Maker of Skin Protectant to Get National Exposure

A foamy skin protectant manufactured by Roly International of Ventura will be featured on the QVC Inc. home shopping network’s “Quest for the Best” television series. Armadillo Skin Barrier will be hawked live in a show highlighting the products of 20 small- and medium-size businesses in California. The products were selected from about 900 that were submitted for review to QVC and the California Trade and Commerce Agency. The show is scheduled to air in late November.

QVC’s “Quest for the Best” series began in January and will conclude in December. One three-hour show each week focuses on businesses from a particular state. “The stress is really to tap into small businesses and entrepreneurs throughout the United States and to give them the exposure they deserve,” said Winnie Atterbury, a spokeswoman for QVC. “There are so many small businesses out there and a lot of them don’t have the time or wherewithal to market on a national basis.” QVC reaches 52 million homes nationwide, she said. Atterbury said Roly International’s skin barrier and the other featured products were selected, in large part, because of their originality and marketability.

Since 1975, Roly has created cleaners, lubricants, degreasers and other products used by workers at Delta Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Hughes Aircraft and other industrial businesses. Armadillo Skin Barrier is an offshoot of these products, said Robert Hamming), owner and executive director of the company.

“Technicians and mechanics who work on aircraft said, ‘We’d like something to protect us against these chemicals that can be harmful,’ ” said Hamming. “There are a lot of skin lotions on the market, but all of them wash off. We had to come up with an innovative product that would not wash off.”

Hamming said the Armadillo foam bonds to one’s skin, ultimately coming off through the natural sloughing, or shedding, of the skin. It lasts about five hours, he said, before it starts to deteriorate.

For the general public, Hamming said Armadillo can be used to protect the skin of do-it-yourself mechanics who come in contact with oil and grease, and can help cooks prevent onion and garlic odors from lingering on their hands. The skin barrier will sell for about $25.50 for a 12-ounce aerosol can, $29.75 for a 17-ounce can. The product will become available later this month.