We talk to the founder about why it’s a must for your beauty bag every day, all year round …
Sometimes a new launch jumps out for all the right reasons. Here’s why Amelia Slattery’s brand-new Solas Skin, landing on May 15 online, instantly makes a great impression. Solas is kicking off with three suncare products, and they’re entirely made in Ireland – the formulas in Offaly, and then packaged in Dublin. This is rare as many of your favourite Irish-owned brands are made elsewhere, from Korea to Italy.
We met up with founder Amelia Slattery to find out more about the brand. Slattery comes armed with two years’ experience in marketing with Charlotte Tilbury in London, as well as an entrepreneurial approach (her mother Elaine runs Dolly’s Cafe + Lifestyle in Co Clare). Growing up in Ireland with pale, easily burned skin, Slattery says she struggled to find an SPF that was pleasant to wear, or one that was made in Ireland, designed for her skin and the climate.
We love that she’s addressing many of the key issues with sun protection – first, and most importantly, the need to use it every single day, not just when it’s sunny. Hence the tagline: No Days Off. Solas is designed to be user-friendly for sports and outdoor pursuits, travel and everything in between, for all skin types, even sensitive and acne-prone (they’re non-comedogenic).
The initial launch features a fragrance-free suncream, both SPF30 and SPF50 (en route next month), and also a spray-on SPF50 mist for topping up during the day. Topping up is something experts always insist on, but it’s not easy to do with regular formulas. The spray is also handy for bald patches – never mentioned but worth remembering (men are particularly lax about wearing sunscreen). Slattery is adamant in appealing to men as much as women – the packaging is smart and gender-free, the colour of Roland Garros clay tennis courts, and ideal for anyone’s sports bag.
I like that the initial range includes an SPF50 lip protector as lips are prone to skin cancers too, and yet it’s another area we all forget to protect, along with backs of hands and neck. The other bit that we miss with protection is the tops of our ears – ever since Dr Rosemary Coleman pointed this out to me, I’ve been obsessed with it. Keep it in mind, even when you’re wearing a baseball cap, the tips of your ears aren’t covered.
In the pipeline? Slattery has tinted lip protectors in mind, tapping into the current trend for coloured and flavoured lip tints. She’s thought of everything, from recyclable packaging to smart a applicator nozzle designed to deliver the ideal amount of suncream. This, of course, is vital as hardly any of us actually use the right amount, so don’t benefit from the proper coverage and protection. There are clear instructions on these bottles, so there’s no excuse: the length of two fingers-worth of cream should be your default.
Slattery is also working on a mineral suncare option, with zinc, as it better suits those with acne- or rosace-prone skin. Bodycare is another idea. Slattery wants Solas to be the “Sculpted of the SPF world”. And the sun is definitely shining on this smart, homegrown enterprise. @solas.skin
