Steph Wood never imagined she would become an entrepreneur.

Growing up in Western Australia, Steph struggled to find her place at school and left at 15 after securing a pharmacy traineeship. What followed was anything but a traditional career path: pharmacy, makeup artistry, building and architectural design, travel, surfing, and eventually a move to New Zealand.

Each experience gave Steph another skill she would one day use to build Sol Goods, the New Zealand-made natural sunscreen and skincare brand she founded after struggling to find a reef-conscious, mineral sunscreen that could withstand long days in the ocean.

What began with Steph making zinc in her own kitchen has grown into a brand stocked in around 120 stores across New Zealand, expanding into Australia and earning national recognition at the 2026 Viva Beauty Awards. ...