HAESKN Wants to Make SPF a Habit

This Korean American-founded brand is making sun protection easier to reapply and remember.

We all know we're supposed to wear sunscreen. And most of us have even gotten pretty good at applying it in the morning. But reapplying it throughout the day? That's another story.

For HAESKN co-founders Sherril HwangBo and Eugene Kim, that disconnect became the starting point for a brand built around a simple idea: sunscreen should fit into your life, not the other way around.

The Korean American duo entered the beauty industry with complementary expertise. Sherril spent nearly two decades working in luxury branding and design at Ralph Lauren and LVMH, while Eugene brought extensive experience in beauty manufacturing and product development.

Together, they saw an opportunity to rethink a category that had long focused on the importance of sun protection without necessarily making it easier to practice. And the timing couldn't have been better.

While working at LVMH, Sherril began noticing a shift in consumer behavior. Drinking was declining, traditional nightlife was losing momentum, and activities like run clubs, racquet sports, and fitness communities were becoming increasingly popular.

At home, she was experiencing the same shift firsthand. After moving from Brooklyn to New Jersey, she took up padel while Eugene got into running. With more time spent outdoors, they both found themselves forgetting to reapply SPF.

"That's when it clicked: people didn't necessarily need another reason to wear SPF. They needed a better way to make it part of real life," Sherril explains.

For Sherril and Eugene, sun protection was never an afterthought. Growing up Korean American, both were raised with an understanding that skincare was an intentional, everyday practice, with prevention playing a central role.

While certain traditional Korean beauty ideals have evolved, that emphasis on caring for the skin before problems arise remains foundational to HAESKN.

"What we wanted to bring to HAESKN is what Korean skincare does so well - effective ingredients, product innovation, and prevention, but reimagined for a more active, on-the-go lifestyle," says Sherril.

The result is a brand that takes the innovation associated with K-beauty and applies it to the realities of modern American routines, where skincare doesn't always happen in front of a bathroom mirror.

Sometimes it happens between meetings, after a workout, or halfway through a day spent outside.

HAESKN's hero product, the Sunscreen Stick SPF 50, was developed with those moments in mind. Priced at $24, the broad-spectrum formula offers UVA and UVB protection in a portable stick format that glides on without a white cast or greasy finish, even over makeup.

It's also water- and sweat-resistant for up to 80 minutes, making it particularly practical for people whose days involve more than sitting behind a desk.

And while convenience drives the format, the formula still reflects the founders' Korean skincare roots, incorporating ingredients like ginseng, ceramides, and rice extract to help hydrate and soothe the skin.

"We realized people don't experience sunscreen standing peacefully in front of their bathroom mirror!" Sherril says. "They're applying it before a run, in an Uber, at their kid's soccer game, or on vacation."

Her favorite customer feedback? "I actually reapply now." Four words that say more about the brand's mission than any elaborate marketing campaign could.

Historically, sunscreen marketing has leaned heavily on warnings such as premature aging, sun damage, and the long-term consequences of UV exposure. Those concerns are important, but HAESKN is approaching the conversation from another angle. Rather than making consumers feel guilty about spending time in the sun, the brand wants to encourage them to enjoy being outdoors while making protection a natural part of the experience.

"We don't want people to hide from the sun. We love being outside, traveling, running, playing sports and living our lives," says Sherril. "Our philosophy is really simple: go out, stay healthy and active, just protect yourself while you're doing it."

That philosophy extends beyond the product itself and into how HAESKN is building its community.

Instead of relying exclusively on traditional beauty marketing, the brand is showing up in spaces like run clubs and other fitness communities. It's a deliberate move that positions sun protection as part of the broader wellness conversation.

"Run clubs, padel, Pilates, and fitness are all places where people are already thinking about their health and taking care of themselves," Sherril explains. "We see sun protection as part of that same wellness conversation, not just a beauty routine."

For a generation increasingly interested in longevity, preventative care, and active living, it's a compelling way to rethink an everyday essential.

Of course, changing habits takes more than creating a convenient product. Sometimes, people need a reminder of why those habits matter in the first place.

That's where HAESKN's second product, SOLCHECK, comes in.

The $15 UV-reactive sticker changes color as UV intensity increases, making something consumers can't ordinarily see immediately visible.

It's a simple concept with the larger educational purpose of helping people become more aware of UV exposure and reinforcing the importance of consistent sun protection.

"Everyone knows UV is real, but sometimes we just need a visual reminder," says Sherril. "For us, SOLCHECK is really about three things: UV awareness, education, and fun."

The sticker isn't a substitute for sunscreen or a precise indicator of when protection has worn off. Instead, it serves as an approachable way to bring UV awareness into everyday life. And in a category often complicated by debates over chemical versus mineral filters, international formulations, and sunscreen regulations, that simplicity feels particularly relevant.

Sherril's perspective on the ongoing conversation is refreshingly straightforward.

"The best sunscreen is the one you'll actually reapply," she says. "Everyone's skin is different, and everyone's needs are different, so we're not here to tell people there's only one right type of sunscreen."

It's a philosophy that prioritizes consistency over perfection.

"What I learned over 20 years at Ralph Lauren and LVMH is that number one, the product has to perform and be amazing. But functionality alone doesn't create desire," Sherril explains. "The best brands create a world people want to be part of."

For HAESKN, that world revolves around movement, travel, wellness, and time spent outdoors. Sunscreen is the entry point, but the ambition is to create a broader relationship between consumers and sun care.

Behind the scenes, however, building that world has required navigating the less glamorous realities of entrepreneurship.

While Eugene oversees the technical side of product development and manufacturing, Sherril leads the creative and brand-building efforts. Their complementary backgrounds have helped them tackle the demands of launching a sun care business, but experience doesn't eliminate every problem.

"The biggest challenge has been the mental, emotional, and financial endurance game of building a company," Sherril admits. "It takes a lot of resilience and patience, but you also have to know when to quickly pivot and move on."

Her guiding reminder throughout the process? "Progress over perfection."

It's a mindset that feels especially fitting for a brand trying to make everyday routines a little more realistic.

Although HAESKN launched with a focused product offering, the founders have always envisioned something bigger than sunscreen alone. Their long-term vision centers on three stages of sun care: PREP, PROTECT, RECOVER.

It's an approach that considers what happens before, during, and after sun exposure, opening the door for future products and rituals that extend beyond traditional SPF.

"We've always envisioned HAESKN as a suncare brand, not just sunscreen," says Sherril. "Ultimately, we want to make suncare an intuitive, everyday part of taking care of your skin."

For HAESKN, the opportunity isn't necessarily convincing consumers to buy more sunscreen. It's helping them use the sunscreen they already know they need.

Because while the beauty industry has spent years telling us how important SPF is, perhaps the next evolution of sun care is making it something we don't have to think twice about.

As Sherril puts it, the goal is simple: "Not just more SPF products, but better sun habits."