Hot pink mess
Taming the UV rays
Thinking a lot about sunscreen lately. Despite my best intentions, most days I still end up a little burned. The freckles are attempting to merge but it’s a hot pink mess. I’ve run out of my Aussie sunscreen and the U.S. one I have is pretty lame. It’s zinc-based, sticky, and attracts bugs. Like, the bugs stick to my face. It’s unpleasant.
In Australia last summer we bought Aussie sunscreen because it’s supposed to be a better sunblock and it’s safe for the reef. Here in Europe they allow some of the products that Australia doesn’t, but many that we don’t have in the U.S. So there are more choices, and apparently, more effective sunscreens.
In the U.S., the active ingredients in sunscreen must be approved by the FDA (and classified as drugs) but in Europe, they are considered cosmetics and less tightly regulated. Which makes more sense to me.
“It goes back to sunscreens being classified as over-the-counter drugs,” said Carl D'Ruiz, a senior manager at DSM-Firmenich, a Switzerland-based maker of sunscreen chemicals. “It's really about giving the U.S. consumer something that the rest of the world has. People aren't dying from using sunscreen. They're dying from melanoma.”
Yesterday was foggy in the morning with a thick cloud cover so I felt cool all day. I applied sunscreen twice and still ended up quite pink by late afternoon. So I looked up the effect of cloud cover on UV rays—and found that cloud cover is essentially the same as SPF 2 sunscreen. Not enough for my melanin-challenged skin. And I don’t think this nasty U.S. zinc stuff is working very well.
So I’ve just purchased some Garnier Ambre Solaire for children (Garnier is a French company). It’s so smooth and non-sticky. Tomorrow will be the test, since it will be hot and sunny. I need the equivalent of a sticky note on my monitor that says: Reapply every TWO hours. Maybe an alert on my phone?
Thinking about sunscreen and protecting my skin is important. But especially after my most recent post on the priorities of my cycling life, I feel a bit, well, privileged. Isolationist, even. Ostrich-ish. Because, actually, the world looks like it’s going to hell. And here on this cool back deck of an Airbnb, with the ocean on the horizon and the sky a crystalline blue, I recognize that I’m in one of the few comfortable areas of the world. It’s not too hot, there are no storms, there are no bombs, no threats of kidnappings or assassinations. The people around me have access to health care. The president is a rational human being. I won’t go on.
Even from here, it’s overwhelming. But I’ll leave the political and social commentary to the many voices already speaking up. Right now, it’s time for me to contemplate white cliffs, flax fields, orange poppies, beaches, and sunscreen. And hopefully give my dear readers an opportunity to escape the madness for a few minutes.
I appreciate all your comments and likes so much—it’s wonderful to hear from you all. Thanks for all the support!
I'm glad you are out there doing a cool thing and not caught up in the 24/7 news cycle. It's fun to read and see your experiences. BTW, I'm also a light-skinned freckle person. My sister bought me some LaRoche-Posay sunscreen. When I was in Paris I saw a store with a long line of Asian women down the street waiting to go in. They were buying the sunscreen. That's not scientific so just sayin'.
Enjoy the privilege 😊where sunscreen 🩷