Kelly Slater Launches Skincare Brand Called ‘Freaks of Nature’

Kelly Slater isn’t just the GOAT of surfing, he’s the GOAT of brand creation. He’s got his fingers in many pies, and he just pulled another one out of the oven: a skincare brand called Freaks of Nature.

Slater, as you know, has 11 world titles. He’s probably the best known surfer on the planet. He was in Baywatch, after all, and his name on a product does things that someone who wasn’t Kelly Slater wouldn’t be able to. He’s no stranger to product launches and collaborations — just off the top of my head, I can think of quite a few. Purps, the purple drink that doesn’t seem to have gained much traction. Outerknown, the clothing company. Slater Designs and a majority interest in Firewire. The Kelly Slater Wave Company, as well. There are probably more, but you get the idea. And now, skincare.

It makes sense, really. Slater has spent his fair share of time in the sun, and like many of us, he didn’t really think too much of it in his younger days.

“I’ve been in the sun for probably hundreds of thousands of hours or more,” he told PEOPLE. “It’s kind of amazing I still have skin after all this time… I remember a couple of times as a kid just going all day in the water and not using sunscreen and then paying the price the next day,” Slater recalls. “I’d put sunglasses on, a towel over my head and lather up with everything I could because I was so fried the next day — and then, my whole body would peel.”

But as we’ve learned more about the importance of sun protection, it’s gaining in popularity and Slater is throwing his hat in the ring for skincare people can trust not to kill reefs or fill them with chemicals. As more and more people take to the outdoors, the skincare industry is booming.

“Over the last decade (2014 – 2024), the number of new invasive melanoma cases diagnosed annually jumped by 32 percent,” the Freaks of Nature website claims. This increase is likely due to better detection, more time spent in the sun, and simply more people living longer.”

As Kelly gets older, he’s realizing that skin care is health care. But he’s a hands-on guy, as proven by his other businesses, and Freaks of Nature is no different.

“So now as I’m aging, I take more time to take care of myself,” Slater explained to PEOPLE. “I like to have a hand in the knowledge behind the products I use or the things I do… I don’t work with anything that’s not a part of my life.”

Like his other companies, Freaks of Nature is “eco-conscious,” which is beginning to feel like a bit of a buzz word. Still, though, an attempt at running a business with the planet in mind is a good thing.

“We’re relentless about sourcing minerals, bio-actives and natural ingredients that are well-researched, standardized, and efficacious because our priority is your skin, your wellbeing and that of mother nature,” the website reads. The packaging is, of course, made from recycled materials as well.

The line includes a moisturizer made with “bio-fabricated vegan shark lipids and topical marine collagen designed to combat transdermal water loss and promote skin firmness,” a 30 SPF sunscreen “that boasts HydroSeal plant-based water resistance technology serving as an essential shield against the sun’s harmful rays and other environmental stressors like wind and water,” and an SPF 50 sunscreen made with “powerful Red Algae MAA Helionori.”

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