The Story Behind SUNMUD Sunscreen
At Vital Surfing, we believe you can't perform at your peak in the water if you're putting toxic ingredients into your body on land. That’s why we are incredibly stoked to partner with SUNMUD, a high-performance, truly reef-safe mineral sunscreen built by surfers for surfers.
We sat down with SUNMUD co-founder Dr. Maricruz Carrillo to talk about the crazy origins of the brand, the reality of building a clean skincare product from scratch, and why chemical sunscreens are damaging our beloved oceans.
Dr. Maricruz Carrillo, owner of SUNMUD Sunscreen
Part 1: The Origin Story
Vital Surfing: Take us back to before SUNMUD existed. What was the spark that made you want to start creating your own personal care products?
Maricruz: It actually started with a trip to Nicaragua about 12 years ago! I got incredibly sick—fever, shaking, the works—and a local medicine man ended up completely healing me using just rum and energy work. It was my first real experience with natural healing, and it totally shifted my perspective.
After that trip, I dove deep into researching all the chemicals found in our everyday personal care products. Once you start digging, you realize most of the stuff we use is toxic. So, I just started making my own deodorant and toothpaste and sharing it with my husband and co-founder, Charles.
Vital Surfing: How did that transition into making sunscreen specifically for surfing?
Maricruz: I grew up in Mexico spending every single day at the beach, and we never wore sunscreen. It just wasn't part of my culture. But as an adult, when I started surfing, my skin chemistry changed. I started getting completely fried—peeling, red, itchy skin.
I needed a natural sunscreen, but everything on the market would wash off the second I took a wipeout. At one point, I was just smearing pure white zinc all over my face. It worked, but I looked crazy, and it would get stuck in the crevices of my nose and ears. At the time, I was working on my Master’s and PhD—I was in higher education for 12 years straight—so I had places to be and couldn't be walking around looking like that! Because I was already making my own products, I decided to just try making my own sunscreen in my kitchen.
Kitchen testing during the early days of SUNMUD
Part 2: The Challenges of Building the Brand
Vital Surfing: What was the "Aha!" moment when you realized this kitchen experiment could actually become a business?
Maricruz: I started giving my homemade sunscreen to Charles for his surf trips. He took it to Puerto Escondido in mainland Mexico—which is notorious for brutal sunburns—and he didn't burn at all. Our friend Miles (our third co-founder) caught on and said, "Hey, this is actually really good. Let's make it a real thing."
Co-owner Charles field testing SUNMUD in Mexico
The real turning point was when Miles suggested adding natural clay to the formula. Clay is amazing for your skin, and it eliminated that greasy, oily, sticky feeling that most natural sunscreens have. Then, Miles spent hundreds of hours mixing different shades of iron oxide so the sunscreen would actually blend into your skin's natural undertones instead of just leaving a white cast. Once we had a formula that stayed on during heavy wipeouts, matched our skin tones, and felt great, we knew we had something special.
Vital Surfing: Once you decided to go all-in, what were the biggest roadblocks you faced?
Maricruz: Sunscreen is actually regulated as an over-the-counter drug by the FDA, and we had no idea what that meant when we started! The testing for SPF, water resistance, and stability is incredibly expensive and time-consuming. You can't change a single ingredient—even by 0.5%—or alter the packaging without having to retest everything.
Then came manufacturing. Because we were a small startup, finding someone to make the product was tough. Manufacturers wanted a Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) of 20,000 units per shade! We had to fight hard to find partners who believed in us and would work with our smaller quantities, especially because we insisted on using sustainable packaging like cork seals instead of standard styrofoam.
Part 3: Core Values and the Future
Vital Surfing: Sustainability is obviously a massive pillar for SUNMUD. How do your core values shape what goes into the tin?
Maricruz: It's estimated that 14,000 tons of sunscreen go into the ocean every year, and about 75% of that is chemical sunscreen. You can only imagine the damage that is causing to our reef systems.
We wanted to create something truly clean and actually reef-safe. Our formula is a shea butter base with sustainably sourced beeswax to help it stay on during heavy surf. We use non-nano zinc oxide (so the particles aren't small enough to enter your bloodstream) and powerful oils like raspberry seed, carrot seed, and Tamanu oil. We also completely left out coconut oil, because dermatologists told us it actually clogs pores and causes breakouts! Every single ingredient is intentional.
Vital Surfing: Looking at the momentum you have right now, what is the ultimate mission for SUNMUD moving forward?
Maricruz: Our goal is to become the Patagonia of sunscreens. We want to be the go-to mineral sunscreen for all high-performance sports while creating a positive impact on the planet and its people.
But beyond the product, social impact is huge for us. We have over 500 volunteer hours with the Surfrider Foundation and have donated over $30,000 in product and money to different nonprofits. Stoke is our currency. We want to evoke joy for our customers, protect their skin, and protect the planet for years to come.
Charles, Maricruz, and Miles.
The Takeaway
A massive shoutout to Maricruz for taking the time to share the SUNMUD story. At Vital Surfing, we only align with brands and people who are ruthlessly dedicated to helping you perform better and live healthier. If you are still relying on toxic, chemical sunscreens that sting your eyes and wash off after a single wipeout, it is time to try SUNMUD. Click here to see their product list!
Go grab the tint that matches your skin tone for your next session. And if you are ready to take that surf trip, step out of your comfort zone, and get the exact coaching you need to surf at your absolute best—click here to check the dates for our upcoming Vital Surf Missions. We'll see you in Nicaragua!
