Lach Hall’s Vacation Inc. sunscreen stands out with TikTok success, nostalgic packaging

Lach Hall has brought the fun back to the sunscreen category with Vacation Inc., a two-year-old brand whose marketing approach includes nostalgic packaging and attention-grabbing social media campaigns. An ad agency veteran, Hall co-founded Vacation in 2021. He was inspired while at the beach, realizing that so many sunscreens were clinical and boring. Vacation is anything but staid—products include Classic Whip SPF 30, which is inspired by dessert topping Reddi-wip. It became a TikTok darling, drawing more than 80 million organic views on the platform. @vacationinc Please give a warm, maraschino-topped welcome to this sun protection revelation. Introducing Vacation® Classic Whip SPF 30. ♬ original sound - Vacation Inc. Vacation now markets 22 products and has distribution at Ulta Beauty, Nordstrom and Anthropologie. “I’m constantly surprised and amazed that what we’ve built has resonated with so many people,” Hall said in an email interview. @itsvacationinc Who said sunscreen has to be boring? 😎 Classic Whip by Vacation is SPF 30 sunscreen that looks and feels like whipped cream! 🍦 Say goodbye to sticky, greasy sunscreen and hello to protection in style. ☀️👙 #ClassicWhip #VacationSkincare #SPF30 #SunProtection #PoolsideVibes #WhippedCreamSunscreen ♬ The Other Woman - Lana Del Rey See all of Ad Age’s Breakout Brand Leaders here Which entrepreneur do you admire the most and why? I admire anyone who’s had a dream and stuck with it for years to make it happen. Whether it’s my musician friends who have persevered for 10-plus years to make it more than just a hobby, my architect friends who have slogged it out for years before getting a break, or other startup founders who are on a similar journey to us. I admire people who do what they love and who put in the work daily to figure out a way to craft a life around it. What’s currently on your bedside reading list? I feel like an entrepreneurial cliché in saying this, but I just finished “Shoe Dog” by Phil Knight, which was great, and have moved on to a book, in a quite different direction, titled “Civilized to Death” by Christopher Ryan, which explores whether modern civilization has brought us more happiness and well-being, or if our hunter-gatherer ancestors actually led a more fulfilling life. Will have to let you know where I net out on this question once I’m a bit further along! What is the best career advice you’ve gotten? When I was growing up, I remember my dad saying that he was so excited about his work that he couldn’t wait to get out of bed every morning and start his day. He said something to the effect of, “If you’re not feeling this level of excitement about the day ahead of you, you should keep exploring until you’ve found that thing.” I’ve been fortunate enough to have had three careers where I’ve felt that level of excitement. First when I was a band manager in the music industry, second was in advertising and third has been working on Vacation—and I feel the advice has bode me well for enjoying my work and also having some successes with it. Name one brand, other than the one you work for, that you admire. I love classic challenger brands that come in and take market share from the category by breaking the norm. One of my favorite examples of this is 5-hour Energy. They broke the norm on so many levels: an energy drink that was in shot form, that was sold on the counter, with no-nonsense branding—all things that seem fairly obvious now, but they were so new and effective when they launched, they essentially created a new category. One that they still dominate in to this day. What is your secret weapon for business success? I’m not sure who said it or where I heard it, but the idea of “to work on things that feel like play to you but looks like work to others” feels about right to me. I’ve always been obsessed with advertising and marketing. I’d do it for free. And this bizarre world we’ve created with Vacation is essentially just a personification of myself and my co-founders’ bizarre personalities and the things we find ourselves in stitches joking about when we’re hanging out. So, I guess, when you’ve found “work” that feels like play to you, you’re likely in a good spot to find some success in it—and at the very least, you’re going to have a great time regardless. See all of Ad Age’s Breakout Brand Leaders here

Lach Hall’s Vacation Inc. sunscreen stands out with TikTok success, nostalgic packaging

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