Kelly Slater Says ‘It’s Amazing I Still Have Skin’ After Life in the Sun as He Launches Sunscreen (Exclusive)

The 11-time world champion surfer tells PEOPLE how spending "thousands of hours" in the sun inspired him to launch his own skincare brand, Freaks of Nature

Kelly Slater is hopping on the skincare wave.

The 11-time world champion surfer spoke with PEOLPE exclusively about the launch of Freaks of Nature, his new skincare brand inspired by his active lifestyle — and hours spent under the sun.

"I was looking for a good SPF that would last a long time [but] I'm really particular about what I use," Slater, 52, tells PEOPLE exclusively of how the brand came to be. It consists of three products: the Deeper Dive Moisturizer, the Daily Defender Sunscreen and the Peak Performance Sunscreen.

The professional surfer says he's in the water "all day long," so creating a product that he could "trust" would protect his skin from the sun's strong rays was at the forefront of this concept.

Slater's commitment to skin protection wasn't always a priority for the Florida native who grew up with Cocoa Beach in his backyard. The surfing pro admits he "didn't worry about it" in his younger years, despite "getting killed by the sun" while outside.

Related: Kelly Slater Gets Emotional as He Hints His Decades-Long Surfing Career Is Coming to an End

"I remember a couple of times as a kid just going all day in the water and not using sunscreen and then paying the price the next day," Slater recalls. "I'd put sunglasses on, a towel over my head and lather up with everything I could because I was so fried the next day — and then, my whole body would peel."

The pro athlete, who's surfed all over the world throughout his decades-long career, rattled off a few of the most beautiful places he's traveled for the sport. Not only did he leave with incredible memories, but also some painful sunburns that he remembers to this day.

"One time I was in Fiji in my twenties and the waves were so good, I just didn't put anything on," Slater recalls before he returned to his home at the time. "For three days, I didn't leave the house. I got back from the trip and I just peeled. I was in pain for the rest of the week."

Related: Surfer John John Florence Says a Kelly Slater Rematch ‘Would Be Incredible’ a Decade After the ‘Greatest Heat’

As a surfer who's regarded as "the greatest of all time" in the sport, Slater explains the reason why he used to skip the sunscreen step: "You forget everything else that exists when the waves are good."

However, Slater says he's "learned the hard way" thanks to those past painful experiences. "I've been in the sun for probably hundreds of thousands of hours or more. It's kind of amazing I still have skin after all this time."

"So now as I'm aging, I take more time to take care of myself," assures Slater, who turns to his Freaks of Nature collection for an assist. "I like to have a hand in the knowledge behind the products I use or the things I do."

That ethos goes for all of Slater's business ventures to date, from his sustainable clothing brand OuterKnown to his nutritional energy drink Purps to his eco-friendly surfboard designs. "I don't work with anything that's not a part of my life," the World Surf League record holder says.

Related: Kelly Slater, Lakey Peterson and More Surfers Honor Female Athletes for International Women's Day

Protecting the planet is often at the core of Slater's ventures, of which Freaks of Nature, specifically, blends cutting-edge biotechnology with eco-conscious practices.

Slater — whose interest in biohacking and ocean conservation also inspired the brand — says, "the packaging is recycled plastics" too.

The Deeper Dive Moisturizer is formulated with bio-fabricated vegan shark lipids and topical marine collagen designed to combat transdermal water loss and promote skin firmness. The ultra-hydrating product is available for $48 on the Freaks of Nature website.

The Daily Defender Sunscreen is an SPF 30 mineral lotion that boasts HydroSeal plant-based water resistance technology serving as an essential shield against the sun's harmful rays and other environmental stressors like wind and water. The protective product is also available online for $35.

The Peak Performance Sunscreen is stronger, with an SPF 50 for those long sessions in the elements both in and out of the water with powerful Red Algae MAA Helionori. The mineral sunscreen is available for pre-order for $38.

Related: Kelly Slater on Continuing to Surf Competitively at Age 50: 'There's Always Another Wave'

As for the meaning behind the Freaks of Nature title? "I like the idea of 'freak,' says Slater, adding that the word "should be an inspiration for people."

He notes the phrase should motivate people to "aspire to something that's not normal" and "that you can push yourself toward," something that the world champ has done throughout his entire career and continues to do today.

"I am busy. My brain never stops. I can't sleep at night, so I'm always working on something, whether it's music or surfing equipment, board designs, fins, anything that changed my life," says Slater. "I'm super passionate about everything I do."

"I feel like there's not enough time in the day," he adds, "and not enough time in my life to get it all done."

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