Nostalgia-Soaked Sun Care Brand Standard Procedure Could Be Australia’s Hottest Beauty Export

After growing up with her parents operating Australian sun care manufacturer Concept Labs, Zepha Jackson was interested in getting far away from the sun care industry—and she did, literally and figuratively.

Jackson flew from her Queensland nest to pursue a fashion career and held roles in sales, marketing and manufacturing in Southeast Asia, eventually setting up clothing factory Not A Stitch Up in Indonesia. But her connection to sun care came in handy for her surfer friends, who returned to her again and again as a source of sunscreen that withstood the waves.

“My family manufactures a lot for health and safety, hospitals, schools, government, stuff like that. So, they have a great heavy-duty formula,” says Jackson. “My friends loved it. It didn’t sting their eyes. It’s four-hour water resistant. Sand doesn’t stick to it.”

Back in Queensland as the coronavirus pandemic swept across the globe, Jackson had time to think about the quality of the sun care formula and identify a gap in the sun care category for an aspirational brand rooted in Australian sun care expertise that she could fill with it. In 2020, she set out to do just that by launching Standard Procedure with her friend and professional surfer Dion Agius.

The brand with global ambitions is built on a nostalgic sensibility (long-haired beach boys and bronzed bikini-clad women feature prominently in its 1970s- and 1980s-inspired imagery, and its packaging has a throwback color palette of orange, red and white) and targeted distribution plan. It first landed at chic department stores, surf shacks and fashion, design and beauty boutiques—the sorts of places Jackson desires to shop at—such as Harvey Nichols, Pukas Surf Shop, Niche Beauty and Saison.

A year and a half ago, Standard Procedure premiered at Sephora in Australia and New Zealand, and Sephora could be a destination for it elsewhere. In Australia, it has entry-level prestige positioning in a Sephora sun care assortment with pricier Australian brands Airyday and Ultra Violette. Also with global ambitions, Ultra Violette nabbed $10 million in funding from Aria Growth Partners earlier this year.

“We want to remain accessible in terms of tone of voice and distribution, making sure that sunscreen is for everyone.”

Jackson says, “We want to remain accessible in terms of tone of voice and distribution, making sure that sunscreen is for everyone.”

Now, Standard Procedure has come to the United States, where it will encounter another hot sun care brand steeped in nostalgia, Vacation. In May, Jackson moved to Los Angeles to guide the brand’s strategy in the U.S., which she believes will quickly become its biggest market. Standard Procedure has secured a third-party logistics provider in LA and bowed at U.S. e-tailers Revolve and FWRD. Australia is currently its biggest market, followed by Europe. Retail drives roughly 90% of sales. Its core customers are gen Zers with active lifestyles.

“Everyone’s getting more educated and caring about sunscreen. The timing couldn’t be better for us, so I’m really excited about that, and that’s partnered with the heritage story,” says Jackson. “Sunscreen is a product you really need to trust.”

Standard Procedure has received investment from early-stage venture capital firm Willow Growth Partners to support its American expansion. The amount of the investment wasn’t disclosed, but Willow typically writes $750,000 to $1.25 million checks for brands generating $1 million to $5 million in sales. Concept Labs continues to manufacture Standard Procedure’s sunscreens, although Jackson says she established the brand on her own with Agius without financial assistance from her parents.

Standard Procedure hasn’t been spending on digital advertising to raise awareness. Instead, it’s relied on stockists and collaborations to spread the word. The brand has collaborated with Zara, Zimmermann, The Frankie Shop, Monster Children, Messina and television show “Neighbours,” among others.

Willow’s investment will enable it to start spending on digital ads to increase direct-to-consumer sales and Jackson to assemble a team around her with talent in several areas, including marketing and product development. She’s being advised by Francois Bonin, former CEO of Naturium and president of BH Cosmetics.

“The timing couldn’t be better for us.”

In the U.S., Standard Procedure sells 16 stockkeeping units. Its SPF 50+ Sunscreen is its bestseller. Jackson fought hard for Sephora Australia to place the large size of the sunscreen, a 16.9-oz. bottle priced at $49.99 for American consumers, on its shelves. The retailer worried that it took up too much room on them, but it’s proven to be a winner. An 8.5-oz. size of the SPF 50+ Sunscreen is $29.99 and a 2-oz. size with a clip-on carabiner is $14.99.

“You shouldn’t be scarce with sunscreen. It’s not precious. It’s to be slathered on and shared with friends,” says Jackson. “It’s something that you need an abundance of, so we love the large format for that, and you can refill the little ones.”

Even Standard Procedure’s name hints at Jackson’s view that sunscreen shouldn’t be scarce. Explaining the name, she says, “I really wanted to encapsulate that daily routine. It’s part of what you do. It’s a non-negotiable.”

Along with the 16.9-oz. bottle of SPF 50+ Sunscreen, the 2-oz. size with a clip-on carabiner has been popular. Jackson says, “The best compliment I get is from parents being like, ‘I never thought my kids would go to school with sunscreen clip to their bag. How did you do this?’ It’s so cool that people love to clip it on and be proud of sunscreen. I feel like it hasn’t really had that moment before.”

Outside of sunscreen, Standard Procedure offers Aloe Vera Gel priced from $9.99 to $29.99. It’s based on a tried-and-true Jackson family recipe. Looking ahead at its product pipeline, Standard Procedure is focused on its sun care competency rather than stretching into hybrid products.

“We shouldn’t be compromising when it comes to something so important like sun care,” says Jackson. “We’re keeping product efficacy and sun safety really at the forefront of what we’re doing.”