Dive Brief:

• In a bid for expansion, personal care brand Native last week launched into sunscreen products, the company announced.

• The Coconut & Pineapple and Unscented face and body sunscreens were released on its website on Tuesday, and its Rosé Body scent will be introduced on May 18. The body sunscreens are available for $20 and the face versions retail for $16, per the announcement. 

• The company said most of the ingredients in these products are plant or mineral-based and are free of silicones, parabens, phthalates and other chemicals.

Dive Insight:

The next in its line of natural personal care products, Native's sunscreen line was created to provide consumers with a mineral sunscreen that doesn't leave a white cast and uses natural ingredients. Darren King, Native's vice president of research and development, said the brand hopes to provide a product consumers can apply without needing a mirror. 

"I've tested lots of mineral sunscreens, and I've never been satisfied with how those sunscreens blend, especially through hair," King said in a statement. Native's is meant to be "invisible on all skin types," King said.

The launch of Native sunscreen signals a shift within the personal care space into skincare products, a category that has experienced increased consumer spending in recent months. Consumers moved away from cosmetics during the pandemic, but with COVID-19 vaccinations underway, the category could recover from pandemic lows, while skincare is expected to continue to rise.

Native has been in expansion mode this year. Just this February, the company unveiled its first hair care line, complete with hair masks, shampoo and conditioner. The digitally native brand, now owned by P&G, has entered brick and mortar through partnerships with Target and Walmart, which have allowed it to scale.