Soleil Noir

Brand overview and significance

Soleil Noir is a French sun-care brand created in 1978 with deep roots in skiing and high-mountain culture. Originally developed by a family of mountain enthusiasts who wanted protection strong enough for winter UV but pleasant enough for everyday use, the brand quickly became a reference for skiers, guides and instructors who spend entire seasons on snow. Over time it evolved from simple sunscreen into a full cosmetic line where tanning, anti-age care and technical protection are treated as a single package rather than separate categories.

Positioned as an expert in “vitamin-rich” sun care, Soleil Noir targets people who split their year between strong sun exposure and demanding outdoor sports: ski instructors in the Alps, freeriders hunting spring corn, families who travel between beach and mountain, and anyone whose lips and face are constantly exposed to wind, cold and intense reflection from snow. Its formulas are designed to keep skin comfortable in harsh conditions, offering high UVA/UVB protection while delivering nourishing textures that feel like skincare rather than pure sunblock.

Within the ski universe, Soleil Noir sits in a sweet spot. It is not a mass-market soda-logo sponsor, but a technical name you repeatedly see on the counter in mountain shops, in the pockets of ski patrol and in the kits of long-time seasonaires. For riders watching videos on skipowd.tv and then planning their own trips, it is often the brand recommended when the conversation turns to “What should I pack for my face and lips in January at altitude?”

Product lines and key technologies

Soleil Noir organizes its catalog around zones of application—face, lips and body—rather than classic “summer vs winter” categories. For the face and body, the brand offers vitamin-rich sunscreen milks and creams at different SPF levels, from lower indices aimed at already-tanned or darker skin tones to high and very high protection (SPF 30, 50 and 50+) for intense sun and reflective environments. These products combine modern UVA/UVB filters with an anti-age complex that typically includes hyaluronic acid, collagen, multi-vitamins and aloe vera, designed to fight dehydration lines and oxidative stress caused by repeated exposure.

The lip-care line is especially relevant for skiers. Clear and lightly tinted sticks at SPF 30 and above are formulated to protect thin lip skin from sun, wind and cold, while delivering nourishing butters and plant extracts to prevent cracking. Pocket-sized “combi” formats that pair a small cream or milk with an integrated lip stick in one tube are popular with mountain users, because they slip easily into a jacket pocket and cover the two most exposed zones—face and lips—without taking extra space.

After-sun and nourishing oils round out the range. Vitamin-enriched after-sun milks focus on soothing and rehydrating skin that has spent all day in dry air or strong sun, whether that is a bluebird day above the treeline or a long beach session at the end of the season. Dry oils with SPF offer a lighter texture that absorbs quickly while still delivering protective filters and anti-age active ingredients, appealing to riders who want to avoid sticky or occlusive textures under layers.

Ride feel: who it’s for (terrains & use-cases)

On snow, the “ride feel” of Soleil Noir is about comfort and reliability in environments where UV, wind and cold are constantly fighting your skin barrier. At altitude, snow can reflect a large portion of UV radiation back toward the face, and cold, dry air strips moisture from lips and exposed areas. Soleil Noir’s thicker face creams and vitamin-rich milks are designed to create a protective film that stays put through spindrift, chairlift rides and long descents without feeling suffocating or overly greasy under a buff or helmet strap.

For freeriders and big-mountain skiers who spend hours in lift lines, on bootpacks or standing in start gates, a high-SPF face cream plus an SPF 30 lip stick is a simple, effective baseline. Park riders and spring slush enthusiasts often reach for lighter textures or dry oils that still offer protection but feel less heavy when they are hiking features and sweating more. Guides, instructors and patrollers value products that can handle full days outside, from the first avalanche briefing in flat morning light to the last sweep run of the day.

The brand also speaks to families and mixed-ability groups. Parents can use the same line to cover their own face and lips and those of their children, choosing higher SPFs and child-friendly combi formats for younger skin. For travellers who move between seasons—glacier camps in the northern summer, January powder weeks in the Alps, autumn surf trips—the ability to rely on one brand for beach and snow simplifies packing and reduces the risk of forgetting a key piece of the protection system.

Team presence, competitions, and reputation

Soleil Noir is not an equipment sponsor in the way a ski or goggle brand is, so you will not see giant logos on slopestyle bibs or downhill start gates. Its presence in skiing is more understated but no less real. The company highlights a long-running partnership with France’s École Nationale de Ski et d’Alpinisme (ENSA), where products are tested in extreme high-mountain conditions. That connection places Soleil Noir squarely in the world of instructors, guides and aspiring professionals who train on glaciers, steep faces and winter mountaineering terrain and need products that can handle those environments.

At the retail level, the brand has built strong credibility in ski and outdoor shops. French and European mountain retailers—whether they are backcountry specialists, resort-based rental and retail hybrids, or Paris shops that serve weekend warriors—frequently carry Soleil Noir alongside technical hardware. For the skipowd.tv audience, this means that when you walk into a core mountain shop to ask which lip stick will survive a week of cold wind and chairlift laps, Soleil Noir is one of the names likely to appear in the conversation.

Among long-time riders, the brand’s reputation is tied to consistency. It is seen as a specialist in high-protection, anti-age sun care rather than a generic cosmetics label dabbling in SPF. People who have used the products for multiple seasons tend to highlight their staying power in winter weather and their ability to keep skin feeling supple despite long days outside, which is exactly what skiers and snowboarders need from a product that may be applied multiple times per day all season long.

Geography and hubs (heritage, testing, venues)

Soleil Noir is proudly “made in France,” and its identity is closely linked to French mountain culture. The brand’s mountain testing through ENSA takes place in the same high-alpine environments where ski instructors, guides and rescue teams train for real-world conditions. That means products are exposed to strong winds, cold, high UV index and snow reflection—conditions that mirror what you find in alpine resorts across the Alps and Pyrenees.

On the consumer side, Soleil Noir is widely distributed through pharmacies, parapharmacies and mountain retailers. You will find it in city-based outdoor stores that prepare skiers for their trips, and in resort-area shops in destinations like Les Arcs that cater to seasonaires, locals and tourists alike. Online, many European retailers that specialize in ski and snowboard equipment list Soleil Noir’s lip sticks, combi creams and vitamin lotions in their winter sections, reflecting its role as part of the standard kit for cold-weather sun exposure rather than just a summer beach product.

Because the brand is anchored in France but distributed broadly across Europe, it reaches a wide range of climates and altitudes, from maritime resorts with humid storms to higher, drier peaks where wind and cold intensify dehydration. That geographic spread reinforces a simple message: whether you are lapping tree lines in a storm or standing on a sun-baked deck in late spring, you can use the same protection logic and product family.

Construction, durability, and sustainability

“Construction” for Soleil Noir means formulation and packaging rather than edges and bases, but the same principles of performance and reliability apply. The brand’s vitamin-rich creams and milks typically rely on a blend of modern sun filters for UVA and UVB coverage combined with anti-age complexes based on hyaluronic acid, collagen, aloe vera and multi-vitamin blends. These active combinations are designed to both shield from radiation and help skin retain moisture and elasticity despite repeated exposure to cold, dry air and high UV.

Lip sticks pair high-protection filters with nurturing ingredients such as plant butters and soothing extracts, so that frequent reapplication does not dry the skin but instead maintains a comfortable protective film. Textures are tuned to be stable in winter conditions: firm enough not to melt or leak in a warm pocket, but soft enough to glide on easily when applied quickly on a windy chair. Many products emphasize antioxidant content, helping to counter some of the free-radical damage associated with intense sun exposure over multiple seasons.

On the sustainability front, Soleil Noir’s “made in France” positioning means production is subject to European cosmetic regulations and environmental rules. The brand and its distribution partners underline efforts to respect local manufacturing standards and to reduce unnecessary transport by producing domestically for the European market. While it does not present itself primarily as an eco-label, its focus on durable, high-quality care that supports frequent outdoor use aligns with the idea that well-chosen products, used consistently over time, are better than disposable, one-off purchases with weak performance.

How to choose within the lineup

Choosing Soleil Noir products for skiing starts with three variables: altitude, season and skin type. For mid-winter trips at high altitude or in strongly reflective environments, a face cream or milk at SPF 50 or 50+ is the safest baseline for most skin tones, especially on the first days of exposure. Skiers with very fair or sensitive skin should lean toward the highest indices and reapply regularly, particularly on sunny days with fresh snow. For late-season slush laps or lower-altitude resorts after a base tan has formed, SPF 30 may be sufficient for some complexions, but lips and nose still benefit from higher protection.

Lip care is non-negotiable: an SPF 30 stick is the minimum for most riders, with higher protection for those who burn easily or spend entire days teaching, guiding or filming. Clear sticks are ideal if you want discreet protection in photos or under color-specific outerwear, while lightly tinted versions can double as everyday cosmetics in town. Combi formats—where one product houses both a face cream or milk and a lip stick—are a smart choice if you ski with minimal pocket space or want to simplify your kit for travel.

Finally, match textures to how you move. If you tend to run cold, spend a lot of time on lifts and appreciate a cocooning feel on the face, opt for richer creams. If you hike, skin or lap the park intensely, lighter milks and dry oils may feel better and help you avoid overheating or a heavy sensation under a buff or helmet. Pair your chosen daytime protection with an after-sun or nourishing lotion in the evening to help your skin recover between days; the goal is to arrive at the last day of the trip with skin that still feels healthy rather than overworked.

Why riders care

Skiers and snowboarders care about Soleil Noir because it was built around their reality: cold chairlifts, blinding sun on fresh snow, long seasons outside and skin that has to keep up with that lifestyle. Instead of treating sunscreen as a summer-only add-on, the brand approaches winter UV as a serious technical challenge and answers it with blends that protect, nourish and respect the skin’s long-term health. For the skipowd.tv community, it represents a link between high-level mountain practice and everyday trips: a product line tested in the same kind of harsh conditions they see in videos and often experience themselves.

In practical terms, Soleil Noir is the name many riders associate with compact, effective lip sticks and face creams that just work when you are out in the elements. The combination of French cosmetic expertise, mountain testing and formulas tuned for anti-age and comfort means that using its products feels less like putting on a barrier and more like building a reliable base layer for your skin. For anyone planning a week of storm days, spring park laps or high-altitude touring, Soleil Noir is a quiet but important part of the packing list—one of those small pieces of gear that can make the difference between finishing the trip strong or cutting days short because your face and lips have had enough.