This is a guest post by John Simonetta, owner of Proforma Green Marketing, an eco-friendly promotional items consultancy (see proformagreen.com). John’s blogs are designed to keep us up to date on the “greening” of his industry.
I like the beach. A lot of folks like the beach. And this time of year dozens of cruise ships are taking people from cold northern climes to warm southern waters. Indeed an item as basic as brandable sunscreen is a big seller for our industry at this time of year. Believe me, cruise ships hold a lot of sunscreen.
However, over the past few years the world has come to learn that traditional sunscreen kills coral, indeed many places like Cancún in Mexico ban traditional sunscreen all together. So what is an Ecopreneurist targeting the snowbirds supposed to do?
Enter Aloe Up Sun & Skin Care Products. Aloe Up offers a natural, biodegradable (reef friendly), hypoallergenic, and non-comedogenic (won’t clog pores) sun and skin care line produced from aloe organically grown in Harlingen, Texas and sold in over 60 countries worldwide.
Aloe Up biodegradable SPF 25 sun lotion holds a minimum of 25% pure Aloe Vera Gel, is alcohol, mineral oil, and PABA free, is independently tested, and complies with FDA standards. Aloe Up products are fragrance free as well.
What does that all mean to the Ecopreneurist? Simple. This is the good stuff, and placing your logo on this item is the safe bet when it comes to brandable, upscale sun protection.
“Our products are biodegradable,” says Dan Ohlson, Vice President of Sales for Aloe Up Sun & Skin Care Products. “In the case of the screen this means it may be used in and around all coastal regions, including resorts in Mexico which have strict regulations banning screen due to the fact that it kills coral by killing plankton (its food source).” Ohlson went on to say that an item like Aloe Up SPF 15 Pro Sport will stay on in the water for up to 8 hours, will not sweat into your eyes on the golf coarse, it will not soak into your skin. {see video clip}
What about pricing? Standard Aloe Up 4oz sunscreen lotion (SPF 15 or 30) in custom printed tubes runs EQP $5.75. 1oz tubes EQP at $3.50. Custom Face Sticks run EQP $3.75. So that is competitive.
Branding can also be done on packaging only, like a gift bag, so your clients see the world famous Aloe Up brand itself on these items. Bags also allow bundling items to suit audiences, like the spa crowd, the golf crowd, the student crowd, etc.
Aloe Up items can also be bundled with any custom printed towel from the Pro Towels line – a market leader in promotional towels (the “no one ever throws away a towel” towel guys).
Any Ecopreneurist working on fun runs or other outdoor events should take a look at the Aloe Up line as a possible replacement for traditional sunscreen products. Those targeting the K-12 market or any other health relevant audience also should give Aloe Up a try.
If you are an ASI member or want to know any additional information regarding the commitment to eco-friendly products at Aloe Up, Dan Ohlson is the contact. If you are interested in these items to promote your own business, contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.
See you all at the beach.
Adventures in Green Marketing 
Aloe Up would be a great promotional item for green companies that are located in beach cities. I especially appreciate the fact that this sunscreen can be used in Mexico which is beyond me because they are strict there regarding this stuff! Thanks for the tip