Hampton Sun, founded by Southampton’s Salvatore Piazzolla, is an industry leader in prestige suncare. What started in the Hamptons, with a scent inspired by privet hedges, can now be found in luxury hotels across the world. We caught up with Salvatore Piazzolla to learn more about Hampton Sun.
Tell us a little about your background and what brought you to this point.
From being a beach goer myself and growing up on Long Island I spent lots of time at the beach in the sun and always struggled to find a sunscreen that I liked and enjoyed using. I find great importance in protecting your skin from those harmful UVA/UVB rays and it was so important to me to have a quality sunscreen that felt good and was highly effective.
Coming from an entrepreneur background the thought of creating a sunscreen became a very exciting idea for me. After much research and conversations with friends and family I decided to peruse my dream and create a suncare line with skincare benefits that I was passionate about. Michael Kors was the first person I leaked the idea out to and he was supportive and excited about my vision.
I was fortunate to have been put in the hands of some industry experts and from there, Hampton Sun evolved. Over the past 15 years we have created a variety of collections and the company continues to grow leaps and bounds each year. Proud to become the leader in prestige suncare!
What inspired you to start Hampton Sun?
I found many of the sun brands on the market to be prescriptive and unpleasant to wear. As someone who spent a lot of time in the sun I wanted to created something that was highly effective that was clean while also being environmentally friendly. Most sunscreens smelled unpleasant so it was natural addition to infuse our products with our now signature scent which was inspired by the privet hedges in the Hamptons. Hampton Sun has become so recognized by our signature scent, Privet Bloom, and we were so excited to use our scent in developing our fragrance and home collection.
What has the journey been like since launching the brand?
From the beginning there have been challenges but there have also been a huge learning experiences for me. I have met so many extraordinarily people and customers along the way. I’m constantly thinking of new and innovated ideas following the trends to bring to market. The feeling of creating a brand and giving back is an extraordinary feeling!
Hampton Sun can be found in some of the world’s most luxurious hotels, resorts, and spas. How does Hampton Sun add to the guest experience?
Resorts and spas are always looking for ways to elevate the guest’s experience and what better way than to offer a brand that feels and smells good, has chic packaging, and is effective on skin. We all want to leave our vacation spots with the most memorable experience and Hampton Sun offers just that.
Our resort partners aim to achieve that ultimate experience and only want to offer their guests the finest whether it’s fine linens, or just a high-end sun scare brand that is exclusive to the luxury market. Hampton Sun’s vision is to always offer and deliver that fine sunbathing experience!
Talk a little about your best selling products.
Our continuous mists sprays and all natural mineral lotions are best selling products. The ease of the applications of the sprays and the silky smooth mineral sunscreens make them really popular. Another bestselling product is our award winning self-tanning mist. The crystal clear formula can be applied to face and body without staining cloths. We call this product goof proof!
You were a sponsor of this year’s US Open. What was that experience like?
It was such an honor to have been chosen to be part of this huge event. They were looking for a high quality sunscreen for their elite crowd and we provide just that.
What are some trends you are predicting for travel this winter?
We are already seeing a huge spike in our resort and spa business as well as our cruise ship partners. We are excited to see people travel again.
What’s next for Hampton Sun?
We always have new launches on the horizon and are so excited for our customers to see what’s coming next. Be on the lookout for some new innovated products coming Spring of 2022.
Visit hamptonsuncare.com
