My SIL travels to Aruba freqently-they like the beaches there.
While there, she got to like Hawaiin Tropic Carrot Oil Suntan Lotion.
According to her, its the best-it doesn’t wash off, it isn’t greasy, and she never gets a sunburn using it.
This stuff is made in the USA, but not sold here-it is sold in the Carribean, Europe, Asia, but not here -why?
Looks like you can pick it up on Amazon and EBay. Not sure why they decided to drop it from the US market but it may simply not be very profitable as people are more interested in higher SPF products in the US.
That’d be my guess, too. The U.S. market seems to have largely moved away from “suntan lotions”, towards “sunscreens”, with higher SPFs, as Americans have become far more aware of issues with sun exposure and skin cancer in recent years.
Just because it’s made by a U.S. company doesn’t mean that there’s much demand for it in the U.S.
Another possibility is that FDA regulations possibly only forbid selling products with a certain ingredient to US consumers, but don’t forbid a manufacturer from making it here and exporting it if the receiving country allows that ingredient. I’m just guessing on that one, though, as I have no direct knowledge on the subject.
It’s certainly not unknown for a product or a fictional character or the popularity of a performer from the U.S. to become more well known in another country, so that it’s sold in more varieties there or appears in more media or sold there but not any longer in the U.S.:
This happens a lot with automobiles. Ford, for example, makes a lot of models that are not available in the US market. The Fiesta has been popular in Europe for decades, but wasn’t available in the US between 1980 and 2010. The Transit van has been an icon of utility transportation in Europe since the mid-60s, but will only be sold in the US for the first time in 2012.
During a trip to the UK about 5 years ago, I rented a Ford Mondeo. What surprised me about it was that it seemed so much better built than anything else Ford was making at the time for the US market. It was actually a pretty nice car that handled decently and had good fit and finish in the interior. Why the Brits could buy that and Americans were stuck with the fourth-gen Taurus was beyond me.
Ford of Europe, however, has its headquarters in Cologne, Germany, and factories in a number of European countries. It is owned by Ford and shares the name and many ideas and developments, but operates as a separate company for a separate market.
The OP mentioned a product that is manufactured in the US by a well-known American company, but either not sold there or rarely sold there.
I’d add that there is a line of food products called American Classics, made in the US but as far as I can tell exclusively for the overseas market. My guess is that someone saw a market and figured they could get a no-name product onto foreign grocery shelves more cheaply than the big brands, which probably wouldn’t mean anything to the prospective customers anyway. And yes, it’s a bit of a cliche for an American expat to have this stuff on their shelves, but they make really good microwave popcorn, see…
I recall years ago someone from work had to visit the factory that made TIC TACs. He was surprised to discover that they made lots of flavors that were unavailable in Australia but apparently were sold in New Zealand. The reason was that the flavoring agents hadn’t yet been approved in Australia.
Just about five years ago Ford launched the Fusion (the NA fusion, not the EU Fusion, which is a Fiesta). A much better car than the Mondeo of that area. I had a Mondeo V6 for a year (made in Belgium, imported into Mexico). What a P.O.S., and what a waste of a V6. The next model Mondeo, though, was awesome. Lots changed, and it became a fantastic car. But not in 2005/2006.
This hasn’t been true in many years, i.e., the “operates as a separate company”-part. It’s not a wholly-owned subsidiary, or anything like that. It is Ford, not merely owned by Ford.
To add the the discussion of Ford vehicles, the next-gen (coming out in 2013) Fusion and Mondeo are going to be the same car, aside from the name, and stuff to comply with differing safety & emissions laws.
And it’s North American design lead (although it’s a platform evolution, not an entirely US-designed platform).