It’s been almost six months since Lauren Weinberg joined Supergoop! as chief marketing officer, stepping into the role amid a leadership transition for the 21-year-old sunscreen brand. Founded in 2005 by Holly Thaggard after a close friend was diagnosed with skin cancer, Supergoop! is built on the dual purpose of preventing skin cancer and making sunscreen an enjoyable part of daily skin care. Thaggard stepped back from the company’s day-to-day operations last year.
In the crowded SPF market, Supergoop! set itself apart by positioning sunscreen as a skincake instead of an afterthought for the season. Its portfolio includes daily moisturizers, first, skin care and lip products, with innovations such as its clear, lightweight “Invisible” formulas that help redefine the user experience. The brand (which is separate from Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle brand, Goop) has also expanded into performance-oriented products with its PLAY line, which is designed for performance,
That ranking coincides with a persistent public health gap. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer by age 70, but daily sunscreen use remains low. At the same time, demand is increasing among younger consumers, with Gen Z driving growth in the sun care category.
Weinberg, formerly head of marketing at Peloton, arrives as Supergoop! seems to be building on this momentum. In an interview with the Observer in June, Weinberg discussed his first major campaign, Summer of PLAY, and how Supergoop! is working to reach a new generation of consumers while furthering its long-term goal of making sun protection a daily habit rather than a chore.
The following discussion is edited for length and clarity.
Viewer: What drew you to Supergoop! at this point in your career, and what about the brand’s mission to become so popular?
Lauren Weinberg: I became a Supergoop! user for six or seven years. I first discovered it on a ski trip to Aspen with my family and have used it ever since. I have sensitive skin, and it has historically been difficult to find products that work well for me, so I immediately fell in love with the formulas.
When I started thinking about my next move, it was important to join a machine-driven company. I believe deeply in the Supergoop mission! I’ve also moved across sectors throughout my career—from media to fintech to fitness—and I’ve enjoyed getting into beauty. The general series always works for brands where I feel invested in the mission, and Supergoop! it fits perfectly with that.
Supergoop!’s Invisible and PLAY franchises have long been the main drivers of growth. How have you dealt with developing and selling these pillars since you joined?
My main focus has been building campaigns around our superhero franchises, INVISIBLE and PLAY, which have historically driven the brand’s growth. As we expand into new sales channels, it’s important to introduce new customers to what Supergoop is setting up! separately. We launched a campaign about Unseen and now we’re in our Summer PLAY campaign, both designed to highlight these products and educate consumers.
We have also made a big change in distribution. We launched with Target in February and expanded to Amazon’s Premium Beauty storefront in May—both Herculean lifts for the team.
Finally, we continue to rely on culture and partnerships, which have always been at the core of the brand. Our partnerships with the PGA Tour and Alterra Mountain Company help keep us relevant year-round while reinforcing our mission to make SPF an everyday essential.
In the increasingly crowded SPF category, how about Supergoop! keep isolating yourself?
Supergoop! he’s been in the field for nearly 20 years and helped redefine the way people think about sun protection by making it a cornerstone of skin care.
That distinction began with innovation: creating high-quality, lightweight formulas that feel great on the skin. That remains a core part of our DNA. Our products are designed to feel like an extension of your skin, not something heavy or uncomfortable.
For example, PLAY products are sweat-proof as well
What’s the strategy behind the PLAY summer campaign, and how does it mark a shift in Supergoop’s marketing strategy!
This campaign is different in several important ways. First, it complements our expansion at Target, where PLAY is best suited for practical, everyday use.
Within the PLAY franchise, we offer a variety of formats—lotions, mists, sticks and lip products—so the campaign emphasizes that we have a full family of sunscreens designed for different preferences and usage situations.
Historically, the brand has focused on facial products and female consumers. With this campaign, we’re expanding that lens to highlight body products and establish SPF as a daily essential for a variety of activities, whether you’re walking, hiking, at the pool or playing sports.
We are also detailing the width of the PLAY line. Most consumers are familiar with the term but may not fully understand the range of formats available. This campaign helps close that gap.
At its heart, the campaign combines two important things: showing that we offer something for everyone, and continuing to educate consumers about what makes our formulas unique. We know that when people try products, they often come back.
What role does Amazon’s Premium Beauty storefront play in your broader distribution and brand storytelling strategy?
May is a critical month for us. It marks the beginning of a very important period and coincides with Skin Cancer Awareness Month. Launching Amazon’s Premium Beauty storefront at the time allowed us to have more control over how we presented the brand, from storytelling to creative.
It is also an important educational channel. There is still significant work to be done in helping consumers understand the importance of daily sun protection. While there is a lot of good information available, there is also some misinformation.
Expanding on Amazon allows us to better manage our narrative, strengthen our authority in the category, and ensure that consumers have access to accurate, useful information to make informed decisions about themselves and their families.
Gen Z is driving growth in sun care. How is Supergoop! reaching younger consumers, and why does the brand resonate with that audience?
There are several reasons for a product to react. We’ve always focused on meeting consumers where they are and making sunscreen feel accessible and fun.
For many young consumers, especially women, our products can serve as an entry point to bold skin care, naturally suited to their habits.
We’re also a digital and social-first brand, and creators play a key role in how we tell stories. They bring trust and uniqueness, and can demonstrate how to use products in ways that feel authentic and relevant to their audience.
That’s important because there’s a limit to what a product can communicate with standard equipment. Creators can spend more time demonstrating the app, explaining the benefits and helping consumers find the right products.
As a mother of two Gen Z children, I find that the younger generations were much older than I was, and have access to more information. They care about ingredients and are passionate about information. Our role is to meet them at the channels they already use and provide clear and reliable education so they can make informed decisions about their skin health.
