By Cheryl Wischhover
As a young teen in the ‘80s, I used to lay out in the yard slathered with baby oil. (Laying Out ™ was a real activity: “What are your plans today?” “It’s supposed to be sunny, so I think I’m gonna lay out.”) It was a time when sunblock was heavy and smelled like chemicals, and you could easily find formulations with SPF 2 and 4, which are barely protective. (These days, dermatologists recommend you look for at least an SPF 30, with broad spectrum coverage.) But back then, Hawaiian Tropic Oil or Coppertone Suntan Lotion were the products of choice, at least for my white, suburban, Midwestern subset of peers.
In the ensuing years, we’ve learned a lot about how the sun can damage the skin, cause hyperpigmentation, and lead to skin cancer in people of all skin tones.
“We know that up to 90% of skin cancers are associated with unprotected sun exposure, but we also know that about 90% of the signs of premature skin aging are caused by overexposure or unprotected sun exposure,” says Dr. Elizabeth Hale, my NYC-based dermatologist. While your risk of melanoma and the damage that shows up on your face as wrinkles and dark spots now was likely a result of your sun exposure as a child, it’s not too late to adopt a sunscreen habit. She cites a 20-year longitudinal study in which “the people in the group that started wearing daily sunscreen, even later in life, had less skin cancers, less pre-cancers, less brown spots.”
As sunscreen use has become more normalized, you can find sunscreens with luxurious formulations and high SPF. But it’s still a hard sell for some people. At its core, sunscreen is a utilitarian product with no immediate visual impact on skin beautification. Prophylaxis is inherently not that fun.
But in June, an entrant appeared in the category that actually makes sunscreen seem… cool? Vacation Inc., a new sunscreen brand, started showing up all over social media, with imagery featuring French-cut swimsuits, big hair, and questionable aqua and pink fashion combos, in a meta piece of branding that seems like an old school Instagram filter but is actually a lot of real images from the ‘80s. The brand tracked down pictures on Facebook which people posted of themselves on beach vacations from the time, and actually paid them for the photos, which show up in various posts.
A post shared by Vacation® (@vacationinc)
In 2014, Vacation co-founder Marty Bell founded Poolside FM, now called Poolsuite, an internet “radio” service that offers beachy playlists with an ‘80s vibe. Vacation is an extension of the nostalgic world of Poolsuite, whose site looks very early-internet. But it’s an idealistic version of the decade.
“I’m living a lie with all this super Eighties imagery. I was not alive in the Eighties, much to my dismay,” says Bell, 30. He is Scottish and became enamored with the aesthetic of the decade of yuppies and Aquanet when he fell down a Tumblr rabbit hole and found similar enthusiasts. These youngs’ earnest appreciation of what is possibly the tackiest decade in several generations is a funny corrective to the sans serif/millennial pink Instagram aesthetic of recent history. The look of campy ‘80s beach films like The Flamingo Kid starring Matt Dillon and Private Resort starring Johnny Depp also inspired him. “I think about what a summer would have been like in 1986 with no phones, no emails, no social media. It’s just this perfect fantasy place in my head. There’s just something about it that resonates deeply with me — the imagery, the fonts, the color palettes, the hairdos, the fashion, everything about it.”
Bell partnered with co-founders Dakota Green and Lach Hall to launch the sunscreen brand, which will be sold online at first, then via boutique hotels and resorts before launching into retail. (Dr. Hale is the medical advisor for the brand.) Its SPF 30 creams are available in both chemical and mineral versions, as well as an oil. Its signature scent has been bottled as a perfume.
Vacation’s best attribute, besides its branding, is its scent. The founders wanted it to evoke the suntan lotions of yore while also being unique. So they tapped two renowned perfumers, one of whom is responsible for Clinique’s Happy, to create “the world’s best-smelling sunscreen.” The result is a combination of coconut, banana, “pool water,” and “swimsuit Lycra.” It really is the best I’ve ever smelled. It has an actual drydown, the phenomenon where a fragrance mellows and settles into its final form. It’s soft, sweet, beachy. (The mineral formulation is not fragranced because the brand wanted to offer a formula for people with fragrance sensitivities.) I’ve worn both formulas doing a variety of activities — beach laying, hiking, humid city walking. They hold up, feel hydrating without feeling too heavy, and most importantly, they protected me from getting more color. The mineral version, like many others, is thicker with a whitish cast that requires extra work to really rub in.
OTHER VERY GOOD SUNSCREENS:
There are a lot of controversies about whether mineral (usually containing zinc or titanium dioxide) or chemical sunscreens are better/safer. The answer is: whichever one you can tolerate or even enjoy wearing is better. (Please read Michelle Wong, over at Lab Muffin, for the absolute best writing on this topic.) I like to wear mineral formulas on my face, because they feel less greasy, and chemical ones on my body. “I personally think physical and chemical sunscreens are safe and effective and sometimes a combination might be best,” says Dr. Hale.
Elta MD UV Clear Broad Spectrum SPF 46 ($37): Hands down the best facial sunscreen I’ve ever tried, because it feels like nothing when applied. Great if you’re acne prone. I use it daily.
Unsun Mineral Tinted Face Sunscreen SPF 30 ($29): This tinted mineral formula is great for people with darker skin tones for whom traditional mineral sunscreens are too chalky and don’t blend well. It’s good as a primer too.
Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ ($15): This is a Japanese drugstore staple and favorite of skin care enthusiasts, in a beautiful light facial formulation that absorbs in beautifully. Not great for rigorous activity because it does sweat off. (Glossier’s Invisible Shield is a similar style if you’re nervous to or prefer not to order from Amazon.)
Anthelios SPF 60 Melt-In Sunscreen Milk ($35.99): The best for beach days. Light, protective, and feels like an elevated experience.
Neutrogena HydroBoost Water Gel Lotion Sunscreen SPF 50 ($11.10): Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost moisturizer line is a powerhouse seller for the brand, so the company incorporated the water gel consistency into a sunscreen which never feels greasy.=
Black Girl Sunscreen SPF 30 ($15.99): A workhorse daily sunscreen, created by a Black woman founder, specially formulated to hydrate and not leave a white cast on darker skin tones.
Supergoop Play Everyday Lotion SPF 50 ($32): Supergoop harnessed the power of skin care ingredients into its sunscreens long before everyone else caught on. It offers an array of formulations, but nothing beats the original, which you can even buy in a huge pump bottle.
Coppertone Sport Clear Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 ($7.99): My husband and I love this cooling, clear sunscreen on days when we have extreme outdoor activities planned, like hiking and biking.
Sun Bum Mineral Spray SPF 30 ($17.99): I love a spray for reapplication in high sun situations like the beach. This one is a nice layer to add on top of your base sunscreen a few hours in.
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