WHY SUI WASSER?
I started SUI WASSER with a very specific goal: to build a skincare system—from the ground up—for those of us who spend a majority of our lives outdoors.
Have you ever tried putting on your regular retinol or nighttime moisturizer after getting a little too much sun or windburn? The burning and stinging can be intense. Suddenly, the skincare products you normally depend on are the last things you want to put on your skin.
Through my own experience, I realized that when my skin needed the most support, I was often doing the least for it.
That didn’t make sense to me. In fact, it seemed ass-backwards!
So I began building SUI WASSER around concentrated antioxidants, skin-soothing botanicals known for their anti-inflammatory properties, nourishing oils and lipids, and ingredients selected to support the skin barrier after repeated exposure to sun, wind, cold, heat and dry air.
And I want to be very clear: SUI WASSER isn’t sunscreen. Our balms are designed to support your skin after exposure, not give you permission to neglect it beforehand. Your best defense against UV damage and skin cancer remains prevention: sunscreen, protective clothing, limiting excessive UV exposure, and paying attention to changes in your skin.
What we’re building addresses a different part of the equation:
How do we care for our skin after we come in from the elements—and how do we support healthy skin day after day, year after year?
Protect your skin before exposure.
Support it afterward.
Take care of it for the lifetime you intend to use it.
Our Roots: Purpose-Built Skin Care for Life Outdoors
SUI WASSER (pronounced “Soy-Vah-Ser”) was born from a life spent outdoors.
Long days in the mountains taught us something simple: skin takes a beating outside. Sun, wind, cold, heat and dry air don’t arrive one at a time, and for people who spend entire days—or a lifetime—outdoors, that exposure adds up.
We didn’t think much about skin care in our youth. We thought we understood the risks associated with professional alpine skiing, mountaineering, rock climbing, cycling, kayaking, and windsurfing. Turns out, one of the risks we underestimated most was the one we carried with us every day: the cumulative effects of exposure on our skin.
SUI WASSER was created around that reality. We develop purpose-built skin care for people whose lives, work and passions repeatedly expose their skin to demanding environments, with particular roots in skiing, mountaineering and the high alpine.
Our approach is intentionally different from conventional water-based lotions. SUI WASSER specializes in concentrated, anhydrous balms formulated primarily with oils, waxes and carefully selected skin-conditioning ingredients. Without water as the primary ingredient, our balms are designed to remain on the skin and help reduce moisture loss while conditioning skin after exposure.
The goal is straightforward: give outdoor skin the care it needs, so you’re ready to head outside and do it all over again the next day.
Stay Active.
Stay Healthy.
Live Life Outdoors—Explore.
Above: Founder Mya Schaefer climbing Mount Washington’s Huntington's Raven.
Our Dual Mission…
SUI WASSER fills an underserved niche in the outdoor industry: a skincare system built from the ground up specifically for people who spend a significant part of their lives outdoors.
Our products support everyday skin health and longevity while addressing the unique demands of repeated exposure to sun, wind, cold, heat, dry air, and activity—including the critical period of post-exposure care. Alongside our products, SUI WASSER is working to raise awareness that caring for your skin after exposure should be an important part of lifelong outdoor health and wellness.
Trail Recovery+ SKIN + MUSCLES + JOINTS
A true multi-functional balm designed to nourish outdoor-exposed skin while soothing tired muscles and joints. Rich in Arnica, Eucalyptus, and Rosemary, it brings skincare and post-activity recovery together in one balm.
Our love & appreciation for the outdoors go into every batch!
The balms we create are used by our family, friends, and community at large. The greatest care and research go into every batch. From the ingredients we use through preparation and packaging, every step is carefully monitored because we know that the people using our balms include those we love—our family.
A Skiing Legacy
SUI WASSER was born from time spent outdoors — and from loss.
A note from Mya Schaefer (SUI WASSER, Founder)
My Motivation
In 2025, my brothers and I lost our mother, Becky Schaefer, to complications from skin cancer, a cancer that began on exposed areas of her face and neck. Like most cancers, identifying a definitive root source is not possible. However, after she passed, I started thinking more deeply about the long-term elevated risks faced by people who spend a lifetime outdoors: athletes, parents, coaches, guides, and mountain staff.
Who We Are
My family has spent generations in the ski industry. We grew up outdoors racing, coaching, canoeing & kayaking, sailing, and working in the mountains.
Today our kids and all of the adults continue to spend a lot of time outdoors — skiing, biking, hiking, sailing, climbing, and working. Despite our awareness and knowledge to the threat UV radiation presents, like many families, applying proper skin protection prior & during time spent outdoors is often an afterthought.
Like most people, we tend to think about sun block only after we come inside and feel the chapped, burned cheeks, lips, and noses. That’s where SUI WASSER Balms step-in, mitigating the damage-done, helping exposed skin recover & heal.
I wanted to understand whether there was a better way to support skin after exposure — not just protecting it prior or during.
Throughout the fall of 2025, I spent months reviewing scientific research on skin damage, inflammation, and cancer linked to environmental exposure.
While sunscreen helps protect against UV radiation, it does little to defend against wind, cold, dry air, and other environmental conditions that can leave skin feeling dry, irritated, and stressed.
What stood out most was the growing evidence that much of the damage associated with sun, wind, and cold continues in the hours after exposure, as inflammatory and oxidative processes persist.
That insight, that post-care maybe equally important, became the foundation for SUI WASSER.
Rather than focusing solely on protection, SUI WASSER is built around recovery — supporting the skin during the critical window after sun, wind, cold, and dry air exposure. The balm is designed to calm inflammation, support barrier repair, and provide comfort, much like how an athlete treats a sore joint or muscle after training.
Today, SUI WASSER has three recovery-focused skin balm for people who spend serious time outdoors.
Our Promise
Each batch of balm is handcrafted, in small batches 1.5 liters at a time. Every new balm we bring to market is carefully tested in real conditions and improved through feedback from a small community of testers.
The Skiing Schaefers
What’s with the name?
“Soy Whaaa?…SUI WASSER!”
The name SUI WASSER reflects our Alpine roots. “Wasser” is German for water, while “SUI” is internationally associated with Switzerland, particularly in skiing and sport. Together, the words evoke Swiss Alpine water—clean, fresh, cold, and shaped by the mountains. While SUI WASSER isn’t a literal German phrase for “fresh water,” that idea of pure mountain water and the outdoor environment surrounding it is very much part of the inspiration behind our name.
Switzerland is also where my mom, Becky Schaefer’s, family originated — Bern, Switzerland. So that’s it, “SUI WASSER“ is a way to honor Becky.
In loving memory of Becky Schaefer- Mother, 2nd Grade Teacher, Environmentalist, Outdoor Enthusiast, and Recycling Champion.
Becky was instrumental in introducing statewide recycling to Massachusetts in the mid-1980’s. As well, she was honored by the Audubon Society in the 80’s for her progressive environmental education efforts within Public Schools where she taught for over 35 years.