Draft:Solar Buddies


Solar Buddies is a British consumer health and sun care brand, best known for its patented refillable sponge-head sunscreen applicator designed to enable children to apply sun protection independently and without mess. The product was founded in 2011 by Kelli Aspland and Laura Waters, two mothers from Cwmbran, Wales, who met on the school run outside St David's RC School.[1] The brand gained wide public recognition following its appearance on the BBC television programme Dragons' Den in 2023, when investors Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden jointly committed £80,000 for a 20% equity stake.[2]

Solar Buddies is sold in multiple international markets including the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and Australia, and has been reviewed by major broadcast and print media including Good Morning America, The Today Show, The Weather Channel, ITV's This Morning, Channel 4's Buy It Now, and the BBC's The Gadget Show.[3][4]

Background and founding

Kelli Aspland and Laura Waters met in 2011 while collecting their three-year-old children from St David's RC School in Cwmbran, South Wales.[1] Both mothers identified a practical problem: school no-touch policies prevented teachers from applying sunscreen to pupils, yet young children lacked the dexterity to do so cleanly and consistently themselves, leading either to missed application or to product being spread across clothing, faces, and school uniforms.[2]

Before founding Solar Buddies, Aspland had deferred a place at nursing college to pursue the business full-time.[2] Waters later became an ambassador for The King's Trust (formerly The Prince's Trust), citing the structure and community of the Solar Buddies venture as central to her own personal recovery during a difficult period.[2]

The two co-founders developed a prototype applicator and launched Solar Buddies Ltd as a limited company based in Cwmbran, Wales.

Product

The Solar Buddies Sunscreen Applicator is a refillable, handheld device comprising three components: a fillable reservoir, a rollerball mechanism, and a replaceable foam sponge head. The ergonomic design is shaped to fit comfortably in both adult and children's hands. The device is compatible with most liquid and lotion sunscreens of any brand or SPF rating, allowing families to select their preferred formulation independently of the applicator.[4]

The reservoir holds 100 millilitres (3.4 fl oz), a capacity that meets TSA carry-on liquid regulations for air travel in the United States and equivalent EU and UK regulations.[5] The sponge heads are replaceable rather than requiring full unit replacement, a design intended to reduce single-use plastic consumption; the product body is constructed from 94% recycled plastic and is BPA-free.[3]

The product holds a granted patent in the United Kingdom and had an international patent application pending at the time of its Dragons' Den appearance in 2023, as noted by Dragons' Den panellist Sara Davies during the broadcast.[1]

Solar Buddies is available in multiple colour variants and is sold across direct-to-consumer online channels, Amazon, and major retail partners in the UK, US, and international markets.

Dragons' Den

Solar Buddies appeared in the series finale of Dragons' Den Series 20 on BBC One, broadcast on 6 April 2023. Kelli Aspland and Laura Waters entered the Den requesting £80,000 for a 10% equity stake.[1]

Three of the five Dragons made offers. Sara Davies stated she "loved you two and loved the product" and offered the full £80,000 for a 20% stake. Deborah Meaden described the business as having "only scratched the surface of what it could be used for" and also offered £80,000 for 20%. Peter Jones called the product "clever and very neat", described it as highly competitive, and expressed enthusiasm about the investment opportunity. Jones notably remarked: "I'm sitting here thinking these could be Disney characters."[1][2]

After Sara Davies withdrew from a potential joint offer, Jones and Meaden agreed to split the investment, each contributing £40,000 in exchange for a 10% stake each, totalling £80,000 for a combined 20% equity position.[1]

Following the broadcast, Aspland said: "Going into the Den was a heart-in-mouth moment. But we know our business inside out, so as soon as we started talking, the nerves disappeared." Waters added: "We're so thrilled to be working with Deborah and Peter. To have such titans of the industry come on board is incredible."[2]

Media coverage and recognition

Solar Buddies has received editorial coverage across broadcast television, digital media, and print publications in multiple countries.

In the United Kingdom, the product has been featured on the BBC's The Gadget Show, Channel 4's Buy It Now, and ITV's This Morning.[3]

In the United States, the applicator was reviewed by the Today show on NBC, and by The Weather Channel.[3] In July 2024, Good Morning America family and e-commerce reporter Bethany Braun-Silva published a personal hands-on review of the Solar Buddies applicator, describing it as "a device designed to make sunscreen application easier for kids" and testing it with her own children.[4]

The brand gained significant consumer traction via TikTok, where creator-generated content under the hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt drove substantial organic reach and contributed to international sales growth.[2]

Commercial performance

At the time of the Solar Buddies Dragons' Den appearance in April 2023, the company reported revenues of £5.5 million. The product had accumulated more than 8,000 customer reviews on Amazon with an average rating of 4.5 stars across its variants.[3]

The brand has expanded its international retail and e-commerce presence across the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and Australia.

Sustainability

The Solar Buddies applicator body is manufactured from 94% recycled plastic. The replaceable sponge-head design reduces material waste by allowing the functional component to be exchanged rather than the full unit disposed of. All parts, including the lid and sponge, are intended for reuse; the sponge is removed before the plastic body is recycled.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Dragon's Den's Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones invest £80,000 in Cwmbran business". Cwmbran Life. 6 April 2023. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Dragons' Den success for Welsh entrepreneurs with investment from Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones". Inkl / Wales Online. 6 April 2023. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Solar Buddies Sunscreen Applicator — Product Listing". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  4. ^ a b c "Mom's Minute: Solar Buddies sunscreen applicator review". Good Morning America / ABC News. 2 July 2024. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  5. ^ "Solar Buddies Sunscreen Applicator Review". Lunaescent. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
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