New Sun Protection Brand Utu Encourages Marginalized Communities To (Safely!) Spend More Time Outdoors

Growing up, Utu founder Richard Welch spent summers exploring forests in the English countryside. Today, he’s often hiking in Los Angeles and surfing in Puerto Rico. From all that time outside, he reached the conclusion that people put a lot more prep work into finding top-notch outdoors gear than they do protecting their skin.

“When it came to taking care of their largest organ, people weren’t really investing in their skincare,” he says. “Most people were just using any old sunscreen.”

With Utu, he set out to create a mineral sunscreen that shields users from the environment while helping preserve it. The brand launched in May with two products, Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Moisturizing Sunscreen and Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Sunscreen Stiq. Prices range from $35 for the Stiq refill to $44 for the Moisturizing Sunscreen in a 75-ml. size. The latter comes in a 20-ml. sizes in a three-pack for $42, too. Stiq has been a hit so far due to its higher SPF, water resistance and refillable packaging. Utu has five additional sun care formulas tested and ready to roll out over the next 18 months.

The brand’s formulas feature non-nano mineral zinc oxide along with in vogue skincare ingredients like hyaluronic acid, squalane, vitamin C and jojoba oil. Welch says, “We wanted to ensure that our products not just protect against UVA and B, but also protect against extreme temperature, altitude, salt water, so all our products contain skincare actives that nurture and rejuvenate the skin as well.”

Sustainable packaging is a priority for Welch. He notes that people who enjoy the outdoors tend to be cognizant of plastic littering beaches and national parks, and are concerned about the environmental impact of their purchases. Utu’s products are housed in aluminum primary packaging that’s 100% recyclable, according to Welch. It took him eight months to find a supplier for the packaging.

“Single-use plastic has infiltrated every part in every place in the world,” he emphasizes. “We really set out from day one to not be a contributing factor to that.”

Utu’s products are available at New York indie shops Westerlind, Pilgrim Surf + Supply and Outlandish, and it’s making its way into hospitality properties. The brand’s plastic-free stance aligns with New York and California’s ban of single-use plastic in hotels. Its 20-ml. sunscreen is stocked in a couple of hotels currently, and Welch is in talks with others to provide it as an in-room amenity and sell at hotel shops. The size is intended to deliver enough product for a day outside.

“Hotels and travel are all about discovery and exploration,” says Welch. “As a brand, Utu is rooted in enabling everyone to explore and connect with the outdoors, so hotels and travel are a natural fit for us.”

A brand strategist for most of his career, Welch has worked at global advertising and creative agencies Spring Studios and Ogilvy, and counts beauty brands Tom Ford Beauty, Axe and Ren as former clients. He says he approached Utu’s branding with a detailed 2-year analysis of “audience, culture and category.” He identifies classic Helvetica brands that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s as prompts for its aesthetics. Utu’s colors such as its signature deep orange reflect nature, but aren’t traditional. Welch says, “It has a retro element to it, but it also feels very contemporary in its design system.”

Utu’s target audience is outdoor lovers, but Welch’s aim to convert people who, like himself, haven’t always seen themselves reflected in the outdoors through marketing or otherwise. He’s a member of Founded Outdoors, a community of entrepreneurs breaking down barriers to access in the outdoors industry, and Brave Tails, a nonprofit dedicated to LGBTQ+ youth that offers summer camps, backpacking trips and mental health services. Both organizations help marginalized groups feel they have a place outdoors. Utu is another avenue for Welch to continue that effort.

“Our mission as a brand is to inspire and enable people to be outdoors in nature and receive the benefits that one gets from spending time away from digital devices,” he says. “That connection to nature, I think, is such a powerful and often overlooked part of who we are as people.”