About Us

Born in Sweden. Proven in the Himalayas. Made in the U.S.A.

Since 1981, Dermatone has pioneered defending your skin from sun, wind, and cold—whether you’re spending a day at the beach, a weekend on the slopes, or a month in the mountains.

While working and playing outside, everyone from busy moms and beach bums to pro athletes and adventurers has trusted our science-backed natural formulas to protect, hydrate, and restore the bare parts of their birthday suits year-round. Having developed and perfected our comprehensive range of skin-saving products for nearly half a century, our mission is pure and simple: to provide you with the best balms, lotions, and sticks, formulated to fight for you in even the most damaging ultraviolet environments—and to stick it to skin cancer.

Dermatone—the official skin protection of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team—has been tested and trusted in some of the most extreme environments on earth, from Mount Everest to Death Valley to Disney World.

Go outside and play, knowing you’re safe under the sun.

Defending Your Skin Since 1981

Naturally, Dermatone was born in the mountains.

Like so many things, it all started in the ’80s…

Ric Nelson, then an executive at a pharmaceutical giant, was enjoying a weeklong high-altitude skiing expedition in the mountains of Sweden. But to his dismay, his supposedly top-notch skin protection had been failing miserably. He was, to put it mildly, burnt.

Then the weather turned.

Suddenly, sun and snow blindness weren’t the only concerns. Wind and cold moved in with a vengeance.

Luckily, his ski partner was a shrewd Swedish pharmacist who’d created an amazing balm designed to fight not only sunburn but windburn, chapping, and even frostbite. He knew how to save his skin, no matter what nature might throw at him. So the day, and Ric’s face, were saved by this brilliant balm, while the other teams suffered frostbite (no kidding).

As you might expect, Ric as a businessman was convinced that the pharmacist’s balm was a golden ticket—and he soon bought the original Swedish formula, quit his job, and founded Dermatone. What follows is a story of wild success. (Our iconic tin has been to the wildest places on earth.) But, more important, we’ve realized our mission of giving you happier, healthier-looking skin while fighting skin cancer.

Used by you, your neighbors, Navy SEALs, Olympic athletes, and so many more, Dermatone is designed to serve and save your skin.