By Leslie Luna Staff Writer
It’s 10:30 on a Wednesday morning and the COOLA Suncare team is gathered at their conference table, coffee in hand and smartphones out. While jeans and sandals are the norm here, don’t be fooled by the casual office attire. The close-knit team knows how to balance the demands of a corporation with an active lifestyle. The marketing and product development teams have just wrapped a strategy meeting.
An Idea is Born
You might be familiar with COOLA Suncare brand of organic and eco-friendly sunscreens from features on national outlets like ELLE, SHAPE, and Vogue Magazine. But you may be surprised to learn three things: COOLA’s founder and CEO Chris Birchby started his business out of his Bonsall garage, and prior to founding COOLA, Birchby exhibited his paintings in numerous respected galleries and was a professional poker player.
Birchby’s love for the ocean and the outdoors led him to the West Coast in 1998. He ended up in the Los Angeles area and commuted to the Art Center of Design in Pasadena where he earned an MFA.
This new life enjoying the ocean, the sunshine, and the organic lifestyle was exciting. But a life-altering event changed his career path.
In 2002, Birchby’s parents were diagnosed with melanoma which led him to research proper sun protection and motivated him to create a better product than was available. Fortunately, his parents fully recovered and the idea of COOLA was born.
COOLA Suncare grew out of a passion to create positive change not only in his parent’s health, but also the environment. With a continuous dedication to quality, health and sustainability COOLA has become one of the fastest-growing sunscreen companies in the country.
Building a Startup
The biggest challenge in the early days of the company was finding reliable companies to work with. Twice, Birchby encountered unscrupulous lab owners who swindled him out of thousands of dollars.
“I quickly found out that people are often out for their own self-interest. It’s disheartening to see companies taking advantage of other companies,” says Birchby. “The first lab I worked with made a product that had no SPF in it; the lab didn’t put any in it because it was the most expensive ingredient. Another lab I worked with used the wrong ink on the sunscreen’s labels and it all rubbed off. In business, this is something that happens way too often, and no one talks about it.”
After some time, Birchby was able to turn his misfortunes into gold. He surrounded himself with great mentors and a consultant that gave him the best piece of career advice he’s ever received – “Focus on the resort and spa niche market.” Fred Segal Apothecary in Los Angeles and the Four Seasons Spa in Beverly Hills were the first places were COOLA was launched.
“We looked at the boutique spas and resorts as focus groups.Their feedback was crucial when we started the company,” explains Birchby, “they provided us with insights from package design to new ingredients, and innovation.”
New Dwellings
With continuous growth, COOLA moved its headquarters to a new Carlsbad office in February of last year. The company is located on Lionshead Avenue in a 44,000 square-foot space that’s modern, dog-friendly, and where colorful pieces of artwork are part of the décor including a Maya Hayuk painting and other works from LA-based artist Joshua Nathanson.
“We couldn’t be happier to be in Carlsbad. There are so many like-minded brands we have partnered with including prAna and GoPro,” says Birchby. “The community gives us a whole lot; we try to be as much as part of the community as possible. We love the assortment of different restaurants for lunch in Bressi Ranch, there are a lot of young professionals, it’s got a great energy, and we love being part of it.”
What’s Next?
Today, COOLA Suncare products are on the shelves of retailers like Nordstrom, Sephora, and Ulta. It’s sister brand – Bare Republic – is sold at Target reaching a wider audience.
Birchby explains they’re expanding into non-SPF products such as their organic sunless tan after three years in research and development.
“We will always be a sun protection, outdoor and wellness company but we see a tremendous opportunity in beauty products,” he adds. “We continue to introduce products that are year-round. We want to export this bit of Southern California lifestyle everywhere.”
COOLA Suncare products are in 44 countries including Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, and South Korea among others.
The company is pushing for a lot of change within the beauty industry too. Birchy was recently nominated to a three-year term on the Board of Directors for the Independent Cosmetic Manufacturers and Distributors Association (ICMDA), a role in which he hopes to affect some change in policies at the national level.
There are also appearances on the QVC shopping channel. Birchby’s wife A.J. joined the company as director of special projects, and she will be the new on-air personality. She’s also been busy reaching out to mommy bloggers with new products and ideas.
As new parents, the Birchbys love the youthful and family oriented vibe in Carlsbad.
“Carlsbad has everything from shopping to dining. I have dinner with my wife at The Land & Water Company at least once a week,” He chuckles.
A commitment to both sustainability and the community is found at the core of so many of the companies that call our city home. COOLA is partnering with fashion designer Cynthia Rowley to do a limited edition suncare kit, 100% of the profits will be donated to the Ocean Conservancy, that’s a minimum of $100,000 to protect the beaches, the oceans, and marine life.
“We’ve always donated to a lot of different organizations. Unfortunately, in our current administration, there’s no leadership or direction for the challenges we’re seeing,” explains Birchby, “giving more than ever is in the hands of private companies.”
What’s the secret to COOLA’s success?
“It’s the team that we’ve assembled. We’re a growing family fueled by creativity and passion,” he adds. “We like being part of the fabric of the community, be authentic, true to ourselves, and true to our industry.”