-free" is merely double-talk or use of creative semantics when marketing many of today's sunscreens and other skin care products. Unfortunately, it is what has been going on in the skin care industry for the last 10 years. Although our sunblocks qualify as an "oil-free" product, we prefer to avoid using this language descriptive as part of our marketing point-of-difference.

Q): Are our Hawaiian Blend sunblocks photo-stable?

A): Yes. The whole photo-stable rectoric and uproar was born out of some self interest groups claim that one ingredient, Parsol 1789 (Avobenzone), would breakdown under intense UV exposure. Roche, the manufacturers of Parsol 1789, defended their ingredient and nothing has since come out of the event. Photo-instability simply means that the sunscreen breaksdown and loses its protective effectiveness after UV exposure.

Interesting though, many companies have taken additional precautions and are now including stabilizing ingredients into their formulas to help prevent photo-instability from occuring in their products. They all have fancy names for their ingredient but basically they all work in the same manner and that is to help keep their Avobenzone protectant stable when exposed to UV rays.

Along with active ingredients like Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide, we now have 2% Avobenzone included in our sunblock formulas. All of these ingredients do not lose their sunblocking/sunscreening effectiveness when exposed to UV radiation. In fact, the combination of reflective and absortion properties make our sunblocks much more effective than most of today's one dimensionally engineered sunscreens.

Q): Is it safe to day that Hawaiian Blend sunblocks are ranked at the top of the industry in UV protection?

A): Absolutely. We are using the most advanced emulsion and waterproofing system out in the market today in our formulas. Not only do we have great UV protection properties in our formulas, our sunblocks will adhere to your skin very well; even after immersion in water numerous times and for prolonged periods. Furthermore, Hawaiian Blend offers extreme water-resistant qualitites without any negative trade-down effects like overheating and clogged pores; problems commonly associated with other sunscreens/sunblocks with high "waterproofing" claims. Some sunscreens offer great UV protection with no durability in use. Others offer extreme durability but negative side effects or the protection is inadequate (many "all-natural" protectants are the biggest offenders). Hawaiian Blend sunblocks are formulated with the best of all worlds, and without any negative side effects.