Ghadi Alshehri is a visionary Saudi entrepreneur and the brilliant mind behind Borderline Beauty , a groundbreaking sun care brand that’s redefining the industry in the region.
Tell us about yourself and your academic background.
My name is Ghadi Alshehri, I’m a Saudi entrepreneur and the founder of Borderline Beauty, the first sun care brand of its kind in the region. I studied Marketing, Innovation, and Digital Technology at Dublin City University, which gave me a strong foundation to build a brand rooted in both creativity and strategy. I grew up in the UK and later moved to Saudi Arabia, and that contrast shaped the way I saw beauty. In the UK, beauty felt subtle and functional. In Saudi, it was bold, expressive, and deeply intertwined with culture. That duality taught me that beauty doesn’t follow one formula, it adapts to climate, lifestyle, and identity. With Borderline Beauty, I bring both perspectives into one vision: modern sun care that understands extremes and and still fits into a global beauty mindset.
The Woman Behind Borderline Beauty: Ghadi Alshehri’s Story
How do you hope Borderline Beauty changes the way people in the region think about sun care and self-care?
For so long, sun care has been treated like an afterthought in the Middle East. Until Borderline Beauty, we imported all sun care from international brands. There was a clear gap: no brand focused fully on sun care, and none that spoke to the region with intention and quality. Borderline Beauty is the first and only sun care brand born in Saudi Arabia, created for our climate, our skin, and our way of life, with a global standard in mind. I wanted people to approach sun care differently, not as something they have to put up with, but as something they actually enjoy using. No more thick textures, unpleasant smells, or formulas that feel like a compromise. Just something that feels good, works beautifully, and makes sense for who we are.
What makes your sun stick different from anything else in the market — and how involved were you in developing the formula?
Most sunscreens feel like a chore; heavy, greasy, or leave a white cast, especially on deeper skin tones. I was determined to solve all of that with a 100% mineral formula that felt invisible on the skin and doubled as skincare. Our Sun Stick is one of the very few globally that leaves zero white cast despite being fully mineral, and that was non-negotiable for me. I was involved in every part of the development process: from handpicking the ingredients to multiple rounds of testing with Korean labs, ensuring it performs under the harsh Saudi sun without melting or irritating the skin. I didn’t want it to just protect,I wanted it to feel good, look good, and actually make people want to reapply, not get buried in their bag. To make that happen, I designed the formula to be multi-finctional. It plays the role of a sunscreen, moisterizer, serum, and make-up base. You can use it anytime, anywhere, and get all the benefits you won’t find in any other sunscreen.
Borderline Beauty has a very specific aesthetic — soft, minimal, and raw. What inspires the visual world of the brand?
I’ve always believed that you can’t go wrong with minimal. It’s timeless, and it gives the product space to speak for itself. The visual world of Borderline Beauty is inspired by the tension between softness and strength. I wanted it to feel calm without being passive, raw without being messy, and beautiful without trying too hard. Everything from the font to the color palette is designed to evoke a feeling. Not just to look good on a shelf, but to hold space for the person using it. Something that feels like it belongs to you.
At the same time, I’ve never seen softness as weakness. That’s why I chose to embrace pink. A lot of people shy away from it, thinking it’s too loud or too feminine. But I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. Femininity is powerful. Pink can be bold and raw in its own way. For me, it felt like the right balance: a color that’s warm and comforting, but still stands on its own. It reflects what the brand stands for: gentle, but unapologetically clear and confident.
As a Saudi founder in the beauty industry, what perspective do you bring that you think the global industry has been missing?
I bring a perspective that’s often overlooked in global sun care, one rooted in function, climate relevance, and cultural precision. Most global brands create for temperate environments and assume a one size fits all approach. I design from the lens of someone who lives in year round UV exposure, where sunscreen isn’t seasonal. That changes how you think about texture, scent, reapplication, and how sun care fits into daily routines. But beyond the weather, I think what’s been missing is our voice. Saudi women are often either hyper glamorized or invisible in global beauty narratives. We know how to balance tradition, climate, and beauty, and that shows in how I approach product design. It’s not about copying what exists; it’s about creating something that works in extreme heat, complements layered skincare and makeup, and still feels luxurious enough to belong on any global beauty shelf.
