OUR STORY
From severe sunburns to excruciatingly painful Portuguese Man-of-War/Jellyfish stings, to kitchen burns, welding burns in manufacturing, and even battlefield wounds for the U.S. military, the formula that became RadX Radiation Therapy has evolved over 40 years of development to treat serious skin burn issues and is one of the most advanced in the world. In 1980, distributing sunscreen to Texas retailers and having been invited by store owners to bring out our own brand, we decided to make a high-quality sunburn relief product that would out-perform the then dominant brand. Working with an experienced formulator, we developed what was the original formula of Radx, called Burn-Off Sunburn Relief. We launched February 198, sold thru retailers all along the beaches, expanded to Florida, Arizona, California, Hawaii and Colorado. We were invited to Wal-Mart HQ and secured a national contract with them, and by 1986, we were #94 in the Inc. 500 (top 500 privately owned companies in the U.S.) In the mid 1980’s, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department called, and we learned they were treating tourists who were stung by Portuguese Man-of-War and jellyfish with our Burn-Off Sunburn Relief. Always improving and upgrading, we adjusted our formula adding natural anti-inflammatories and ingredients that would help retain moisture. We then added that as a Jellyfish Sting Relief label.
Fast forward into late 1990’s when a family member developed an inoperable throat cancer, went to MD Anderson and began 44 radiation treatments + chemo. Almost immediately, pain and skin issues developed. Nothing in the formulary worked for the pain, so we sent the doctor some of the jellyfish sting relief. The doctor called to talk about this product and its ingredients to make sure it would not be contra-indicated. Satisfied, he included it in treatments and was impressed. Skin improvement was visible overnight and he was able to complete the series without skin breakdown. After completion, the doctor called to say “you need to get the jellyfish off of the label and come up with a name that sounds like cancer—no one in the pharmaceutical business can do for skin what your product does!”
About the same time, a nurse from Johns Hopkins called to order. A patient had brought in Burn-Off to use with her treatments, having tried all the rest of the items in the formulary without success. She had learned about it from a friend who used it with her radiation series. Her oncologist began to treat all patients with Burn-Off. This started as a grass roots movement with patients and nurses telling others about this exceptional product. A year later the same nurse called with a similar statement: “You need to make this into a cancer brand—the doctor who has seen this work, loves it, but most of the doctors don’t take it seriously because it is a sunburn relief and jellyfish sting item”.
We knew we had something the cancer community needed. Radx Radiation Therapy was born. We trademarked the name and introduced the brand in 2003. Radx created the category of OTC product to treat radiation. At both ASTRO (American Society of Therapeutic Radiation Oncologists) and ONS (Oncological Nursing Society), 350 cancer centers requested samples and patient information cards. Radx reputation spread the old-fashioned way: It works. Doctors, nurses and patients told others and it expanded around the U.S. into Australia and New Zealand. (Fun note: a Knight in the UK, whose boss had used it 10 years prior and told him not to go through radiation without Radx, called to order.) A well-known veterinarian in South Africa discovered its benefits on animals, especially on palamino and white horses with pale muzzles that burn in the sun. Horse breaders picked it up from that. Formula upgrades have continued as new ingredients become available to make the product the best in the cancer field.
Radx expanded into dermatology/spas where it’s used for post-treatment, Fluoroplex, Efudex, peels, microderms, hair removal—anything that causes pain/reddening of skin. Hundreds of stories from patients, nurses, oncologists and pharmacists have served to continue the Radx legacy of exceptional treatment for radiation patients. Radx has always been about not only what is in it, but also what is not in it, like metals, parabens or fragrance. Knock-offs have emerged, but they seem to be about making it cheaper, not better, and many have actually caused patient skin issues.
Now 20 years in the cancer business, Radx is proven to be one of the most effective skin treatments in cancer and skincare professional fields.
Owned and operated by Steve and Lisha Finley, its creators, Radx is made in the U.S. and sold through cancer centers, pharmacies, estheticians/spas, dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons.
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