History

Sherpa Tenzing Norgay:
a name-giver by conviction

Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa believed to have been born in 1914, grew up together with his twelve siblings in Nepal, near the border with Tibet. As a mountain guide, he accompanied the New Zealander Sir Edmund Percival Hillary on the first successful ascent of Mount Everest on 29 May 1953.  His name thereupon became famous throughout the world.

Following that conquest, Tenzing became Director of Field Training at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling, in the Himalayan foothills. He died on 9 May 1986, having never once learned to write, although he had a spoken command of seven languages. Even today, his name is associated with integrity, endurance and other Swiss virtues.

The success story 

So how did a line of sunscreens and sun care products come to bear such an illustrious name? Gerda Spillmann’s innovative moisturizers won her international acclaim at a very young age, making her a pioneer of moisturizing skincare products. Dismayed by the thick and sticky suntan products available in those days, she set about developing a formulation that would produce a silky smooth cream.
In need of a name-giver to underscore the protective properties of her creation, she turned to Sherpa Tenzing for support.  The great mountain guide was thrilled with her product and agreed to lend it his name: Sherpa Tensing (the German spelling of his name). All of this took place some 50 years ago!

Sign of progress

A lot has happened in the last 50 years. Not only have we steadily raised the sun protection factor (SPF), but we have improved other aspects of our formulations, too. And no wonder, for Sherpa Tensing is driven by an innovative and experienced research and development team with sophisticated infrastructure at its disposal.

Our light-weight, fragrant and readily absorbent products meet with instant approval. And all our formulations are dermatologically tested to ensure their safety. Our CellActive®-Protect Complex prevents premature skin ageing and guarantees excellent cell protection.

Sherpa Tensing sunscreens and sun care products create the preconditions necessary for you to be able to enjoy the sun to the full. They do this by providing perfectly balanced UVA/UVB protection coupled with excellent water resistance and quality moisturizers to keep the skin smooth and supple. 

Quality guarantee: Sherpa Tensing products are developed and produced in Switzerland. They are dermatologically tested.