Military Sunscreen Solution
Sun protection that fits in the kit.
Service members develop melanoma at up to 3.7 times the civilian rate, yet sunscreen still isn't standard issue. SunSingles are sealed, single-dose SPF 50 packets made to ride in MREs, aid bags, and cargo pockets.
- Veteran-founded
- Made in USA
- SAM registered, CAGE 22T09
- Partner of the Melanoma Research Alliance
The risk is documented. The protection isn't issued.
Occupational UV exposure is one of the most consistent findings across military cancer research.
Higher melanoma risk for veterans than civiliansWalter Reed NMMC / MSMR, 2023
Higher melanoma incidence in special operations forces than other personnelUSSOCOM SOF Cancer Study, 2025
Higher melanoma rate in military aircrew than the general populationAir Force study, 1992–2017
Of veterans report being sunburned on deploymentMelanoma Research Alliance, 2025
Of veterans used sunscreen regularly while deployedMelanoma Research Alliance, 2025
Clinically diagnosed sunburns across the force, 2014–2022, with the annual rate rising 6.4%MSMR Vol. 30 No. 11, DHA 2023
We spend 151 times more treating it than preventing it
$132M+Military skin cancer treatment each year
$872KSunscreen each year, across the entire U.S. military
Bars drawn to scale. Congress has also directed $220M to melanoma research through the CDMRP since FY2019.
Where the UV hits hardest
Published UV index maxima at installations and duty positions. Elevation and reflective terrain push several sites past the top of the scale.
- Extreme, UV 11 and above
- Very high, UV 8 to 10
- Extreme threshold
Why troops go without, and how packets fix it
The USSOCOM study named limited access to sun protection in austere environments as a likely driver. Access, not awareness, is the gap.
Weight and bulk
Every ounce competes with ammunition, water, and medical supplies. A full bottle rarely survives the load-out.
Carries in a pocket or sleeve cuff. No bottle to displace, nothing to leak.
Not issued or stocked
Sunscreen sits outside standard issue in most formations, leaving protection to personal purchase and chance.
Packets distribute the way hydration products and DEET already do: in MREs, heat stress kits, and aid bags.
Reapplication lapses
Protection fades over a long day outdoors, and without a portable dose the second application never happens.
Carrying several turns reapplication into routine instead of a decision.
Product specifications
- Protection
- SPF 50, broad spectrum UVA/UVB
- Format
- Single-use sealed packet, one application each
- Size
- 0.34 fl oz
- Formulas
- Clean chemical or zinc oxide mineral
- Water resistance
- 80 minutes, non-greasy, reef friendly
- Regulatory
- FDA OTC sunscreen monograph compliant
- Case pack
- 300 individually sealed packets
- Custom
- Formulation and packaging available on request
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Tear
No bottle, no pump, no cap to lose.
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Apply
One pre-measured dose, every time.
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Discard
Individually sealed, so nothing is shared and nothing is contaminated.
The research and Congress point the same way
| Study | Population | Finding | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| VA Million Veteran Program, 2024 | Veterans vs. civilians | 60% higher | Adjusted for demographics |
| National Health Interview Survey, 2019–23 | Veterans vs. nonveterans | About 3× | 2.8% vs. 0.9% prevalence |
| Air Force study, 1992–2017 | Pilots and aircrew | 87% higher | 900,000+ records |
| USSOCOM SOF Cancer Study, 2025 | SOF vs. non-SOF | +33% | 231,733 operators, 210 melanoma cases |
| Walter Reed NMMC / MSMR, 2023 | Veterans vs. civilians | 3.7× | Melanoma, the deadliest form |
| Navy and Marine Corps aviators, Military Medicine, 2026 | Aviators vs. non-aviation officers | Higher risk | 242 melanoma and 1,430 non-melanoma cases, 2016–2024; largest melanoma gap at ages 35–39 |
| Military insurance and melanoma outcomes, 2026 | Military beneficiaries in civilian care | Later diagnosis | More advanced stage at diagnosis and worse survival |
| VA skin cancer diagnosis study, 2022 | Veterans in VA care | 13–18% late-stage | Later detection, not just higher incidence |
Congressional action
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2021
FY2021 NDAA, Section 750
Congress directed the Defense Health Agency to study cancer in aircrew and ground crew. DHA found melanoma rates 75–87% higher than the general population.
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2025
ACES Act signed
The Aviator Cancer Examination Study directs the VA to study cancer, including melanoma, in military aviators and report prevention recommendations to Congress.
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2026
Sixteen members ask DoD to act
In July 2026, Rep. Frank Pallone and 15 colleagues asked the Secretary of Defense to add sunscreen to standard PPE kits for servicemembers.
“Issue soldiers small portable packets of sunscreen to carry on their person. Incorporate small packets of sunscreen in MREs.”
Dr. Alexandra Rosenberg, MD, Department of Dermatology, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Military Medicine 187(11–12), October 2022.
“I lost a fellow SEAL and close friend, Tom Walsh, to melanoma.”
Walsh pushed his teammate to get screened. Doctors have since removed melanoma from that operator five times, each caught early. His advice to the SOF community: get checked. Doolittle, quoted in Military.com, June 25, 2026.
Registered and ready to supply
Unit orders, bulk cases, MRE and kit integration, and custom formulation for DoD and federal buyers.
Sources: Melanoma Research Alliance, “Melanoma and the Military” (2025); USSOCOM SOF Cancer Study, final report November 10, 2025; MSMR Vol. 30 No. 11 (DHA, 2023); FY2021 NDAA §750 DHA study; ACES Act (2025); VA Million Veteran Program; Walter Reed NMMC; USAspending.gov FPDS FY2023–2025; CDMRP; Office of Rep. Frank Pallone, July 16, 2026; Brandenburg et al., Military Medicine, July 2026; Surgical Oncology Insight 3 (2026) 100230. UV values are published environmental maxima. Barriers identified by SunSingles.