On The Kara Goldin Show, I sit down with Dr. Whitney Hovenic, double board-certified dermatologist, Mohs surgeon, and Co-Founder of SPOOGE — a mineral SPF brand with serious dermatology expertise, a playful attitude, and a mission to change how people think about daily sun protection.
We talk about why sunscreen has always had a branding problem, what Whitney is seeing in her practice as she treats skin cancer patients — including people in their 20s and 30s — and why Gen Z and Gen Alpha tanning trends have made this conversation more urgent than ever.
Whitney shares how SPOOGE came to be, including the story behind the name, and why she and her co-founder Hillary Schieve wanted to build a brand that makes SPF feel as routine as brushing your teeth. We also get into Hillary’s personal connection to the mission as a kidney transplant recipient on lifelong immunosuppressants, and why daily protection is not optional for so many people.
We also talk about what traditional SPF messaging gets wrong, how humor can help people engage with skin health, and what it takes to create mineral, reef-safe formulas that people actually want to use every day. Plus, Whitney shares what she has learned from SPOOGE’s first year — from editor love and awards to retail traction, medspa reorder rates, TikTok buzz, and strong Amazon performance.
If you’re interested in learning what it takes to build a beauty brand with a serious mission, change behavior around daily SPF, or make skin health feel modern, fun, and approachable — check out the interview on my podcast. You can find it here or anywhere you listen to podcasts 🎧

Are you interested in sponsoring and advertising on The Kara Goldin Show, which is now in the Top 1% of Entrepreneur podcasts in the world? Let me know by contacting me atkaragoldin@gmail.com. You can also find me @‌KaraGoldin on all networks.

To learn more about Dr. Whitney Hovenic and SPOOGE:
https://spooge.co
https://www.instagram.com/spooge.co/
https://www.instagram.com/drwhitneyhovenic/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-hovenic-a5739389/

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Check out our website to view this episode’s show notes: https://karagoldin.com/podcast/885