Ron Rice was the founder of the iconic sunscreen brand Hawaiian Tropic.
- Died: May 19, 2022 (Who else died on May 19?)
- Details of death: Died at a hospital in Daytona Beach, Florida at the age of 81.
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Rags to riches
Rice grew up in the mountains of North Carolina, though he fell in love with the beaches of Florida on a childhood visit. He made his home in Daytona Beach, where he worked as a high school chemistry teacher and part-time lifeguard. He was at his part-time job that Rice was inspired by seeing people all over the beach using Coppertone suntan lotion. Rice became determined to create a unique competitor, so he used his chemistry knowledge to experiment with a suntan lotion formula, scented with coconut and fruit. He famously mixed his first formula in a garbage can with a broomstick, bottling it in his garage at home with a $500 loan from his father to launch the business. He named it Hawaiian Tropic to evoke an exotic beach locale, and his experiment was a hit. Rice became rich as the head of Hawaiian Tropic, sponsoring beauty pageants and NASCAR racecars. After selling Hawaiian Tropic to Playtex in 2007, Rice returned to the industry in recent years with the suncare brand Habana Brisa.
Notable quote
“It is amazing … really. It doesn’t happen everyday. It was good timing, a lot of luck, hard work, uniqueness.” —from a 1986 interview for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Tributes to Ron Rice
Full obituary: The Daytona Beach News-Journal
