This Summer, media personality and founder of cult SPF skincare label Naked Sundays Samantha Brett has armed parents with a new weapon to shield their little ones from the harsh Australian sun. Inspired by her young daughter’s reluctance to wear sunscreen, Sam launched her book The Magic Sunscreen book to teach children about the importance of sun safety.
“Like many parents I struggled with getting my five-year-old daughter to wear sunscreen every day,” says Samantha. “The Magic Sunscreen was written to teach little ones fun and positive lifelong habits to protect them from the sun.”
Samantha, a former Sunrise/The Morning Show/7 News reporter, is also a bestselling author of 10 books, including co-author of “The Game Changers” featuring an essay by Meghan Markle. It was this book which sparked her own journey to create a millennial-focused sunscreen after seeing her news reporter colleagues suffer from skin cancers, as they had no way to top up their sunscreen over their heavy makeup.
This journey also encouraged Samantha to speak to the younger generation, and to try and help form their SPF habits early through her latest book “The Magic Sunscreen”.
“Other parents started asking me for copies of the book after they noticed how much my daughter loves sunscreen, so I decided to make it available to as many parents as possible. When you’re dealing with children, especially very young children, every little bit of help makes a huge difference in getting them on board with doing something they may not initially like. I hope The Magic Sunscreen sparks a discussion about sun safety in every household.”
Melanoma is estimated to become the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in 2022. As the most common cancer affecting young Australians aged 15-39, there is a greater than ever need to teach skin cancer preventative measures to children from a young age. UV damage acquired during childhood and adolescence is strongly associated with an increased risk of skin cancer later in life.
“Going into summer we need to have constant conversations with our kids about why they must be sun smart starting with wearing hats and applying sunscreen,” says Samantha. “We are an outdoor-loving nation, but the fact is the UV index is incredibly high in Australia. Unless we’re actively educating kids on how to protect their skin, they’re at risk of UV damage just by enjoying themselves outside.”
She’s now on a mission to prevent skin cancer in the next generation one book at a time.
“Learning about sun safety is important, but that doesn’t mean we can’t approach it in a fun and age-appropriate way,” says Samantha. “I read The Magic Sunscreen to my daughter every single day and soon enough, she actually wanted to wear sunscreen and now even puts it on by herself!”
We caught up with Samantha Brett to hear more about her new book and her brand Naked Sundays:
How was your daughter the inspiration for your book?
As a mum of a 5 year old daughter, I am so worried about her skin constantly. And she absolutely hated sunscreen. So I knew there had to be a way to make sunscreen fun for her, and in language that she could understand. I thought, what’s a better way than to write a book for her that she’ll understand and actually enjoy reading?
Why should we encourage kids from a young age to wear sunscreen?
Melanoma is so prevalent in Australia, especially for the 16-30 year old age bracket. Getting kids to love sunscreen from a really young age, sets them up with good habits for life. I know my generation grew up with white, sticky sunscreen which we all absolutely hated. It’s very hard to change habits later in life!
What was the moment you came up with the idea for Naked Sundays?
I was a news reporter for over 10 years for Sunrise and 7 News, and I would always be out in the sun for hours on end with heavy makeup. Skin cancers were starting to become prevalent in my industry especially as there was no way to reapply SPF over makeup. I thought, what if I could invent something that could be makeup friendly and help that reapplication process. It took 2 years and lots of trial and error but we launched our hero SPF50+ Hydrating Glow Mist in January 2021, and thankfully Naked Sundays completely took off from there.
To find out more about the importance of sunscreen in your skincare routine, check out this article. Copies of The Magic Sunscreen can be ordered here.
