Our Story: From Clinking Glasses to Sun-Kissed Skies
Jeff was living his best life in the liquor industry, with unforgettable (maybe forgettable) nights, and the finest beers, wines, and spirits. For a decade, he was painting the town red and embracing life’s endless party. But as with all good things, the music eventually stopped. Reality hit hard during a routine check-up, when his doctor gave him a wake-up call: change your lifestyle, or face the consequences.
That’s when Josie came into the picture—a personal trainer with a heart of gold and the patience of a saint. When Jeff started his new training routine, the delayed onset muscle soreness hit him hard. He called Josie, saying he couldn’t make it to the gym but asked if she’d join him for dinner instead. Her immediate response? “NO!” She suggested he stick to his workout plan, but promised to bring some muscle balm for his soreness.
Jeff tried several muscle balms, but the experience was a disaster: stinging eyes, stained clothes, and a restroom incident thanks to having the balm on his hands that he'd never forget. Josie couldn’t help but laugh and suggested they create a product made just for him. Jeff didn’t think it was that funny, but he took the idea seriously, finding a cosmetic chemist who could develop a topical analgesic that worked without the usual hassles.
One created, they went to one of Josie’s professors, a renowned sports medicine doctor, was impressed with their creation and urged them to tackle another challenge: athletes' and sunscreen. As he pointed out, athletes have a lower incidence of most disease, except one, skin cancer, which was higher in athletes because they spent so much time training outdoors training and competing.
Determined to solve this problem, Josie and Jeff hit the ground running, speaking with athletes across various sports. They heard: traditional sunscreens were greasy, goopy, slow-drying, sticky, and tended to be messy. The couple knew they had to create a game-changing sunscreen that would eliminate these pain points.
In 1994, they launched their first performance sunscreen brand, Kinesys, to launch in time for the Commonwealth Games in Victoria, BC. The brand revolutionized sun protection for athletes and outdoor enthusiasts everywhere, becoming a staple in sun safety.
Years later, after finding their ultimate partner, their mentor, Brian Maxwell, one of the founders of Powerbar, the business grew quickly. But, as life always has some surprises, just a little over a year after their partnership started,
Josie and Jeff sold Kinesys in 2014 to focus on their family. But their passion for sun protection was reignited after witnessing the impact of skin cancer on friends and community members. Not to mention the numerous phone calls, texts, emails that asked them for their sunscreen products.
In 2018, drawing inspiration from Malibu, affectionately known as the 'bu', they launced on a new venture—BU Sunscreen. The name honors Malibu's vibrant spirit and embraces the mindset to "be you." The dots over the "U" form an umlaut, resembling a happy face, symbolizing the brand's mission to spread joy and sun safety.