Using sunscreen is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, protecting ourselves from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation reduces the risk of developing skin cancer. On the other hand, the chemicals commonly used as UV filters in sunscreens tend to accumulate in aquatic life, including corals, algae, arthropods, mollusks, echinoderms and fish. This bioaccumulation causes problems, such as damage to immune and reproductive systems, impaired algal growth and bleaching in coral reefs.

Aware of the negative impacts of sunscreen, Laura Ortiz, a young entrepreneur in the Dominican Republic, decided to take matters into her own hands. As a traveler with a love of both adventure and nature, Laura realized that there was a gap in the market for an eco-friendly sunscreen that was also kind on skin and pleasant to use.

So, in 2020, as the world was gripped by the COVID-19 pandemic, Laura set up Gingerly – a startup company selling safe and sustainable sunscreen made in the Dominican Republic. When founding her business, all Laura had was a computer, her room as a warehouse, and a small investment from her mother. Despite this, the company has been a huge success, enjoying exponential growth over a short period of time.

Marketing a sustainable sunscreen

Gingerly sells sunscreen and other skincare products using two retail models: business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B). Its B2C sales are conducted via a website targeting environmentally conscious tourists across the Dominican Republic. For its B2B sales, Gingerly has forged alliances with hotels, eco-hostels and water parks, where its products are available in gift shops.

Gingerly’s rapid success has been widely recognized. After only two years, the company was awarded grants under the competitive Visa She’s Next and FedEx Grant programs. Gingerly has also been featured in magazines including Pandora, Forbes and the Santo Domingo Times. Such fast-track development means that Gingerly has created a large amount of intellectual property (IP) in a short space of time. For Laura Ortiz, learning how to protect and manage this IP is of paramount importance.

Understanding the value proposition of intellectual property

To help develop her understanding of how best to manage and protect her company’s trademark, sunscreen formulation and other IP, Laura Ortiz attended a seven-week mentoring program delivered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to eight organizations in the Dominican Republic in 2023. This program, one of 13 rolled out across Central America, promoted the use of IP for micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) – helping them to meet the growing demands of online commerce.

The mentoring program demonstrated how effective IP management can not only strengthen business strategies but also serve as an important source of investment and financing. By the end of the program, in March 2024, WIPO had worked with 154 individuals and 49 MSMEs from across Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and the Dominican Republic.

Developing online operations

The WIPO mentoring sessions provided Laura with important information on how to manage Gingerly’s IP, and make use of digital tools. “I learned a lot about ways to protect our intellectual properties, including trade names, products, trademarks and their validity,” explained Laura, adding, “We have followed up more and taught our team.”

The knowledge and expertise gained from the WIPO program will help Gingerly to innovate in the future – expanding online sales to include other countries in the Caribbean, with which the Dominican Republic has a free trade agreement, and developing B2B commerce. For the latter, Laura plans to expand the presence of Gingerly in a range of stores and create exclusive stands for her brand. She is also preparing to sell at scale to businesses in the United States, starting with a digital launch in 2025.

Closer to home, Gingerly is designing a social innovation to educate the public about UV rays and sun protection on beaches and in parks – and is applying for support from the Government of the Dominican Republic. With its emphasis on protecting innovation IP, the WIPO mentoring program has been a useful springboard in this process, helping Gingerly to successfully navigate through a complex legal landscape. This is supporting the company to help even more tourists and travelers to safely enjoy the sun while reduce their environmental impact.