Sol de Janeiro
An American body-care, skincare, and fragrance brand shaped by Brazilian beach culture and recognized for its distinctive gourmand scents.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Sol de Janeiro is an American body-care, skincare, and fragrance brand established in 2015 by Heela Yang, Marc Capra, and Camila Pierotti. The brand takes its name from Rio de Janeiro’s Portuguese name, literally referring to the “January sun,” and builds its identity around Brazilian beach culture, sensual fragrance, body confidence, and an upbeat approach to personal care. The company’s origin is closely associated with Heela Yang, who had earlier marketing experience at Clinique and Lancôme. After moving from Brazil to New York with her husband in 2012, Yang drew on her experience of Brazilian social and beach culture, particularly its emphasis on openness, inclusion, celebration, and body confidence. Sol de Janeiro translated those references into brightly packaged body-care products designed to combine cosmetic sensoriality with fragrance-led use. The brand is particularly associated with warm, sweet, tropical and gourmand scent profiles, including a signature combination built around pistachio and vanilla. Its best-known product is Bum Bum Cream, a body moisturizer that helped establish the company’s visibility and became the central reference point for its brand image. Other notable offerings include Brazilian 4 Play shower gel, Coco Cabana body-care products, fragrance mists, hand creams, and related moisturizing and cleansing products. Rather than positioning itself only as a functional skincare company, Sol de Janeiro emphasizes the pleasure of applying, smelling, and sharing its products. This gives the brand a hybrid identity spanning body moisturization, bath and shower, fragrance, and lifestyle beauty. Digital discovery has been important to the brand’s expansion. Sol de Janeiro gained substantial attention through social platforms, especially TikTok, where product demonstrations, scent discussions, and influencer content helped turn individual items into recognizable viral beauty products. The brand has also used ambassador and creator relationships to extend its cultural reach, including its selection of actor Barbie Ferreira as a brand ambassador in 2023. This social-media visibility reinforced the company’s association with joyful self-expression and helped its products reach consumers beyond traditional beauty retail. In 2021, Groupe L’Occitane acquired a majority stake in Sol de Janeiro. The transaction was reported as valuing the business at approximately US$450 million. The investment connected Sol de Janeiro with an established international beauty group while preserving the brand’s independent identity and Brazilian-inspired positioning. The brand subsequently continued operating across international markets under the Groupe L’Occitane ownership structure. Sol de Janeiro remains active as a global beauty brand centered on body care, fragrance, and sensorial routines. Its commercial proposition combines recognizable fragrances, accessible rituals, distinctive packaging, and a narrative of Brazilian-inspired confidence. Publicly documented leadership changed in 2026, when co-founder and chief executive Heela Yang departed and Jordan Saxemard was named chief executive officer.
History
Sol de Janeiro was founded in 2015 by Heela Yang, Marc Capra, and Camila Pierotti. The brand emerged from an effort to express aspects of Brazilian beach culture through body care and fragrance rather than treating skincare as a purely clinical or utilitarian category. Its identity centers on warmth, celebration, sensuality, inclusion, and confidence, with products intended to make daily routines feel pleasurable and social. Heela Yang became the best-known founding leader. Before creating the brand, she worked in marketing at Clinique and as a manager at Lancôme. She later moved from Brazil to New York with her husband in 2012. Her experience of Brazil’s beach culture, particularly its inclusive and confident attitude toward the body, became an important source for Sol de Janeiro’s brand narrative. The company’s early recognition was driven by body-care products with strong fragrance identities. Bum Bum Cream became its signature item, helping establish the brand in the premium body-care market. The company expanded around related body moisturizers, shower products, fragrance mists, and hand-care items. The products are known for rich, sensorial positioning and fragrance combinations associated with tropical, creamy, sweet, pistachio, vanilla, and other gourmand notes. Brazilian 4 Play and Coco Cabana became additional recognizable names in the portfolio. Social media played a significant role in Sol de Janeiro’s growth. TikTok and influencer activity helped consumers discover the products through demonstrations, reviews, scent commentary, and routine-based content. The company collaborated with social-media personalities including Ellyza Nelson, while actor Barbie Ferreira became a brand ambassador in 2023. These activities supported a shift from conventional product advertising toward creator-led discovery and community discussion. A major ownership change occurred in 2021, when Groupe L’Occitane acquired a majority stake in Sol de Janeiro. The transaction was reported to value the company at approximately US$450 million. The deal gave the brand the backing of an international beauty group and supported its presence in markets outside the United States, while Sol de Janeiro continued to be presented as a distinct Brazilian-inspired brand. The brand also experienced a brief episode of viral misinformation in December 2023. An online review of a moisturizer claimed that it attracted spiders and suggested that the product contained pheromones capable of sexually attracting male spiders. The claim spread through social platforms, but Sol de Janeiro denied it and experts characterized the alleged mechanism as unlikely. In 2024, Fast Company included Sol de Janeiro on its list of the most innovative companies. In 2026, founding chief executive Heela Yang left the business and Jordan Saxemard was appointed chief executive officer. Klitos Teklos, who had served as interim chief creative officer through 2026, later moved to Tory Burch as its first chief brand officer. Sol de Janeiro continues as an active international body-care and fragrance brand within the Groupe L’Occitane portfolio.
- 2026
Jordan Saxemard succeeds Heela Yang as CEO
[1]Co-founder and chief executive Heela Yang departs, and Jordan Saxemard assumes the chief executive role.
- 2024
Named to Fast Company's innovative companies list
[1]Fast Company recognizes Sol de Janeiro in its 2024 list of the most innovative companies.
- 2023
Barbie Ferreira becomes brand ambassador
[1]The actor joins Sol de Janeiro's ambassador program as the brand expands its cultural and social-media marketing.
- 2023
Spider-attraction rumor goes viral
[1]A social-media claim about a moisturizer allegedly attracting spiders is denied by the company and questioned by experts.
- 2021
Groupe L'Occitane takes a majority stake
[1]Groupe L'Occitane acquires majority ownership in a transaction reported to value Sol de Janeiro at about US$450 million.
- 2015
Sol de Janeiro is founded
[1]Heela Yang, Marc Capra, and Camila Pierotti establish the Brazilian-inspired body-care and fragrance brand.
Products and positioning
Premium-accessible body care and fragrance inspired by Brazilian beach culture, emphasizing sensorial textures, distinctive gourmand scents, confidence, joy, and inclusive self-expression.
Body moisturizer
Bum Bum Cream
Sol de Janeiro's signature body cream and most recognizable product. It represents the brand's combination of moisturizing body care, distinctive fragrance, and Brazilian beach-inspired confidence. The product helped define the company's identity as a sensorial alternative to conventional body lotion.
Shower and cleansing
Brazilian 4 Play
A body-wash line that extends Sol de Janeiro's fragrance-led approach into the shower. It is positioned as a cleansing product with a rich, enjoyable sensory experience rather than as a purely functional cleanser.
Body care
Coco Cabana
A Sol de Janeiro body-care offering associated with coconut and tropical fragrance cues. It broadens the brand's portfolio beyond Bum Bum Cream while retaining the company's emphasis on rich textures, tropical references, and scented daily rituals.
Fragrance
Sol de Janeiro fragrance mists
A collection of body and hair fragrance sprays that brings the brand's signature scent architecture into a dedicated fragrance format. The mists support the company's positioning at the intersection of body care, personal fragrance, and lifestyle beauty.
Controversies
2023
False spider-attraction claim about moisturizer
A review that went viral in December 2023 alleged that a Sol de Janeiro moisturizer attracted spiders because it supposedly contained pheromones. Other users repeated the claim. Sol de Janeiro denied the rumor, while experts considered the proposed explanation unlikely.
Marketing campaigns
- 2023Barbie Ferreira brand ambassadorship
International markets
Sol de Janeiro selected actor Barbie Ferreira as a brand ambassador, reinforcing its association with expressive, body-positive and culturally visible beauty marketing.
Outcome. The appointment expanded the brand's ambassador and cultural-marketing profile.
- TikTok and creator-led product discovery
United States · International markets
Sol de Janeiro used TikTok creators and social-media influencers, including Ellyza Nelson, to drive product discovery through reviews, demonstrations, scent discussions, and routine content.
Outcome. The activity contributed to the brand's viral visibility and international awareness.
Brand decisions
2026
Change chief executive leadershipStrategyBackground
Following the departure of co-founder and chief executive Heela Yang, the brand required new executive leadership.
Action taken
Jordan Saxemard was appointed chief executive officer.
Aftermath
The leadership transition placed the active CEO role with Saxemard while the brand remained within Groupe L'Occitane.
2023
Respond to viral spider rumorOtherBackground
A social-media review alleged that one of the brand's moisturizers attracted spiders through supposed pheromones.
Action taken
Sol de Janeiro publicly denied the allegation; outside experts also questioned the claim.
Aftermath
The episode remained a short-lived viral rumor rather than an established product-safety finding.
2021
Accept majority investment from Groupe L'OccitaneM&ABackground
Sol de Janeiro's growing body-care and fragrance business attracted investment from Groupe L'Occitane, an international beauty group.
Action taken
Groupe L'Occitane acquired a majority stake in Sol de Janeiro.
Aftermath
The brand became part of Groupe L'Occitane's portfolio while continuing to operate under its own Brazilian-inspired identity.
Reported transaction valuation. US$450 million reported valuation (2021)
Recent events
L’Occitane to acquire an 83% stake in Sol de Janeiro[3]
Reported:
L’Occitane Group is acquiring an 83% stake in Sol de Janeiro, based on a valuation of US$450 million.
Sources3 sources
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