COOLA

COOLA is an American suncare brand based in Carlsbad, California, that makes organic-leaning sunscreen and sun-protection products. It was founded by Chris Birchby and launched in 2007 [7], built around the idea that daily SPF should feel pleasant enough to actually wear. The company sells across face, body, lip and makeup categories, with sunscreen as its core, and remains active, with an operating website and a current product line.

The brand frames its work around a single mission it describes as "making healthy suncare people love to wear." That positioning grew directly out of a personal story: both of the founder's parents were diagnosed with melanoma, which pushed him toward a sunscreen that was effective, organic and nice to use every day.

The brand traces its origins to 2002, when Chris Birchby's parents were both diagnosed with melanoma. According to a profile by the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, Birchby — who had earned an MFA in Pasadena and worked as a painter and professional poker player before going into beauty — began researching sun protection and developing the concept after those diagnoses [8]. Unable to find a sunscreen he wanted to use himself, he set out to make one.

COOLA started out of Birchby's garage in Bonsall, California [8], and reached the market in 2007. The company points to that launch as an early move in cleaner sunscreen formulation, describing itself as "among the first – if not the very first – US suncare company to formulate without oxybenzone" [7], a UV filter later restricted in some jurisdictions over concerns about coral reefs.

There is a mild inconsistency in how the brand dates itself. Its skin-cancer-awareness page says COOLA "was started over 20 years ago" [5], language that points back toward the 2002 concept rather than the launch. The founder's own note, by contrast, gives the founding year plainly as 2007 [7]; this article follows the 2007 launch date, treating 2002 as the year the idea took shape.

COOLA's parent company is not documented in the available sources. The Carlsbad Chamber profile identifies Bare Republic — a sunscreen line sold through Target — as a sister brand [8], indicating a shared corporate relationship, though the structure behind it is not detailed in the sources.

COOLA's stated philosophy centers on "feel-good" SPF: sunscreen designed to be non-sticky, non-greasy, sheer and lightweight, so that people will reach for it daily rather than only at the beach. The company groups this under values it labels "Always Organic," "Feel-Good SPF" and "Crafted Without Compromise," and uses the tagline "SPF Made for Days Like These." Its founder describes the underlying ambition as creating "organic sunscreens that safely protect our friends and our environment."

A second strand of the positioning is environmental. The company says it sources raw ingredients from organic farms to reduce its impact on rivers and streams, a practice it presents under a "Farm to Face" commitment covering ingredient sourcing and traceability. It also emphasizes reef compatibility: COOLA states it never uses oxybenzone or octinoxate, and says every one of its sunscreens meets the requirements of Hawai'i Act 104, the state law prohibiting the sale of sunscreens containing those two filters [4].

Sunscreen anchors the range, which extends across face and body SPF, lip products, skincare, makeup and sunless tan, in formats including spray, lotion, stick, oil and serum. The formulas lean on plant-derived ingredients such as buriti oil, meadowfoam seed oil, prickly pear extract, raspberry seed oil and shea butter, several of which the brand highlights for moisturizing or antioxidant properties.

On the formulation side, COOLA defines itself partly by what it leaves out. The company says it excludes "over 1,600+ unwanted ingredients," among them parabens, phthalates, silicones, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, mineral oil, talc, oxybenzone and octinoxate [3]. It states that its formulas are tested under dermatologist supervision and that it is "PETA certified cruelty-free" [2]. The company also says it was "the first company to incorporate 70%+ organic ingredients into classic sunscreens" [7]; beyond the PETA cruelty-free mark, it does not claim third-party organic certification such as USDA Organic, ECOCERT or COSMOS.

COOLA has been profiled by the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce as a local eco-focused startup, an account that traces its garage beginnings and its growth into a multi-country business [8]. The same profile notes the products are carried by retailers including Nordstrom, Sephora and Ulta, and reports that the company operates in 44 countries, among them Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and South Korea [8].

COOLA is an active brand. Its website remains fully operational with e-commerce and a regularly updated blog of suncare and skincare articles, and its sunscreen line is available for purchase. The company is headquartered in Carlsbad, California [8].