Hawaiian Tropic is an American brand of suntan lotion. Hawaiian Tropic was founded by Ron Rice in 1969. Rice became the largest private manufacturer of sun care products in the United States, until Hawaiian Tropic was acquired by

Playtex Products, Inc. Playtex is an American brand name for undergarments, baby products, gloves, feminine hygiene products, and sunscreen. The brand began in 1947 when International Latex Corporation (ILC) created a division named Playtex to produce and sell latex p ...

in May 2007. With Hawaiian Tropic and Playtex's other brand of sun care, Banana Boat, Playtex became the largest manufacturer of sun care products in the

Western Hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the te ...

. Shortly after purchasing Hawaiian Tropic, Playtex Products was purchased by

Energizer Holdings Energizer Holdings, Inc. is an American manufacturer and one of the world's largest manufacturers of batteries, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. It produces batteries under the Energizer, Ray-O-Vac, Varta, and Eveready brand names, and for ...

Inc. in a deal valued at $1.9 billion.

Pageants

Hawaiian Tropic sponsored

swimsuit competition A swimsuit competition, more commonly now called a bikini contest, is a beauty contest which is judged and ranked while contestants wear a swimsuit, typically a bikini. One of the judging criteria is the physical attractiveness of the contestants ...

s to seek brand promotion among women to serve as

spokesmodel A promotional model is a model hired to drive consumer demand for a product, service, brand, or concept by directly interacting with potential customers. Most promotional models are conventionally attractive in physical appearance. They serve to m ...

s for its products. Many winners appeared later in advertising campaigns, swimwear, erotic magazines, and lingerie catalogs. In late 2006, a

theme restaurant A theme restaurant is a type of restaurant that uses theming to attract diners by creating a memorable experience. Theme restaurants have a unifying or dominant subject or concept, and utilize architecture, decor, special effects, and other tech ...

called Hawaiian Tropic Zone was opened in New York City near

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

. The restaurant was advertised as the "Hottest Place on Earth" and featured waitresses in bikinis designed by

Nicole Miller Nicole Miller is an American fashion designer and businesswoman. Miller attended the Rhode Island School of Design where she earned a BFA in Apparel Design. She studied for a year at L'Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture ParisienneBal ...

and a restaurant menu created by chef David Burke. Later that year, four former employees sued the restaurant, alleging repeated

groping In a sexual context, groping is the act of intentionally touching another person in a sexual manner without their consent. The term generally has a negative connotation in many societies, and the activity may be considered sexual assault or o ...

by managers, as well as rape. The restaurant closed in mid-2010. In May 2008, the Hawaiian Tropic Brand celebrated the 25th annual Miss Hawaiian Tropic International model search finals at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Since late 2008, the Miss Hawaiian Tropic International model search has ceased to exist in the United States. The former state directors have transitioned to Swimsuit USA, which is the official successor.

Miss Hawaiian Tropic International

Notable former Miss Hawaiian Tropic winners

Miss Hawaiian Tropic USA

* Rebecca DiPietro 2005: Former

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and va ...

backstage interviewer on

ECW ECW may refer to: Professional wrestling * Extreme Championship Wrestling (originally Eastern Championship Wrestling), a professional wrestling promotion that operated from 1992 to 2001 * The Alliance (professional wrestling) (originally the WCW/E ...

and ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...

'' model; finalist in Hawaiian Tropic International 2005 pageant *

Shana Hiatt Shana Hiatt (born December 17, 1975) is an American model and presenter who has appeared in several magazines. Personal life A former Army brat raised primarily in Tabernacle Township, New Jersey, Hiatt is best known for hosting the first t ...

1995: Hostess for the

World Poker Tour The World Poker Tour (WPT) is an internationally televised gaming and entertainment brand. Since 2002, the World Poker Tour has operated a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting playdown and the f ...

and ''Playboy'' model *

Ashley Massaro Ashley Marie Massaro (May 26, 1979 – May 16, 2019) was an American professional wrestler, reality television contestant and model. She was best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and for her appearance on '' Survivor: ...

2002: Former

WWE Diva Throughout its history, women have served in various onscreen roles in the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. In the 1990s, WWE (then known as the World Wrestling Federation) introduced the term Diva to refer to its female performe ...

and ''Playboy'' cover girl *

Crista Nicole __NOTOC__ The following is a list of Playboy Playmates of 2001. ''Playboy'' magazine names its Playmate of the Month each month throughout the year. January Irina Voronina (Russian: Ирина Воронина, born December 19, 1977, in Dzer ...

2001: ''Playboy'' Playmate of the Month for May 2001 *

Brooke Richards Brooke may refer to: People * Brooke (given name) * Brooke (surname) * Brooke baronets, families of baronets with the surname Brooke Places * Brooke, Norfolk, England * Brooke, Rutland, England * Brooke, Virginia, US * Brooke's Point, Palawa ...

1998: ''Playboy'' Playmate of the Month for December 1999 * Suzanne Stokes 1999: ''Playboy'' Playmate of the Month for February 2000

Miss Hawaiian Tropic Canada

2004: Former WWE Diva and ''Playboy'' cover girl *

Maryse Ouellet Maryse Mizanin (; née Ouellet; born January 21, 1983) is a Canadian professional wrestler, actress, and glamour model. She is currently signed to WWE, appearing on the Raw brand alongside her husband The Miz, under the ring name Maryse. After ...

2003: WWE Diva and ''Playboy'' model * Crystel Geoffré 2005

Miss Hawaiian Tropic International

* Cecilia Hörberg 1984: Top 10 at

Miss World 1988 Miss World 1988, the 38th edition of the Miss World pageant, was held on 17 November 1988 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, UK. The winner was Linda Pétursdóttir (''Queen of Europe'') from Iceland. She was crowned by Miss World 1987, Ulla ...

, representing Sweden *Jennifer Campbell 1989: actress and model *XiXi Yang Miss China 2008: international spokesmodel, U.S. media personality/TV host; appeared in MTV, VH1, and NBC

Hawaiian Tropic Teen Miss

Casey Reinhardt Casey Beau Brown (née Reinhardt) (born July 1, 1986) is an American television personality, actress, model, and entrepreneur. Born in Beverly Hills, California, she competed in numerous beauty pageants as a teenager. In 2005, Brown rose to promin ...

2003: former cast member of the second season of ''

Laguna Beach Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a seaside resort city located in southern Orange County, California, in the United States. It is known for its mild year-round climate, scenic coves, environmental preservation efforts, and a ...

'' and frequent beauty pageant contestant

Other contestants and winners

Gia Allemand Gia Marie Allemand (December 20, 1983 – August 14, 2013) was an American actress, model, and reality television contestant. She was known for appearing in ''Maxim'' and competing on two ABC reality shows '' The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love'' ...

: reality television contestant and actress who also appeared in ''

Maxim Maxim or Maksim may refer to: Entertainment * ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine ** ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition ** ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition *Maxim Radio, ''Maxim'' magazine's radio channel on Sir ...

'' * Anna Anka, (née Åberg) Sweden, Top 10 1993: model, actress, author. Married to the musician

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including " Diana", " Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and "(You're) Having My Baby". Anka also ...

Marea Lambert-Barker MAREA is a 6,600 km (4,000 mile) long transatlantic communications cable connecting the United States with Spain. Owned and funded by Microsoft and Meta Platforms, but constructed and operated by Telxius, a subsidiary of the Spanish telecom ...

Australia: actress, TV host, radio announcer, model * Brooke Adams, former

performer *

Martina Andrews Martina may refer to: People * Martina (given name), a female form of Martin, including a list of people with the given name Martina * Martina (surname), a surname found in Italy and Curaçao * Martina (empress), the second Empress consort of t ...

, Miss Hooters International 2004 * Michelle Banzer:

Miss Kentucky USA The Miss Kentucky USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Kentucky in the Miss USA pageant. It is currently directed by Proctor Productions and it was formerly directed by Connie Clark Harrison, Miss Ken ...

2007 *

Laura Morgan Porter Laura may refer to: People * Laura (given name) * Laura, the British code name for the World War I Belgian spy Marthe Cnockaert Places Australia * Laura, Queensland, a town on the Cape York Peninsula * Laura, South Australia * Laura Bay, a bay ...

: Miss Tennessee Hawaiian Tropic 2006, 2003 ''Sports Illustrated'' Swimsuit Cover finalist, one of the three official NASCAR Pit Crew girls from 2009 to 2011 *Jillian Beyor: ''Playboy'' Cyber Girl, Cyber Girl of Month May 2007, Cyber Girl of Week January 1, 2007, and Coed of Month October 2006 * Barbara Blank: 2005 model; WWE diva under the ring name Kelly Kelly * Jennifer Etcheson:

Miss Hawaiian Tropic Hawaiian Tropic is an American brand of suntan lotion. Hawaiian Tropic was founded by Ron Rice in 1969. Rice became the largest private manufacturer of sun care products in the United States, until Hawaiian Tropic was acquired by Playtex Prod ...

California 2005, Miss Hawaiian Tropic International Finalist 2005, ''Strikeforce MMA'' Ring Girl, model and actress *

Angel Boris Angel Lynn Boris (born August 2, 1974) is an American model and actress sometimes credited as Angel Boris Reed. Career Boris was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. After entering the Venus Swimwear international model search in 1994, she was disc ...

: actress and ''Playboy'' Playmate of the Month for July 1996 *Jennifer Cole: actress and model * Bonnie Conte was Miss Miami Beach Hawaiian Tropic * Louise Glover: former Playboy Special Editions "Model of the Year" *

Sandra Hubby The following women have appeared in the American or international edition of ''Playboy'' magazine as Playmate of the Month. Those who were also named Playmate of the Year are highlighted in green. A common misconception is that Marilyn Monroe wa ...

: ''Playboy'' Playmate of the Month for March 2004 *

Dalene Kurtis Dalene is a female given name. Notable people with the name include: *Dalene Kurtis (born 1977), Playboy model *Dalene Matthee (1938–2005), South African author *Dalene Stangl, American statistician *Dalene Young, screenwriter for 1980 teen comed ...

: ''Playboy'' Playmate of the Month for September 2001 and one of ''

People A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...

'' magazine's 50 most beautiful people in 2004 *

Sung Hi Lee Sung-Hi Lee ( Korean:이승희) is a South Korean model and actress based in North America. She has been featured in ''Playboy'' magazine as well as in many other magazines and some commercial advertising. Early life and education Born in Gi ...

: actress and very popular Playboy Special Editions model, featured in ''Playboy'' magazine's "Girls of Hawaiian Tropic" issue in 1995 and the companion video * Rochelle Loewen: former WWE diva and ''Playboy'' model; made cameo appearances on ''

The Girls Next Door ''The Girls Next Door'' (also known as ''The Girls of the Playboy Mansion'') is a reality television series which focuses on the lives of Hugh Hefner's girlfriends who live with him at the Playboy Mansion. The series was created by executive pr ...

'' * Tilsa Lozano: Miss Playboy TV Latinoamerica & Iberia 2008, Playboy TV actress *

Cassandra Lynn Cassandra Lynn Hensley (née Jensen, previously D'Elia, August 15, 1979 – January 15, 2014) was an American model and is ''Playboy's'' Playmate of the Month for February 2006. At age eighteen, Hensley moved to Newport Beach, California to st ...

: ''Playboy'' Playmate of the Month for February 2006 * Holly Madison: ''Playboy'' model and Hugh Hefner's former #1 girlfriend *

Marla Maples Marla Ann Maples (born October 27, 1963) is an American actress, television personality, model, singer and presenter. She was the second wife of Donald Trump. They married in 1993, two months after the birth of their daughter Tiffany, and div ...

: *

Yael Markovich Yael Markovich ( he, יעל מרקוביץ, pronounced ''Ya-el'', born 15 September in Haifa, Israel) is an Israeli-American model and Israeli beauty queen titleholder. Early life Markovich was born in Haifa, Israel. Markovich is Jewish, atte ...

Miss International Miss International (''Miss International Beauty'' or ''The International Beauty Pageant'') is a Japan-based international beauty pageant organized by the International Culture Association. First held in 1960, it is the fourth largest pageant i ...

Israel 2012 and Miss Supranational Israel * Kalin Olson: ''Playboy'' Playmate of the Month for August 1997 *

Jocelyn Oxlade Jocelyn Rose Oxlade (born 2 January 1984) is a Filipino-British singer, model and make up artist. She is a former member of the Kitty Girls. Career As a child, Oxlade began modeling, joining pageants and participating in theatrical production ...

: model, singer, host, ''

FHM ''FHM'' (For Him Magazine) is a British multinational men's lifestyle magazine that was published in several countries. Its master edition contained features such as the ''FHM'' 100 Sexiest Women in the World, which has featured models, actres ...

'' Babe (Philippines); turned down a ''Playboy'' magazine offer worth $25,000 due to some personal reasons * Kirsten Price: nude model, contestant of the reality program ''

My Bare Lady ''My Bare Lady'' is a 2006 United Kingdom-based reality TV show that aired on the Fox Reality Channel. The series followed four American female pornographic stars as they took acting lessons and performed in scenes from classic drama alongsid ...

'', porn star *

Tiffany Selby Tiffany may refer to: People * Tiffany (given name), list of people with this name * Tiffany (surname), list of people with this surname Known mononymously as "Tiffany": * Tiffany Darwish, (born 1971), an American singer, songwriter, actress kn ...

: model and member of the USA National Bikini Team * Andrea Stelzer * Tiffany Taylor: ''Playboy'' Playmate of the Month for November 1998 * Jennifer Thomas:

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

's finalist in the Miss Hawaiian Tropic USA competition in 2000;

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

Jamie Westenhiser The following women have appeared in the American or international edition of ''Playboy'' magazine as Playmate of the Month. Those who were also named Playmate of the Year are highlighted in green. A common misconception is that Marilyn Monroe wa ...

: ''Playboy'' Playmate of the Month for May 2005

Competition hosts

References

External links

*
Hawaiian Tropic Zone
restaurant
Hawaiian Tropic Zone
review in

New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker' ...

{{Edgewell Personal care brands Beauty pageants in the United States Products introduced in 1969 1969 establishments in the United States Edgewell Personal Care Sunscreen brands