Supergoop SPF 30 plus Sunscreen Wipes

I could not resist giving these wipes a try when I read about them after a late night blog surfing session.  Living in  a hot climate with two active children means that we go through lots of sunscreen and anything that makes us sun-safe quickly has to be worth a look.

Supergoop is an SPF 30 plus, broad spectrum sunscreen that has up to 40 minutes of water resistance. The pack I purchased contains 40 wipes and cost me $34 plus postage so around $1 per wipe and as you would need a few to do a swim-suited body this could get expensive!

As for the product, I found the wipes quite dry which made me wonder just how much sunscreen they had on them. Also as there was no guide on the pack as to how much cream the wipe contained I had to guess which made me a little uncomfortable.

As far as the wet stuff  on the wipe goes I did feel like I had rubbed something on as my skin was a little sticky but not as white or cloggy feeling as you get with some sunscreens.  The product doesn’t have much of a smell due to the brand steering away from fragrances to make the product more eco and body-friendly. I like that fact as fragrance + sun + sensitive skin can spell trouble for some people, me included.

When it comes to the science,  the guys at Supergoop have gone for an ‘as natural as practical’ approach which also includes preservatives and skin-friendly antioxidant actives.  They have used a blend of chemical and physical sun screen actives (octocrylene, Octinoxoate, zinc oxide and ensulizole) to get up to SPF 30 which is fairly typical of a main stream brand but the fact that their actives total 24% and the SPF is only claiming 30 plus is either a) a regulatory thing (that is the max you can claim in Australia)  or a case of inefficient formulating.   This type of blend  should be able to reach SPF 31 or so with around 15-18% filters – better filter efficiency = less chance of skin irritation and problem.  One slightly weird thing to my mind is the way that the thickener / structurizing agent appears first on the ingredients list followed by AMP which is usually used to neutralise thickener resins at low-level.  Another weird thing is the way the water is the last ingredient on the list,  actually the whole way the ingredients list is put together looks a little weird…….

Branding wise I think that these guys have got it right. The packaging, colouring and logo look fun and encourage brand participation.  Their website and blog are also quite nicely done and the brand has an endorsement from the American Academy of Dermatology for excellence in sun safety education and a healthy child healthy world partnership which is interesting.  What is also interesting is this brands love of EU legislation even though they are based in the USA.  I did wonder about that…

To sum up I was a little disappointed by my first try at sunscreen wipes and that was mainly because I didn’t get the feeling that enough was going on to protect me. However, a simple test in a sunscreen lab would help give me the evidence that I would need to feel comfortable.  In every other aspect from packaging, branding and basic formulation the product looks good so I may give this another try but then again I may stick to an Aussie made brand…..

Ingredients:

Acrylates/ C12-22 Alkyl Methacrylate copolymer (structurising agent and waterproofer),  Aminomethyl Propanol (resin neutraliser), Ascorbyl Palmitate (vitamin C), Behenyl Alcohol (emollient and emulsifier),  C14-22 Alcohols (emollients), C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate (sunscreen solubilising active), C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside (emulsifier), Green tea extract, white tea, caprylic capric triglyceride (sunscreen solubilising active), cetyl alcohol (emollient), Diethylhexyl 2-6-napthalate (sunscreen stabiliser), Disodium EDTA (chelating agent), Ethylhexylglycerine (preservative), Glyceryl Stearate (emulsifier), Sunflower oil, Homosalate (sunscreen), Inulin Lauryl Carbamate (emulsion stabiliser), lactic acid (pH adjustment), Phenoxyethanol (preservative), Stearic Acid (emulsifier agent – can be used with AMP), Styrene/ acrylates copolymer (sunscreen booster), Vitamin E. Water

Take Care!

PS:  I don’t know the supergoop guys and bought my sample from an online store. This is an independent opinion piece and should be treated as such. Thank you.