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Clair Obscur: Our name and philosophy

Why We're Here

The mission of Clair Obscur is to create objects of desire that make sun protection second nature — not just something for the beach or morning skincare routine, but a feature of our lives that we carry with us throughout the day. We create products that people delight in sharing with others — because the joy and importance of sun care should be shared with those we love.

 

We set out to build Clair Obscur because we believed there should be a better way to protect ourselves from the sun — with sunscreens that felt luxurious and sun-protective apparel and accessories that looked timeless and classic. And we wanted to bring energy, intrigue, and life to the sun care space: to take it out of the bottom of the beach bag and back of the medicine cabinet and bring it front and center in our lives, such that it could be a conversation topic, something that would be easy to talk about and share with friends and family — because sharing a love of sun protection is a life-long gift.

We're here to make sun protection second nature.

 

Why We Chose Our Name

Clair Obscur. Literally, it refers to the use of strong contrasts between light and dark in art.

For us, Clair Obscur is a name with layered meaning, and that’s why we chose it for our sun care company. Our team is one of contrasts:

  • Co-founders from opposite sides of the world -- one American, the other Singaporean.
  • Roots in Asia, where sun protection is ubiquitous, and America, where a tan is often seen as healthy and desirable.

Our vision, too, is drawn from contrasts:

  • Sunscreen that’s not just for summer, but for every day of the year.
  • Sunscreen for indoors and out, sunny days and cloudy ones.
  • Sun protection people won’t just see as a daily requirement, but as something they crave and desire to have with them at all times.
  • A holistic sun care company that goes beyond sunscreen with timeless, thoughtful apparel and accessories that easily transition from day to night.

We aim to build products that will contrast with, and stand out from, everything else on the market:

  • Objects of desire that live with you, not in your medicine cabinet or beach bag.
  • A streamlined set of products so that it’s easy to select the one that’s right for you, rather than having to pore through hundreds of options and try to distinguish between multiple formulas and formats.
  • Products that are both effective and luxurious, and that never compromise on health or safety.

We’re launching Clair Obscur because we recognize the importance of sun protection and believe the whole experience can be reimagined to make sun protection no longer a hassle, but rather a delight. Join us on this journey as we rethink sun protection from the ground up.

 

Why We Launched This Site

This site is meant to be an immersive journey through the fascinating world of light and shadow, sun and shade. We believe caring for our skin is only the first part of proper sun protection. Proper sun protection is a gift that should be shared with those we love, to introduce them to the joys of taking care of ourselves while living fully in sun and shade.

We built this site in order to educate, entertain, and inspire people around the world about sun care. It's designed to transport you to a museum-like experience, where you can learn about the history of sun protection, see how people around the world interact with sunlight, and more.

Our hope is that Clair Obscur will get you thinking about sun protection in a whole new light. More than that, we hope it's something you'll want to share with others — to bring your friends and family along on this journey toward living life fully, enjoyably, stylishly, and safely in the sun.

We're just getting started, and we can't wait to share more of our experiences and products with you as we go.