Have Fun In The Sun With This 'Shark Tank' Product

Now that we're deep into fall, you may not be thinking about what you need to do to protect your skin from the sun as much these days. That, of course, is a mistake since the sun is still shining, and you probably still go outside even when the temperature drops. But you'll probably be motivated to keep on applying that sunscreen once you see Sunscreenr appear on Shark Tank Friday night.

Sunscreenr is one of those products that once you hear what it does, you won't believe no one has ever thought of it before, or at least in a way to mass produce it and sell it to the world. Hopefully, Sunscreenr will score an investment from at least one of the Sharks so it can do just that.

I already have a couple of Sharks in mind that may be especially interested in this product. Mark Cuban is a tech guy, so the type of tech Sunscreenr uses could intrigue him. Robert Herjavec is also a techie and a lover of extreme outdoor activities, so he probably has some experience applying sunscreen. Since the demonstration of how Sunscreenr works is key when selling it, it also may be something Lori Greiner would want to feature on QVC.

Hopefully, Sunscreenr will be walking on sunshine when it leaves the Tank in Friday night's episode. But even if it doesn't, it's got a lot of potential to wow the Shark Tank audience.

It'll Help Protect Your Skin

How many times have you come back from a day at the beach only to discover a giant patch of skin on your shoulder is bright red even though you covered your body in sunscreen? Or so you thought. Well, Sunscreenr is a special camera that helps ensure that you really do apply sunscreen to every inch of your body by showing you areas that you may have missed or where it needs to be reapplied. When it comes to something as important as protecting your skin from UV rays, you really do want to make sure you don't miss a spot.

It Has The Technology

The people behind Sunscreenr say the camera employs technology used by scientists, according to the product's Indiegogo page. The device is a UV camera that allows users to look through the viewfinder to see where sunscreen has been applied and is absorbing UV light — which will appear dark — and where it hasn't — which will appear light. If you're alone, you can record up to 30 seconds of video that you can later watch and check out how well you've applied your sunscreen.

Sunscreenr itself is made up of "a special filter that removes all light except the part of the spectrum that sunscreen absorbs, a completely custom lens made from special materials and a carefully selected sensor that can actually respond to UV light," the product's Indiegogo page explains. But I have to say that it reminds me of those cute Polaroid i-Zone cameras from the late 1990s and early 2000s, and that just makes me feel all kinds of nostalgic.

The Founders Have A Knack For Innovation

Sunscreenr was founded by CEO David Cohen and Jon Meyer. Their Raleigh, North Carolina-based company Voxelight has a mission "to create innovative, technology-based products that use underexplored properties of light to create meaningful products for consumers," according to a press release about Sunscreenr's success on Kickstarter. They have more than 40 years' worth of experience in management, design, and product development. That shows from how well Sunscreenr seems to have taken off in just a few short months.

There's Already A Ton Of Interest In The Product

As you may have already been able to tell with my mentions of Indiegogo and Kickstarter, Sunscreenr got its start in crowdsourcing. It first launched on Kickstarter in May and raised $119,629, well above its goal of $45,000. Through its Indiegogo campaign that ended in June, Sunscreenr raised $166,279. But will the Sharks want to chip in a little, too?

It's (Sort Of) Available Now

Sunscreenr is available for pre-order now through the company's website. A device will cost you $119, but if you buy more than one, the price of each goes down a little. And with color options including purple, green, yellow, red, and blue, you might just be tempted to have a Sunscreenr in every hue.

It May Go Social

Sunscreenr may just be getting off the ground, but the future looks bright for the company. It's already thinking about what its next steps will be, which could include adding a social sharing function to the camera, Cohen told Mashable in July. Do you really want to share videos that show you lathering up in sunscreen with the world? I don't know. But it could certainly help raise awareness of an important health issue, that's certainly a good thing.

Sunscreenr's appearance on Shark Tank Friday night should help get that message out, too.

Images: Michael Desmond/ABC (4); Giphy