I may get jumped: I hate sunscreen
According to doctors everyone should wear sunscreen, that includes broad spectrum SPF 30 or higher; SPF 50 or higher for a day outdoors. Every day, 30 minutes before going outdoors and reapply every two hours. As someone who has a 3 step skin routine, to be frank, I’m not doing all that shit. The goal of sunscreen is to prevent skin cancer and sun damage and if you wear it, you reduce your risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma by about 40 percent, and lower your melanoma risk by 50 percent.
I would like to thank:
Franz Greiter (1938): A Swiss chemist who developed the first modern sunscreen, known as "Gletscher Crème," after experiencing a severe sunburn while mountain climbing.
Eugene Schueller (1936):
The founder of L'Oreal, who developed the first commercially available sunscreen containing benzyl salicylate.
Benjamin Green (1944):
An American pharmacist who invented a sunscreen for the US military during World War II, known as "Red Vet Pet."
Moving on, I have eczema, sensitive skin and I bruise easily, one bite from any insect Noah put on that damn boat and boom, there’s a wicked reaction minutes later. I was 23 years old when I tried my very first two sunscreens, yes, that means I went most of my life not wearing sunscreen. Most of the women in my family don’t wear sunscreen and they look great. Simply put, my skin hates sunscreen. There’s nothing I can do about it, when I apply it I break out or there’s this thick greasy cast/film on my face that freaks me out. I don’t like when I can feel any product I put on my skin if that makes sense. I’m a lightweight addict lol. Even when it comes to my moisturizers I always pick lightweight formulas. I’m not a fan of slugging via Vaseline and Aquaphor unless I plan on traveling to a place where it’s freezing cold. My skin has forced me to become “less is more” and I’m not mad about it.
I loved this sunscreen. I was wearing it before their scandal hit the media, it was lightweight, didn’t cause me to breakout and affordable. Of course once it hit the news that PURITO was found to have significantly lower SPF protection than advertised, leading to a public backlash and product recalls. I gave it to my sister who’s in middle school versus throwing it away lol. I don’t waste money.
Now back to what inspired me to write this post… I believe there’s a lot of fear in the skincare industry in general. Let the fear be aligned and rooted from a genuine place, not the fear of aging and what Hollywood reps will think about you. Again, it all comes down to “who wouldn’t want to feel and look their best?”. Brands spend millions in marketing while leaving out the story behind the product and the goals, EVEN if they provide a backstory it still comes off gimmicky. I LOVE when brands are authentic and offer multiple BTS footage of the creative process to take us along the journey. Brands are in the business of making money and having a large audience. The game is the game. Not hating, not mad.
My debate is: if America prioritize health over greed a lot people wouldn’t experience skin problems and sun burns. I’m a firm believer you are what you eat. With everyone having different skin I understand the need of multiple skincare formulations, we must admit there’s too many pointless skincare brands, every time I open my phone, there’s another article about celebrity skincare brands, flooding my timeline. I, like the rest of you get curious, enjoy research, marketing and design of the products BUT everyone is copying and using the same ole skincare ingredients lineup. I’m so tired of hearing about niacinamide and snail mucin, they both have broke me out. I just found a vitamin C that doesn’t break me out or cause redness.
Unpopular opinion: I don’t care for my sister Rihanna skincare brand because there’s fragrance in most of her products. I hate fragrance in skincare products I think it’s unnecessary, some people enjoy it and that’s fine. If she were to add more of her Barbadian culture into her skincare brand without the fragrance and really formulate (outside of the Barbados Cherry) something we haven’t seen before then I’ll invest into her vision. For now, I’ll just invest in her chapsticks and lipglosses.
The fear mongering with sunscreen is almost comical, every time and I mean every single time I’m around women and I admit I don’t wear it they all side eye me like I took their man. Baby, if you want to wear sunscreen, do it, I want you to be happy lmao. My theory is: The more you go outside and soak under the sun the more your body will produce pigment, If I put on sunscreen I feel like I’m blocking the very thing that’s keeping me and the rest of the world alive which is the SUN! Hello, doctors always say how much time we should spend outdoors but try to scare us at the same time. We don’t live in a society that allows us to build a natural defense against anything, our mothers push us out their wombs and we end up in a dehumanizing corporate 9-5 desk job that can discard us at any moment. Where’s the immunity in that? Society keeps finding unlawful ways to strip us from what we need and disguise, repackage it under “Sunscreen”, “Diet pills” and the illusion of freedom via technology.
What’s ironic about anything doctors invent, just like vaccines you can protect your newborn baby but that doesn’t mean they won’t develop an illness later on. Genetics are unruly, they will lie dormant for years and then one day at 45 years old you can be diagnosed with something. You did everything right, ate healthy, exercise, spent time with family and friends and vacation here to there. So why obsessed over “perfecting” your life when none of us are invincible?
I’m a woman of my word, I found the photos of when I lived in Albania.
Thank you for reading Banana Delivery! If you have sunscreen brands you think I may enjoy please comment below. I know I said I hate sunscreen lmao, I’m always willing to learn and who knows maybe one day I’ll change my mind ;)
Good God, you're gorgeous. I love this! I was sitting outside on my patio bird watching and journaling and having a good time and before I left to do that, I put on a little bit of sunscreen. The irony is that it's called Banana Boat LOL. I definitely understand the scared tactic that you're talking about, like I didn't really want to, but I did anyway...because "just to be sure...right?" , wonderful read. And I know I keep commenting oh my god, you're beautiful.Oh my god, you're beautiful, but girl!! The tan snapped. I love your humor. Keep being awesome❤️😌. Les is definitely more. I struggled with acne a wholeee lot...and I relate. If you need any help with that Panoxyl is the way to go. It's a cleanser, and the only thing i use. and it's not like cast-y or will leave you ghost white.
Corey… Well done for speaking up about this as I’ve heard of many sunscreens doing the exact opposite of what they’re meant to do & it often wrecks the wearer’s skin. By the way… Beautiful photos you attached with this post I must say 👍😌📸🌅. Take care & stay safe… Best wishes & much love.., From Australia 🇦🇺❤️🫶🇦🇺