At Chocolate Sun, summer is our FAVORITE season...naturally! We can't get enough of the relaxed mood and healthy vibes of the warm months- from salty hair beach walks with our pups to lush green gardening and spending time outdoors with our friends. Of course, most importantly, we believe in protecting your skin diligently from the sun, which is why we never forget our SPF and keep our body sun-kissed and glowing with our iconic California born sunless tan formula.

Featured in the Summer 2024 issue of Southern California Life Magazine

I tell my story about how Chocolate Sun was born and my love for the season:

"SCLM: Tell us about your personal philosophy for sunless tanning?

Susie: I founded Chocolate Sun out of my love for healthy and natural looking beauty. You could say it was my vision to make humans look and feel their best, safely and naturally while still looking like themselves.

I have always found beauty was all around us, and it really is more of a matter of feeling great about yourself; taking the best parts of each person's unique looks and features, and highlighting those.

Personally, I always feel my best with a little sun on my skin. Having a little color or glow to the skin is to me, nature’s perfect beauty secret. But as I dove into skincare and began researching for products that were clean and simple and natural, I also started to read more and more about “protecting” the skin’s integrity. Too much of anything is never a good thing, as we have found out over the years regarding excessive sun exposure and the damaging, sometimes cancer-causing rays.

This was about the time I wanted to create natural but luxurious skincare. Most products on the market at that time were not effective and worse, they felt gooey and gumpy. My interest in finding a way to keep my skin glowing — and with a little sun-kissed look — led me on the journey to create a product that cared for the skin but also left the skin with a perfect glow. That product became Chocolate Sun. What is important to my business partner, Kimmie Worley McCarthy, and me is integrity in our products and unmatched customer service. We care about your skin!"

Let's Get To The Fun: How Do We Spend Our Summer Days?

One of the many things that Kimmie and I have in common is our love for our fur babies! Both the dogs + Kimmie and I THRIVE during the warm months. A summer day is not complete without a beach walk with the pups. Our fur babies experience so much excitement and love when they get to enjoy special freeing moments outdoors with us. They bring so much joy and laughter to our lives.

I also love to take my pups paddle boarding and hiking in the summer - we always try and stay really active for us and them! They enjoying traveling just as much as I do :-)

On any given afternoon or weekend, Kimmie spends time in her green space outdoors gardening veggies. She also loves to take camping trips with her husband and pup giving her the opportunity to fully immerse in the natural world, away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. 

Likewise, I like to find time to garden and make my outdoor space feel beautiful with fresh flowers. Sharing outdoor meals with friends under the stars adds a magical touch to weekend gatherings.  I love to wake up on a summer Sunday starting the day with a leisurely breakfast cooked on the outdoor grill. It's a relaxing way to kick-start the morning in the tranquility of your outdoor oasis.

We hope you are enjoying slow summer moments this season, too! Drop us a comment and let us know how you spend your summer- we love to hear from you! And, always feel free to reach out to use with any questions, inspiration or for application tips and tricks on IG @thechocolatesun