What happens when a love for the outdoors collides with a broken system—and a life-altering diagnosis? For Alexandra Merlino, the founder of Bee Wild Outside, it sparked a bold reimagining of sun care.
Frustrated by the superficial promises of the “reef-safe” movement and disillusioned by the industry’s reliance on single-use plastics, the idea for Bee Wild Outside began to take shape.
But it wasn’t until a skin cancer diagnosis in 2020 that the vision became urgent—and deeply personal.
As a former competitive tennis player turned trail runner, cross-country skier, and scuba diver, Alexandra was no stranger to the sun, but always struggled to find a sunscreen that was both effective and truly sustainable.
Driven by necessity and fueled by passion, Bee Wild Outside was born—a brand focused on clean ingredients, refillable packaging, and environmental advocacy.
From a game-changing on-the-go dispenser to strategic partnerships supporting public land stewardship, this company is on a mission to do more than sell sunscreen.
It's here to inspire action, reduce waste, and help people play outside longer, safely and sustainably.
In this interview, we explore the brand’s origin story, its mission to protect both people and planet, and how it’s building a values-led business at the intersection of health, sustainability, and innovation.
What was the Lightbulb Moment / Origin Story of Bee Wild Outside?
Two things sparked the origin of Bee Wild Outside.
First, I was frustrated with the reef-safe movement in sun care.
While protecting coral reefs from harmful chemicals is important, it overlooked a more pressing threat—plastic pollution.
How could sunscreen sold in single use plastic be truly reef-safe when plastic pollution is a top threat to ocean and marine life?
I began to envision an ocean-safe brand that addressed both issues.
Then, in 2020, the urgency became personal when I was diagnosed with skin cancer.
As someone who loves the outdoors—once a competitive tennis player and now a trail runner, cross-country skier, and scuba diver—I was a reluctant sunscreen user.
I struggled to find a product that made reapplication simple and came in sustainable packaging.
Faced with a personal health crisis and inspired by my passion for nature, I decided to create a solution
I developed a disruptive refillable sunscreen dispenser that makes reapplication effortless while reducing plastic waste.
I’ve always believed that small actions can have a big impact, and I wanted to offer a daily essential that protects both people and our planet.
This lightbulb moment transformed my vision into Bee Wild Outside—a brand dedicated to effective, sustainable sun care for a healthier, more vibrant world.
What is Bee Wild Outside's Mission and Vision?
Mission: Protect Your Skin. Protect Our Planet. Play Outside Longer.
Vision: Create the healthiest sun care products for people and planet; inspire outdoor stewardship; never stop getting better!
Core Values: Clean Ingredients The skin is the largest organ of the body. It’s our job to support you in taking care of it.
We take this seriously and are committed to using the best ingredients possible to create effective formulas.
Reduced Waste & Reusable Packaging Reducing single-use plastics and packaging excess is critical for a healthy future, we are committed to reducing virgin materials and minimizing the impact by designing reusable and refillable packaging that customers love to use.
Sustainable Design As product developers, we are responsible for examining every component and all material we introduce into the marketplace and environment.
We continually ask: Is this necessary?
How can we be more sustainable?
We apply these questions to our operations too! Be vocal You can’t make a change sitting on the sidelines.
We are vocal advocates, defending and protecting the environment, our employees, and our community.
Cultivate Strong Relationships Businesses are built on relationships, and we treat ours with care. Employees, customers, and vendors are stakeholders in our business and are considered in every decision we make.
Collaborate Listening to and collaborating with our employees, customers, and vendors, helps us learn from each other, speeds up problem-solving, and makes us happier and more connected.
With your input, we can produce the best products for you and the environment.
How Does Bee Wild Outside Impact Lives and/or the Environment in a Positive Way?
Bee Wild Outside champions environmental and social impact while driving sustainable business growth.
We’re redefining sun care by showing what happens when you prioritize human health and environmental stewardship.
Our innovative refillable on-the-go dispenser reduces plastic waste and our clean, mineral-based formulas are entirely free of harmful chemicals for the safety of our users and the planet.
We don’t stop at product innovation.
We actively promote environmental stewardship through strategic partnerships and community engagement.
Our upcoming collaboration with Runners for Public Lands, supporting their 2025 Trail Work Series, is just one example of how we help preserve public lands and enhance community well-being.
By partnering with aligned nonprofits, we improve access to and maintenance of natural spaces, deepening the connection between our brand and environmental conservation.
In essence, our initiatives—from sustainable packaging and clean formulas to community partnerships—work together to reduce waste and protect our planet for future generations.
We’re committed to creating lasting, positive change that goes well beyond profit, embodying our community’s dedication to a healthier, more sustainable world.
How have you funded the company thus far?
A little of everything Phase One: we bootstrapped the first $200K Founder Funding and a modest Kickstarter campaign.
Phase Two: is a $600K seed round. 30% committed, this is a Convertible Note round, 36 months, 8% interest, 20% discount, and $3M cap.
Phase two funding will allow us to Complete Tooling & Stability Testing, Manufacture the Product & Take it to Market (Sept 2025), and Validate Product + Market + Fit.
What Tools Do You Use to Run Your Company / Organization?
Our current site is on SquareSpace we are transitioning with new branding and a new site to Shopify.
We use Asana for timelines and project management. We currently use Mailchimp but are transitioning to Klaviyo for the database.
MIRO for mapping.
Google Suite for notes.
Exploring Testimonial services (like TrustPilot).
We are in a transition period getting ready for our launch.
We are reevaluating all our tools.
