ByRokko

ByRokko is a Slovenian self-tanning and tan-accelerator brand built around a single hero product, Shine Brown. It was founded in 2017 [5] after the Shine Brown concept won a start-up challenge tied to the University of Ljubljana start-up scene, and it is owned by the company SHINE BROWN d.o.o. [2] Despite English-language branding, the brand is Slovenian rather than Croatian or American, with its operations based in Upper Carniola near Ljubljana.

The brand remains active. Its storefront runs across European, US and Australian markets with current promotions and a 2026-dated brand deck, and it maintains an audience on Instagram and TikTok. ByRokko trades chiefly on the viral popularity of Shine Brown, a cream marketed for a fast, deep tan that the company says suits all skin types.

ByRokko traces its beginnings to 2017, when Shine Brown was, in the company's words, "the winning idea at the start-up challenge." The founders set out to "create a substance that helps you develop a beautiful brown tan as quickly as possible and without excessive sunbathing" — a tanning product aimed at speeding up colour without long hours in the sun. The concept was developed in connection with the University of Ljubljana start-up environment, and the first tanning products launched the same year.

The company's official About page names two founders: Rok Štifter as Founder and CEO, and Anita Repše as Co-Founder and COO [5]. An earlier web-search rendering gave the names as "Rok and Anita Stifter," implying a shared surname [1]; the brand's own page spells them as the separate surnames Štifter and Repše, which is treated here as the more reliable source.

By the brand's own account, growth was rapid. It says that within a year of launch every product had sold out, after which it opened four new markets and added six new products. Through 2019 the company reports reformulating Shine Brown and overhauling its packaging and online presence as the product gained traction with online creators.

In 2020 ByRokko says its team had grown past 30 people, its headquarters and warehouse were expanded, and it launched a self-tan line. By 2022 the company described itself as one of the larger tanning brands internationally, citing close to one million users [5]. These figures are the brand's self-reported milestones.

ByRokko is operated by SHINE BROWN d.o.o., a company registered in Slovenia [2]. There is a minor discrepancy in the stated location: the About page gives an operational headquarters at Pelechova cesta 15 in Radomlje [5], while the company's legal-information page lists a registered address at Pod topoli 5 in Komenda [2]. Both sit in Slovenia's Upper Carniola region near Ljubljana. No acquisitions or sister brands are recorded.

The brand presents itself in the premium-cosmetics tier of the tanning market. According to its founders, the aim was "to make people as excited about premium cosmetics as we are" and "to offer something different, something better, the best on the market." Its stated ambition is to become "the most popular global choice amongst costumers that love smarter, faster and innovative tanning." In practice the positioning centres on speed and depth of tan, summed up in the marketing line "Shine brighter, tan deeper."

ByRokko's catalogue revolves around Shine Brown, sold as a tanning cream "for a Deep, Natural Tan," alongside variants including Shine Brown Oil and Shine Brown Chocolate. The brand markets the products as vegan, cruelty-free and "Made in EU" [4]. Its core efficacy claim is that customers can "expect fast results regardless of your skin type."

An independent cosmetic-science review by Beautiful With Brains assessed Shine Brown as a glossy tanning oil and bronzer rather than a DHA self-tanner, noting that the formula contains no DHA — the ingredient that normally develops a fake tan — and that the marketed "carrot oil" is absent from the actual ingredient list [6]. The review identifies olive oil, walnut oil and cocoa butter among the key ingredients, with olive oil contributing UV absorbency and the others adding moisture and shine, and concludes that any colour comes from sun exposure rather than the product itself [6].

Shine Brown's profile has been driven largely by social media. The same independent review describes the product as spreading through Instagram reels and TikTok tutorials and being "called everything from 'game-changing' to 'overrated'" [6], and its US Amazon listing carries more than 21,000 reviews [7]. No industry awards are recorded.

ByRokko is active. It runs a fully operational commerce storefront spanning EU, US and Australian markets, with promotions running in 2026 and a 2026-dated brand deck, and it maintains active Instagram and TikTok channels with a sizeable following. Its most recent visible activity dates to 2026.