Chocolate Sun is an all natural, organic sunless tanning company located in Santa Monica, California. Chocolate Sun was founded by owner Susie Hatton. Recognizing the consumer’s desire for natural alternatives to skin care and the continual quest for that healthy sun kissed, youthful appearance, she decided to create Chocolate Sun’s products from the ground up. Typically in the skin care industry, more specifically the sunless tanning industry, companies buy existing solutions that are mass produced and mass distributed. The company will then private label that generic formula calling it their own. These formulas contain unnatural dyes, chemicals, and preservatives. “We knew the importance of creating our own solution. We knew in order to protect the integrity of the product we must start from scratch.”
Chocolate Sun’s immediate task was to develop a sunless solution that could be, first and foremost, a skin care treatment with the benefit of tanning the skin. The solution had to be one that was made with organic, natural, and wild crafted botanicals, herbs, and antioxidants. Most importantly it had to be free of harsh chemicals. Susie chose to team with a botanical chemist and together they would create the Chocolate Sun solution. The company spent several years trying different combinations of natural ingredients to develop their solution. “We were able to develop such a great solution because we had the benefit of having the studio up and running and seeing first hand what combination of botanicals and herbs produced the most natural looking, skin softening, tanning treatment. Our clientele are educated consumers and know the importance of natural ingredients. Hence, they were happy to try our different recipes, allowing us to refine the solution until we came up with the ultimate formula. It was so important to be able to bring hands on experience to the sunless tanning industry. All of the companies currently marketing sunless solution are namely distributors. We are unique to this industry, as we actually own and operate a studio where all we do are sunless tans. This gives us an edge. We are Nature’s Healthy Tan.”
Chocolate Sun had such great results with the all natural sunless recipe they began getting requests for skin care products. “Our clients were always asking us what skin care lines we recommend and then began suggesting we make a line of our own. We set out to develop a line that would not only maintain and protect the integrity of the skin but one powerful enough to diminish and correct such skin issues as premature aging, scarring, and excessive dryness. We chose to do this using remedies that were already available to us from Mother Earth.” Susie, along with associate/partner Kimmie Worley, teamed up once again with Chocolate Sun’s botanical chemist and together selected the flowers, herbs, and essential oils for the new product line. “This process was extremely rewarding. Approaching this process as a consumer, I was able to bring to the table all the things I felt were missing in the natural products I have experienced. Based on my wish list, our botanical chemist, mixed up remedies for us begin testing. Being this hands on allowed us to make changes on the spot with regards to texture, scent, etc.” A skin care line made entirely of botanicals, herbs, vitamins, and minerals was the result. This product line is called Flowers. “It is the high concentration and purity of ingredients that make our products so effective and unique,” says Hatton. The line includes everything from simple, gentle cleansers to elaborate treatments, and of course natural makeup. “Every product has its own unique color as we used the ingredients as they are found in nature in their unprocessed state. We did not use bleaches to create a uniform color; therefore the products take on the color of the primary botanicals and herbs used in them. The aromas of these remedies are decadent, refreshing, and are perfect for both men and women.” Equally as refreshing is the fact that the consumer can pronounce every ingredient on the label. The Chocolate Sun Studio services hundreds of clients on regularly and the number keeps growing. They also service much of the entertainment industry and vacationers from around the globe. In addition, Chocolate Sun services and product line Flowers, can be found exclusively in wellness spas, and high-end destination spas/resorts around the world.
“We will continue to pursue the finest organic and natural remedies for skin care and promote natural alternatives as a LIFESTYLE CHOICE.”