Effectiveness not most important to Amazon sunscreen reviewers

boing
21

No, but if consumers were better educated, buying the best and being impressed that it worked as well as the rating would win out over it being Paleo and specially formulated for Indigo Children.

22

Is there even strong evidence that “the best” always means SPF 40, for all people, of all colors, at all times of year?

Are we all supposed to be pasty-skinned, never letting sunlight touch our bodies, and only getting our vitamin D from pills?

If we allow that some people, in some climates, may be ok with SPF 15, shouldn’t they also be allowed to talk about whether it absorbs into their skin well, and whether it smells good?

I’m not saying the research was pointless, but it seemed to start from the assumption that talking about anything other than its medical qualities was the mark of an ignorant populace (“Paleo and specially formulated for Indigo Children”). Hey, if the stuff doesn’t smell good and leaves you with shiny white zinc oxide streaks, no one’s going to put it on, and that’s worse than it being a lower SPF.

23

Independent of false claims about rating, yes, sunblock is sunblock for all persons. It’s not like the sun’s rays are different depending on who you are.

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And that’s the point of the study. People don’t want what works, and they’ll happily pay for something ineffective.

25

What? Of course the sun’s rays are different from different people. Melanin has a huge effect on what the sun’s rays do to you.

If you are darker, you need less sun block. UV radiation does significantly less damage to black skin. (You can still get skin cancer if you’re black, but it’s generally from other causes beside’s UV damage.)

Similarly, the darker you are the less Vitamin D you make, and so many people with dark skin in climates further from the equator have Vitamin D deficiencies, and may make that even worse by applying a high-SPF sunblock.

SPF 20 is not ineffective if you have black skin and live in Canada. Vitamin D deficiencies are a problem, however. That’s the problem with this blanket assumption.

26

You’re welcome. It has no smell that I can detect, but then I’m not a bug! Actually I’ve had no problem with bugs, but my environment is suburb/small city, on walks, rather than say gardening or jungle.

27

You’re talking about NEED. The efficacy isn’t affected by biology.

I seriously don’t know what you think “black persons who don’t need sunscreen” have to do with this project.

28

SPF only refers to UVB, so SPF is not by itself a measure of screening effectiveness. The testing is done with live, human subjects; I do not know if FDA mandates any special racial mix in the test.

29

Note: I have received ten gallons of this product in exchange for my unbiased review.

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I don’t think they isolate for shills :stuck_out_tongue:

31

Having managed a rather large outdoor swimming pool for 10+ years during the very long Texas swim season, I too abhor greasy sunblocks wrt pools/swimming. Even when applied as directed (30 minutes in advance, let it “soak” into skin, then—at least at my pool—rinse the excess of in the outdoor shower area before entering the pool, lest the excess “rinse” into the pool water and into my aging, finicky pool filter), such sunblocks, noble as they are (don’t get me wrong, I love Badger brand for non-swimming outdoor sunblock)… well, they reliably clog pool filters. Then it’s a PITA for me to disassemble and clean, and recoat with filter media.*

So I beg beg beg our hundreds of pool members to buy one of these for each of their family members who swim. Some do. Wish I’d had these around when I was a kid.

https://www.rei.com/product/103659/roxy-whole-hearted-rashguard-womens

Positives:

  • No mysterious chemistry and worries about carcinogens or health negatives
  • Doesn’t wash off, rub off, sweat off, lose effectiveness in a hour
  • Works the instant you put it on
  • You never “run out” of product
  • Doesn’t make a big mess when you rupture the tube in the bottom of your swim tote
  • Very high SPF
  • Can be passed to other smaller family members reliably without diminished effectiveness

Search for “rash guard UPF shirt” or “swim shirt” etc.
Yeah, you still need to put sunblock on faces and necks. Life is not perfect. Or put a hat on (with a chinstrap if you’re in a place with a lot of wave action). I use an old gimme cap.

For my work at the pool, I have a few of these:
http://eu.patagonia.com/enLV/product/mens-long-sleeved-sol-patrol-shirt?p=54258-1
PATAGONIA MEN’S LONG-SLEEVED SOL PATROL™ SHIRT
This shirt has some ridiculously high UPF (50 or more) and I don’t look like a git when I need to run from the pool to the non-pool larger world for o-rings, chlorine, parts, popsicles, etc.

I spent a 12-hour span at Schlitterbahn in my Sol Patrol shirt with nary a burn, and I do burn in the vicious Texas summer sun when I’m outside for that long. Both my parents have had multiple and differing skin cancers, and it ain’t nothin’ to sneeze at. Btw that water park is just insane in the best possible way. Highly recommended if you are near one and have kids [who are capable of swimming well enough to not drown in a crowd].

Fully agree with @Wanderfound: slip slap slop.
Slip on a shirt (the right kind).
Slap on a hat (wide brimmed is best).
And yeah, if you must, slop on some sunblock.

I love the filter media for my pool, having been fascinated for years by these wee lifeforms:

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Disclosure: I am a member of the REI co-op. It makes sense for our fam both financially and because all their products are field-tested by staffers.

My neighbor did the “hike Machu Picchu” for her 60th birthday. She swore by these two things, and yes she’s an REI member as well, for full disclosure:

The sunscreen is “odorless” as far as her nose can discern, and it is rated for higher altitudes.

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33

If we agree that not all consumers need high-SPF sunblock, then we shouldn’t be calling those consumers stupid (or less “educated,” in your words) if they prefer a sunblock for a different metric than being high-SPF.

34

Persons are buying and happy with objectively less to ineffective sunscreens, I have zero issues with viewing this as willful ignorance.

Just as persons rate well other body products (anti aging serums) that do nothing, it doesn’t surprise me, but it is sad and points to the success of marketing for quackery.

35

Thanks for the tip on these. I’ll get some for my kids so they don’t get
toasted

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