Arbre

Arbre is a sustainable sun care brand, on a mission to create sustainable and universally functional SPF products that are accessible to all. Currently all the sunscreen products on the market are the same! They all have the same smell, the same greasy feeling, and are made by the same brands and companies as a one-size-fits-all solution. Our goal as women of colour is to disrupt the sunscreen industry by providing innovative and inclusive SPF products for every body.

Management 

Stephanie and Kristina are the co-founders of Arbre. They are both scientists by training. Stephanie has an MSc in Pharmacology with experience working as an addictions researcher, a health economist at Johnson & Johnson, and is now working in strategy and analytics at Maple, a digital health startup in Toronto. Through her experience, Stephanie has deep knowledge and expertise on the Health Canada regulatory space, chemical formulations, and business strategy. Kristina is currently a PhD student conducting research in Cognitive Psychology, with experience working in the financial industry, specifically supplier risk management in Capital Markets. From her experience she has developed expertise in behavioral science, research, and business operations. We are passionate about educating our consumers on sun care and its many benefits for their long-term health, as well as providing them with an environmentally friendly product.

Customer Problem

Currently, there are no functional sun protection products for the scalp for women. All sunscreen and SPF products on the market are designed as a one-size-fits-all solution. Traditional lotion or cream sunscreen products cannot be used on the scalp for women as they will not blend or mix well with our hair, and most women do not enjoy wearing hats. This leaves our scalps exposed to the sun and prone to burns

Product/Service Solution

Our debut product is a mineral-based powder SPF product for the scalp that aims to address this problem for sunburn prone women. It can be used daily like a dry shampoo on the scalp and hair to provide protection from the sun, as well as absorb oils and nourish the hair. Our product will allow women to enjoy worry-free time in the sun and protect their scalps from sunburns and scalp melanomas. 

Our product will also be environmentally friendly and contain ingredients people can actually pronounce. We will be using mineral sunscreen ingredients which are not harmful to the environment. And, our product will come in sustainable and recyclable packaging, compared to traditional sunscreens which are often in plastic bottles. Our goal is to provide a sustainable and effective solution to our consumers.

Target Market

Our target customers are primarily Millennial and Gen Z women in Canada. They are women who enjoy spending time outdoors, for recreational activities or for their occupation. These women are also sunburn prone or worry about their skin health and sun exposure. We plan to target women who are already aware of or use dry shampoo products and also use sun protection products regularly such as sunscreen on their face or body. These women are also more likely to shop online or through social media platforms which is where we will be launching our product.

Current Customers

Our product is currently in development, and we are planning to launch in the summer of 2022.

Founders: Kristina Knox & Stephanie Tien

Advisors: Kayla Sousa