Where Is Sunscreenr From Shark Tank Season 8 Today?
When spending time outdoors, sunscreen is a must. By wearing (and reapplying) proper amounts of sunscreen, we minimize our risk of sunburn, sunspots, broken blood vessels, and skin cancer. In fact, the Skin Cancer Foundation reports that applying sunscreen with an SPF of 15 every day can cut your chances for developing melanoma in half. While sunscreen may be non-negotiable when it comes to beach trips, everyday use of the product can also minimize signs of aging.
Despite our best efforts, however, because sunscreen is absorbed into the skin, it's soon invisible to the eye. With a Ph.D. in biophysics and biochemistry, David Cohen proposed a solution to this problem on season 8 of "Shark Tank." The entrepreneur pitched Sunscreenr, a UV-light camera that a person can peer through after applying sunscreen to see which areas of the body they might have missed (via ABC11). Referencing his business partner, Jon Meyer, Cohen explained that Meyer's mother had been diagnosed with skin cancer, leading to the creation of Sunscreenr.
Sunscreenr in the months before Shark Tank
It was a long road for Sunscreenr to develop a fully-formed product. In July of 2016, just three months prior to Cohen's appearance on "Shark Tank," the entrepreneur sat down with Mashable, at which time Sunscreenr was still in its prototype phase and amassing funding through Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns.
Cohen shared that the concept for Sunscreenr had evolved over time. "We considered building it as a smartphone attachment," he told the outlet. However, this posed the risk of sand or water damage if used at the beach. An independent camera, on the other hand, they could design to be sand-proof. Additional product highlights included the automatic deletion of images taken and a battery life of four hours.
Of course, we all remember what happened next. David Cohen took the "Shark Tank" stage on October 28, 2016 and prepared to make his case for Sunscreenr.
What happened to Sunscreenr on Shark Tank
In the episode, Cohen used a video display to demonstrate how, when looking through the camera, any areas of the body that appear dark in color are considered thoroughly protected, while areas without sunscreen coverage will appear light in color (via ABC11).
Cohen aimed for an $800,000 investment in exchange for a 10% stake in the company, claiming a company valuation of $8 million dollars. But one of the sharks was prepared to challenge this statement. "You come out with an $8 million dollar valuation you better have a Ph.D. in business, you better have a Ph.D. in customer research, you better have a freaking Ph.D. in something besides your own hype," Robert Herjavec responded. Ultimately, Cohen walked away with a deal in hand from Kevin O'Leary, but not before Mr. Wonderful negotiated a stake in the company that was three times greater than Cohen's initial proposal.
Post-Shark Tank and where David Cohen is now
Although Cohen successfully struck a deal, Sunscreenr was not ready to take flight. Far from it, in fact. As Kickstarter and Indiegogo backers began placing orders for the product, the company experienced significant delays in getting Sunscreenr out to its customers — delays that were ultimately never resolved.
From late 2016 through mid-2018, David Cohen posted periodic updates to Sunscreenr's Kickstarter page addressing the shipping delays, citing sourcing issues as the main reason for the hold-up. Nearly two years after his appearance on "Shark Tank," Cohen posted his final Kickstarter update on June 25, 2018, sharing that shipments would be going out that week. Since then, there has been no word from Cohen. Yet the page remains active, with backers continuing to leave comments to this day voicing their frustration with having never received their orders, with some customers going so far as to file complaints with the Better Business Bureau.
It's probably safe to assume that we've seen the last of Sunscreenr. If you attempt to visit sunscreenr.com, you will be rerouted to felting-wool.com, a site for purchasing DIY sewing kits for wool animal dolls. Perhaps taking lessons learned from Sunscreenr, Cohen's LinkedIn profile states that he currently works as the Staff Life Sciences Technology Manager for Plexus Corp. The company works to help clients get their products made and sold more quickly and efficiently by supporting businesses through the engineering, manufacturing, and aftermarket phases of product development (via Plexus Corp).