7 Years In: 7 Things I've Learned Along the Way

By Stephanie DiPisa - Founder, CEO, Mom

Solara didn't start as a business plan. It started with my kids' skin reacting to chemical sunscreens, and my own health journey with Lyme Disease pushing me to look at everything differently, including what I was putting on my skin every day. Solving a real health and sensitive skin need is still the core of what makes our formulas different, seven years later.

Funny enough, even the name Solara came from my kids. They helped dream it up during a family brainstorm, and now it's trademarked and on shelves around the world. It still carries that original feeling: sunshine, good energy, good vibes.

Here are seven things I've stayed true to since day one in building my brand:

1. Mineral SPF was never going to be a compromise.
When we started, "gentle enough for sensitive skin" and "non-greasy" almost never showed up in the same sentence. I needed something that worked for my own kids, and I wasn't going to launch anything until I believed it actually delivered both.

2. Healing is rarely just one ingredient — it's a system.
My experience with Lyme Disease taught me that the body responds to an integrative approach, not a single fix. I started thinking about skin the same way: adaptogens, superfruits, and science working together, the same wellness philosophy I leaned on for my own health.

3. Stricter standards aren't a limitation, they're a filter.
Formulating to stricter European standards meant cutting ingredients a lot of US brands still use. It forced us to replace anything irritating with clinically studied, plant- and science-backed actives instead. That constraint made our formulas better, not harder to make.

4. Customers are better R&D than any focus group.
Some of our most meaningful formula decisions came directly from YOU! telling us what their skin needed, not from a lab meeting. Parents of kids with sensitive skin, people managing their own health conditions. Our customers and you are who have helped shape this brand as much as our chemists have.

5. The right collaborators change everything.
This brand wouldn't exist without the chemists, doctors, healers, estheticians, retail partners, and global testing partners who've helped me create efficacious products. I couldn't have solved this alone, and I'm grateful I didn't have to.

6. Small batches taught us patience.
We could have scaled faster. I chose not to, more than once, because staying close to quality control mattered more to me than moving quickly. It wasn't always the easy choice, but it's one that I’m forever grateful for. And for that, we are 100% woman and family owned. 

7. Community over “customers”.
Seven years in, the people who buy from us don't feel like a customer list. They feel like family – our Solara family as we call it – is the reason this company exists and their loyalty is why we have stayed family-owned without a penny of outside capital, which is basically unheard of in the category. In fact, there are so many day one customers I still talk to TODAY in customer service emails - I wouldn’t trade it for the world. 

Thank you for seven years of trusting us with your skin, your questions, and your honesty. 

Here's to many more.

Xo Stephanie, Founder + CEO

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