Little Hands

Rosalyn Ardoin is a mother of four (soon to be five!), registered nurse and creator of Little Hands Hawai‘i. The brand headquartered in Waikoloa makes reef-friendly sunscreen. Rosalyn’s journey began seven years ago after the birth of her first daughter. She was at a health food store in search of a sunscreen safe for her, but couldn’t find one that listed ingredients she could pronounce. With a little research, she found an overwhelming amount of information and studies regarding the negative health effects caused by chemical-based sunscreens.  As a nurse, she understands that these harmful sunscreens can cause DNA damage, and that’s why she refused to apply them on her baby’s skin. 

Thereafter, she created a formula in her kitchen and took it to the small business bureau. At the time, the health-conscious mama was told the market was saturated with sunscreens and something like this would have a hard time catching on–leaving her feeling defeated. However, she couldn’t shake the fact that large sunscreen companies were targeting families and babies while packing their sunscreen with toxic chemicals!

She knew something needed to be done, so she developed the sunscreen and began sharing with friends and family. In a short amount of time, Rosalyn had retail locations asking to carry her sunscreen. Soon after, her husband joined Little Hands Hawai‘i–as a Native Hawaiian, he made it his mission to ensure all of the future generations will have the opportunity to live the same life we enjoy now. The two were activists during the passing of the chemical sunscreen ban in our state, and continue to push for further legislation to help preserve coral reefs and human health. Their company has grown organically just as their family has. The future belongs to the younger generations and all the little hands, which is why the company shares its aloha, awareness and its good, clean sunscreen.