Learn how the ANESSA Sunshine Project is teaching families sun safety, ensuring children can safely play outdoors and unlock their full potential.
Every parent understands the value of fresh air and active play for their children. It is widely known that time spent outdoors fuels physical development, boosts creativity, and nurtures essential life skills, ultimately helping a child reach their full potential.
Yet across Southeast Asia, including Singapore, children face many barriers to outdoor play. Packed academic schedules, rising screen time, and concerns about heat and UV exposure often keep them indoors. Recognising these everyday challenges, ANESSA – Asia’s No. 1 suncare brand – launched the ANESSA Sunshine Project, a global initiative that seeks to empower children to safely enjoy the sun’s benefits and embrace healthy, active living.
When outdoor activity is prioritised, children gain significant advantages. The time spent running, exploring, and learning under the sun offers powerful benefits for a child's development, aiding in:
- Holistic Growth: Nurturing balanced physical, emotional, social, intellectual, and mental development.
- Skill Building: Developing advanced motor skills, coordination, resilience, and self-confidence.
Singapore’s Inaugural JFA ANESSA Kids Event
The initiative made its local debut through the JFA | ANESSA Kids Event at Jurong East Stadium, organised in collaboration with the Japan Football Association (JFA) and the Football Association of Singapore (FAS).
Close to 150 children, aged 8 to 12, along with their parents, took part in the event which was uniquely structured to combine hands-on football drills led by trained coaches from the Japan Football Association (JFA) with interactive lessons on sun safety. Singapore footballer and national goalkeeper Hassan Sunny made a special appearance to share how outdoor play shaped his confidence and discipline. “Playing outdoors as a child taught me discipline, confidence, and resilience,” he said. “Initiatives like the ANESSA Sunshine Project are invaluable for giving children the opportunity to grow through sports and outdoor play.”
The ANESSA Sunshine Lab: Sun Safety Made Fun
A highlight of the event was the ANESSA Sunshine Lab, a classroom turned inside out, where sunshine itself effectively became the teacher. Designed to spark curiosity, the lab featured interactive lessons and playful activities that helped children understand UV awareness and adopt simple, fun sun-smart habits. Children also enjoyed doing the ANESSA Dance, and received the enhanced ANESSA Mild Milk sunscreen and UV-sensitive t-shirts that changed colour in sunlight, reinforcing the importance of protection in a creative way.
The event underscored the project's brand purpose: sun protection is not about avoiding the outdoors, but enabling children to "Shine Infinitely Under the Sun" safely.
Be Part of the Ongoing Campaign
The ANESSA Sunshine Project is a global commitment with a long-term goal of supporting approximately 300,000 children across Asia by 2030. It is built on three key pillars: Experience (hosting events), Education (teaching about sun protection), and Support (aiding children with extreme UV sensitivity).
A Bright Future for Outdoor Play in Singapore
“Singapore is central to our ambition for Asia Pacific,” said Nicolas Baudonnet, Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer, Cosmetic & Fragrance. “It provides an ecosystem where innovation and partnerships thrive. The Sunshine Project is a strong example of this, bringing families together through education, sport, and well-being. By launching the ANESSA Sunshine Project here, we can refine and scale the initiative into neighbouring markets, ensuring more families benefit from enriching experiences that champion health and connection.”
Although the Singapore launch event has passed, more such sessions are in the works for 2026 – so parents can:
- Stay Informed: The project is a continuing initiative. Families can check the ANESSA Sunshine Project for news of future local events and educational programmes in Singapore that can make outdoor time "worth it" for their children.
- Embrace Safe Outdoor Time: Confidently encourage children to spend more time outdoors, knowing the immense benefits it holds for their physical and mental development when paired with effective sun protection.
- Prioritise Protection: It is not about avoiding the sun, but do consider suitable sun protection products, like the enhanced ANESSA Mild Series, which is specifically designed to be lightweight, nourishing, water-resistant, and suitable for children's sensitive skin, including the Mild Milk SPF50+ PA++++ and Mild Gel SPF35 PA+++.
By embracing sun-smart habits, parents can confidently help their children to step outside, play actively, and unlock the countless benefits that come from growing up in the nurturing sunshine.