News IODA & Harken Derm Renew Partnership Agreement

IODA & Harken Derm Renew Partnership Agreement

To commemorate World Earth Day, IODA is announcing that we have renewed our partnership agreement with Harken Derm, to promote sun safety with our members and sailors in support of the Optimist Class.

Sailor health and environmental health are important values for the Optimist Class. We believe that education and awareness regarding sun safety is an important key message for Optimist sailors who spend long hours out in the sun on the water.

Harken Derm, a company based out of Wisconsin, USA, was started by dermatologist and high-risk skin cancer expert Dr. Edit Olasz Harken to address the much more serious skincare needs of sailors. On the water all day, kids and adults need much more advanced protection and skincare to combat the harsh effects of the sun and wind.

Harken Derm’s mission is to SOS: Save Our Sailors, Save Our Skin, Save Our Seas.

To save sailors and their skin, they have developed a Two-Step Solution created specifically for the global sailing community to save their skin. Step 1 is a premium mineral sunscreen with antioxidants called Ultimate Shield, that is formulated to perform in the harsh sailing environment -   it won’t run or wash off easily and will keep skin healthy.  Step 2 is an after-sun lotion called Daily Skin Repair that provides an advanced botanical antioxidant complex to stop the damage, and the nutrients needed to replenish a sailor’s skin after extreme sun and wind exposure

To save our seas, the Ultimate Shield’s 100% mineral UV filter composition makes it environmentally safe for ocean health. The chemical formulations of many sunscreens have been proven to damage coral reefs and the entire underwater ecosystem, and certain chemical UV filters are absorbed into the bloodstream. Their product tubes are made from sugarcane and are fully recyclable which helps reduce plastic waste.

This year, Harken Derm will be partnering with IODA in the ‘Steering the Course Festival’ taking place Friday May 20 to Sunday May 29th.  They will be providing prizes for the top submission from a member on their ‘Steering the Course’ activity. 

In addition, during the week-long festival, IODA will be hosting a Webinar with guest speaker Dr. Edit Olasz Harken. As an expert in skincare, sun protection, sunscreens and a skin cancer specialist, Dr. Olasz Harken will answer questions and talk about the importance of sun safety particularly for sailors and will provide fact-based evidence and information that supports the importance of skin care protection and cancer prevention.  

Harken Derm will have a presence at the Optimist World Championships in Turkey, June 27th to July 7th and/or the Optimist European Championship in Denmark, July 30 to August 6th, as well as the North American Championship in Bahamas in November 13-20th.   They will also be introducing their product through three IODA Member events – the US Team Trials, the US Nationals, and the Coco Cup in Hungary in July.

A key component of our partnership involves Harken Derm donating a % of sales to IODA.  They will be offering a 20% reduced price on any purchase from their Ultimate Shield Sunscreen and/or Daily Skin Repair Lotion products during identified Optimist events during the year. Event participants will receive an event-specific code to purchase their product(s) in their online store found at the following link https://harkenderm.com/.

In addition, Harken Derm will donate 10% of each purchase to IODA to help support the Optimist Class and youth sailors in the future.

Dr. Olasz Harken confirms that sun care and the prevention of skin cancer starts at a young age, which is supported by the data that 5 or more sunburns in youth can double the risk of melanoma.  We believe that education and awareness to sun safety is an important key message that can save lives and it will resonate with the young Optimist sailors and their families.”  She adds, “we are excited to work with the Optimist Class to bring education and awareness on sun safety and ocean health to young sailors around the globe.”

Kevin Whitcraft, IODA President comments, “we are thrilled to be working again with Harken Derm as a partner with the Optimist Class. They are very much aligned with our values of sailor health as well as the ocean and environmental health of the planet.”

IODA and Harken Derm will collaborate on social media campaigns as well as sampling and activation programs at Optimist events over the coming year.

We look forward to working with Harken Derm to help educate our sailors and families on the importance of sun care and safety while protecting the health of our oceans and planet.