US moms develop sparkling idea to protect kids from skin cancer

09-Jul-2013 - Last updated on 10-Jul-2013 at 15:40 GMT

Two Fort Lauderdale moms hope the glitter will appeal to kids and encourage sun protection

Two moms from Fort Lauderdale have pooled their thoughts on how to get children to apply sunscreen regularly and protect themselves from the sun, which has led to the development of a product containing glitter, to visually appeal.

Meredith Madsen and Dianna Akers came up with the idea for the SPF 30+ Glittertots Sparkle Screen with a fresh scent, natural color, and containing glitter, in order to make sunscreen fun for toddlers, tweens, teens.

Sun exposure risk

The risk of sun exposure has been well documented in the US with many dermatologists and global manufacturers emphasizing the need for protection and the risks of burns and potentially, skin cancer.

The family-based start-up recognises that children of a young age may not always fully understand such warnings and feel that if there is another way to attract children to sunscreen products before they are old enough to fully understand the dangers, this can only help.

“We created Sparkle Screen because we wanted a sunscreen that kids wanted to wear. After years of struggling to get my girls to apply regular sunscreen they now beg for it. With Sparkle Screen, applying and reapplying is easy and fun,” says Akers, COO and co-founder of GlitterTots.

Encouraging

Akers claims that the idea has been a big hit so far, and that if demand continues it could open up avenues for a number of different products for the brand later this year.

“Our sunscreen has just the right amount of glitter and our patent-pending formula uses only the highest quality ingredients, is chock full of antioxidants, and uses unique non-metallic cosmetic grade glitter. It’s [also] BPA free - and its sparkles!” adds Madsen, CEO and co-founder.

Sparkle Screen is made in the USA from natural ingredients including Aloe, Shea Butter, and Coconut Oil.

The company also stresses it is non-aluminum, BPA free, Paba and Paraben free and contains only natural broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection: Titanium Dioxide and Non-nano Zinc Oxide.