Our Story

Tony Palmer,Co-Founder and CEO of TropicSport,has a passion for surfing that instilled in him a profound respect for marine environments as well as an understanding of the cancer risks posed by countless hours under the sun. 12 years ago, Tony took his kids, Jack and Katie, back to his home break in Australia to teach them how to surf. On this trip, he got a fresh perspective on the reef bleaching that devastates marine ecosystems and he learned the extent to which chemical sunscreens contribute to this environmental disaster. 

Two years later, Tony was diagnosed with Lymphoma. In researching this diagnosis, Lisa Palmer, Tony’s wife, unearthed connections between sunscreen chemicals and a variety of human health issues including cancer. Not properly regulated or researched by government agencies, carcinogenic compounds in chemical sunscreen enter the bloodstream through the skin and lungs. Moved by the environmental and human safety dangers posed by chemical sunscreens, Tony and Lisa decided to set a new standard for sun protection. 

Doing it The Right Way

Giant corporations tend to rush products to market in order to turn a quick profit. Knowing that this profit-driven decision-making invariably leads to inferior, unsafe products, Tony and Lisa set out to do this the right way. They partnered with the world’s best surf pros and scientists and began what turned into a 6 year trial-and-error testing process. While their competition tests water resistance in a laboratory bathtub, the TropicSport team tested their product in the harshest real world environments, the sun and surf of the Maldives and West Papua. They approached evaluation and reformulation with a mission-driven focus on creating the world’s best sunscreen, built to protect your skin and our environment. 

The Result

TropicSport is a reef-friendly mineral sunscreen that is safe for you, safe for the environment, and lasts 3x longer than the competition.

• Our product utilizes two active ingredients, non-nano zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Our proprietary formula will not enter your bloodstream and is free of carcinogenic, reef-bleaching chemicals. 
• TropicSport lasts 3x longer than the competition. We tested TropicSport to a higher standard, not only passing the US 80 minute but also the AU 240 minute water resistance test. 
• We package our sunscreen in fully recyclable aluminum. While the industry standard packaging is unrecyclable plastic destined for a landfill or our oceans, we were the world's first sunscreen to make the change. 

Tested in the harshest, real-world conditions by the toughest of critics, you can rest assured that TropicSport works for you, your family, and our environment.