Freaks of Nature is the performance skincare brand co-founded by 11 time world surfing champion Kelly Slater in 2024, built around 100% mineral sun protection and skin barrier support for people who live outside. Island Water Sports stocks the full suncare line at our four South Florida surf shops and online, including the two newest releases: the Solar Shield SPF 30 continuous spray and the Skin Support Electrolyte drink mix.
This guide covers the whole lineup in one place: which sunscreen fits which day, what is actually in the formulas, the honest answer on reef safety, and what the new electrolyte does and does not do.
The ten second answer
- Everyday sun protection: Daily Defender SPF 30, $35. Lightweight, fragrance free, sits well under a daily routine.
- Surfing, running, long sessions: Peak Performance SPF 50, $38, rated by the brand for 80 minutes of water resistance.
- Fast full-body coverage: the new Solar Shield Spray SPF 30, $26. A non-aerosol continuous spray, all mineral.
- Face and on-the-go reapplication: the SPF 50 Face Stick, $24, or the Jumbo Sun Stick, $44, for board bags and beach days.
- Hydration with a skin angle: the new Skin Support Electrolyte, $28 for a 12 pack or $55 for a 30 pack. Zero sugar. It complements sunscreen, it never replaces it.
Who owns Freaks of Nature, and what is the brand about?
Freaks of Nature launched on May 7, 2024, co-founded by Kelly Slater, the most decorated competitive surfer of all time and a Florida native from Cocoa Beach, together with the venture studio Squared Circles. Early backers include actor Jonah Hill and Casamigos co-founder Mike Meldman. The pitch is simple: skincare formulated for outdoor athletes, with the skin barrier and the skin microbiome, not just SPF numbers, as the design target. Slater put it this way at launch: "With Freaks of Nature, we've finally cracked that code, enabling athletes to go harder at their sport for longer."
Two things set the products apart on a shelf full of surf sunscreens. First, the formulas are 100% mineral, built on non-nano zinc oxide instead of chemical UV filters, and lean on biotech ingredients like vegan spider silk protein and sugarcane-derived squalane. Second, the packaging: the brand's airless pump bottles are made from 100% recycled ocean-bound plastic through its partnership with Oceanworks, and Freaks of Nature states the material is fully traceable. For a shop that has spent four decades on the same beach, that part is not a gimmick, it is the point.
What did Freaks of Nature just release?
Three new products landed in 2026, and Island Water Sports has two of them in stock now.
Solar Shield Spray SPF 30: the mineral spray that is not an aerosol
Spray sunscreens are usually where mineral formulas give up and chemical filters take over. Solar Shield is the exception: SPF 30 broad spectrum from 16.5% non-nano zinc oxide, no chemical filters, delivered by what Freaks of Nature calls an air-powered 360 degree continuous spray rather than a pressurized aerosol. It is completely unscented, rated water resistant for 40 minutes, and the 6 oz bottle covers a full body without the ritual of rubbing in a thick lotion. The supporting cast is aloe, green tea extract, jojoba and bamboo stem extract.
Shop the Solar Shield Spray SPF 30, $26.
Skin Support Electrolyte: hydration formulated around skin
Launched in March 2026, Skin Support Electrolyte is a zero sugar drink mix that Freaks of Nature describes as the first electrolyte built to protect skin from the inside out. Alongside the standard electrolyte minerals, sodium, potassium and chloride from pink Himalayan salt plus magnesium malate and calcium citrate, the formula carries a stack of skin-focused actives the brand cites as clinically studied: astaxanthin from Haematococcus algae, Polypodium leucotomos leaf extract, Red Orange Complex from blood orange, hyaluronic acid and a prebiotic fiber for the gut-skin axis. The flavor is called North Shore: passionfruit and guava with a hint of lime and ocean salt. Mix one sachet into 16 to 20 oz of cold water.
To be direct about what those claims are: they are Freaks of Nature's, based on the ingredient research the brand cites, and a drink mix is a supplement, not sun protection. Nothing you swallow replaces sunscreen. Think of it as the recovery and hydration side of a day outside, the same way you would think about water and shade.
It comes in two sizes: the 12 pack at $28 for a trip or a trial run, and the 30 pack at $55, a sachet a day for a month at a lower cost per serving. Shop the Skin Support Electrolyte.
Everyday Endurance Deodorant: the one we get asked about
Freaks of Nature also makes a deodorant now, and it has been the brand's sleeper hit. Everyday Endurance is an invisible cream in a twist-bottom canister, not a spray and not a hard stick: you twist until the formula appears through the perforated cap and a little goes a long way. It is aluminum free, baking soda free and alcohol free, built instead on zinc ricinoleate, arrowroot, bentonite clay and bamboo stem extract, and the brand claims 48 hour odor protection with 97% of users reporting all-day control in its study. It comes in Bergamot Canyon, Santal Dune, the new Cedar Peak, and a fragrance free version. Ask at your local Island Water Sports about availability, or find it on the brand's site.
Which Freaks of Nature sunscreen should I use?
All of the SPF products are 100% mineral, broad spectrum, fragrance free and dermatologist tested, per the brand. The real differences are format, water resistance and how much skin you need to cover.
| Product | SPF | Mineral actives | Water resistance | Size | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Defender | 30 | 18% non-nano zinc oxide | 40 min | 1.7 oz | $35 | Everyday wear, face and neck |
| Peak Performance | 50 | 18.75% zinc oxide + 4.75% titanium dioxide | 80 min water, 40 min sweat | 1.7 oz | $38 | Surfing, training, long exposure |
| Solar Shield Spray | 30 | 16.5% non-nano zinc oxide | 40 min | 6 oz | $26 | Fast full-body coverage, families |
| Face Stick | 50 | 100% mineral | See product page | 0.7 oz | $24 | Pocket and reapplication on the go |
| Jumbo Sun Stick | 50 | 100% mineral | See product page | 2.6 oz | $44 | Board bag, beach bag, shared days |
Simple version: Daily Defender if sunscreen is part of getting dressed, Peak Performance if sunscreen is part of getting in the water, Solar Shield if you are covering a lot of skin or a lot of kids, and a stick in every bag you own because the sunscreen that gets reapplied is the one within reach. Whatever the label says, reapply after roughly 80 minutes in the water, after toweling off, or every two hours in full sun.
Is Freaks of Nature sunscreen reef safe?
Freaks of Nature states that its sunscreens are reef safe and compliant with Hawaii's Act 104, the law that banned the sale of sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate. The formulas use no chemical UV filters at all; protection comes from non-nano zinc oxide, with non-nano titanium dioxide added in the SPF 50 lotion. Mineral, non-nano formulas like these are what reef guidance from Hawaii and elsewhere points people toward. If you surf the same reef or sandbar every week, that answer matters, and it is the honest one: reef safe per the brand's published compliance, mineral by formulation.
What is actually in these formulas?
Three ingredients show up across the line and explain the price next to a drugstore bottle, with each claim below being the brand's published description.
- B-Silk protein. A vegan, biosynthesized version of spider silk protein. Freaks of Nature credits it with strengthening skin and helping protect against environmental stressors, and it is the signature ingredient the line was launched on.
- Neossance squalane. A vegan squalane derived from sugarcane instead of shark liver, used as the moisture-locking base across the sunscreens and the Deeper Dive moisturizer.
- Red algae MAA extract. In Peak Performance SPF 50; the brand describes it as clinically shown to reduce sunburn cell formation.
The moisturizer that started the brand, the $48 Deeper Dive serum gel with postbiotic bacillus ferment and brown algae collagen, rounds out the skincare side of the line; check the product page for current availability.
Where to buy Freaks of Nature in South Florida
We stock the Freaks of Nature line at all four Island Water Sports locations, and selection varies by store, so call ahead if you want something held. Online orders ship anywhere and ship free over $50.
- Island Water Sports Deerfield Beach (flagship, since 1978): 1985 NE 2nd St, Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. (954) 427-4929. Mon to Fri 8 AM to 9 PM, Sat 6:30 AM to 9 PM, Sun 9 AM to 8 PM.
- Island Water Sports Pompano Beach: 3405 Pier Street, Pompano Beach, FL 33062, in the Fishing Village at the Pompano Pier. (954) 425-9350. Daily 8 AM to 8 PM.
- Island Water Sports Delray Beach: 1218 E Atlantic Ave, Delray Beach, FL 33483, one block from the beach. (561) 272-2052. Daily 9 AM to 9 PM.
- Island Water Sports Boca Raton (Boca Surf & Sail, since 1985): 3191 N Federal Hwy, Boca Raton, FL 33431. (561) 394-8818. Mon to Sat 9 AM to 7 PM, Sun 10 AM to 6 PM.
Directions, maps and current hours for every store are on our store locations page. Browse the whole line in one place at our Freaks of Nature collection, or see everything we carry for sun protection in the sunscreen collection and after sun collection.
Grab it before your next session
South Florida UV does not take days off, and neither does the reef under your favorite peak. Island Water Sports has been the shop on this beach since 1978, and we carry Freaks of Nature because the mineral-first, skin-first approach matches how our customers actually live outside. Shop the full Freaks of Nature lineup online, or come by any of our four stores and we will point you at the right SPF for your week.
