Hawaiian Tropic History

Hawaiian Tropic began as the brainchild of Mr. Ron Rice, an entrepreneur from the mountains of North Carolina. Originally a chemistry teacher, football coach, and part-time lifeguard, Ron was inspired by a trip to the Hawaiian Islands where he saw the natives nurturing their skin using natural oils.
He began work on his own blend of natural products, selling his first bottle of Hawaiian Tropic tanning oil on July 16, 1969, during the launch of the first manned mission to land on the moon. Mixing his first batches in a trash can in his garage, Ron has grown Hawaiian Tropic into an internationally recognized brand, with over 125 products distributed around the world.
Hawaiian Tropic now ranks #2 in suncare products in the world, and holds the #1 position in the Central American, South American and Caribbean markets.
The trash can in which Ron mixed his first batch of product is silver plated, and sits in the living room of the largest of his three Daytona Beach mansions as a reminder of his humble beginnings.

The Miss Hawaiian Tropic International Model Search System began as a marketing effort to sell suntan products through the use of beautiful models.
Today, that model search has grown into the second largest pageant system in the world, seeing over 17,000 young women a year competing in hundreds of contests to become the next Miss Hawaiian Tropic International.
The Miss Hawaiian Tropic modeling team is known around the globe, making appearances in countless movies, television programs, reality shows, magazines, and sporting events. The team can be seen at such high-profile events as the Cannes Film Festival, the Indy 500 and Le Mans auto races, the Superbowl, and most Spring Break festivities.