The 11-time world surfing champion tells PEOPLE how “thousands of hours” in the sun inspired him to start his own skincare brand, Freaks of Nature

Kelly Slater jumps on the skincare wave.

The 11-time world surfing champion spoke exclusively to PEOLPE about the launch of Freaks of Nature, his new skincare brand inspired by his active lifestyle and hours spent in the sun.

“I was looking for a good sunscreen that would last a long time, but I’m very picky about what I use,” Slater, 52, tells PEOPLE exclusively about how the brand came about. It consists of three products: the Deeper Dive Moisturizer, the Daily Defender Sunscreen and the Peak Performance Sunscreen.

The professional surfer says he is in the water “all day,” so the focus of this concept was to develop a product that he could “trust” to protect his skin from the sun’s strong rays.

Slater’s commitment to skin protection wasn’t always a priority for the Floridian native, who grew up with Cocoa Beach in his backyard. The surfing pro admits he “didn’t worry about it” in his younger years, despite getting “sunburnt” outside.

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“I remember a couple of times as a kid when I was in the water all day and didn’t use sunscreen and had to pay for it the next day,” Slater recalls. “I’d put sunglasses on, put a towel over my head and soap myself up with whatever I could because I was so dehydrated the next day – and then my whole body would peel.”

The professional athlete, who has surfed all over the world over the course of his decades-long career, listed some of the most beautiful places he has traveled to for the sport. He left the island not only with incredible memories, but also with some painful sunburns that he still remembers to this day.

“One time I was in Fiji in my twenties and the waves were so good I just didn’t put anything on,” Slater recalls, before returning home at that point. “I didn’t leave the house for three days. I came back from the trip and just exfoliated. I was sore for the rest of the week.”

Related: Surfer John John Florence says a Kelly Slater rematch would be ‘incredible’ a decade after the ‘Greatest Heat’

Slater, a surfer considered “the greatest of all time” in the sport, explains why he used to skip wearing sunscreen: “When the waves are good, you forget about everything else.”

However, Slater says he has “learned the hard way” because of those painful past experiences. “I was probably in the sun for hundreds of thousands of hours or more. It’s kind of amazing that after all this time I still have skin.”

“Now that I’m getting older, I’m taking more time to look after myself,” says Slater, referring to his Freaks of Nature collection. “I like to contribute to the knowledge behind the products I use or the things I do.”

That ethos applies to all of Slater’s business ventures to date, from his sustainable clothing brand OuterKnown to his nutritional energy drink Purps to his eco-friendly surfboard designs. “I don’t work with anything that isn’t part of my life,” says the World Surf League record-holder.

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Protecting the planet is often at the heart of Slater’s projects, with Freaks of Nature in particular combining cutting-edge biotechnology with environmentally conscious practices.

Slater, whose interest in biohacking and marine conservation also inspired the brand, says: “The packaging is also made from recycled plastic.”

The Deeper Dive Moisturizer contains organically-sourced vegan shark lipids and topical marine collagen designed to combat transdermal water loss and improve skin firmness. The ultra-hydrating product is available for $48 on the Freaks of Nature website.

The Daily Defender Sunscreen is an SPF 30 mineral lotion that features plant-based HydroSeal water-repellent technology and serves as an essential shield against the sun’s harmful rays and other environmental aggressors like wind and water. The shield is also available online for $35.

Peak Performance Sunscreen is stronger and has an SPF of 50 for long outdoor exposures, both in and out of the water, with the powerful red algae MAA Helionori. The mineral sunscreen is available for pre-order for $38.

Related: Kelly Slater on continuing competitive surfing at 50: “There’s always another wave”

And what does the title Freaks of Nature mean? “I like the idea of ​​’freak,'” says Slater, adding that the word “should be an inspiration to people.”

He points out that the phrase is meant to motivate people to “strive for something that is not normal” and “that they can push themselves to do,” something the world champion has done throughout his career and continues to do today.

“I’m busy. My brain is constantly working. I can’t sleep at night, so I’m always working on something, whether it’s music or surf gear, board designs, fins, anything that’s changed my life,” says Slater. “I’m very passionate about everything I do.”

“I feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day,” he adds, “and there isn’t enough time in my life to get everything done.”

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