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Rocky Mountain Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 70

rated 4.5 of 5 stars
photo: Rocky Mountain Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 70 sun protection

Sun protection that keeps you from getting fried and that truly does not wash or sweat off. Broad spectrum, doesn't irritate skin (hypoallergenic). It isn't greasy or sticky and has no odor. Wish it were more readily available.

Pros

  • Lotion isn't sticky, greasy, smelly
  • Does not sweat or wash off
  • Blocks a broad range of harmful rays

Cons

  • Not in wide distribution
  • Chemicals rather than all-natural/mineral, if that is a concern

UPDATE July 2018:

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I still regularly use Rocky Mountain Sunscreen. They no longer sell SPF 70; we get a quart pump bottle of SPF 50, and that lasts about two years for our family. Active ingredients are avobenzone, homosalate, and octocrylene. [note that oxybenzone are no longer on the menu—it is regarded among those who care as a potentially bad chemical to apply to one's skin, though I don't think there is adequate research to definitively draw that conclusion]. So, it doesn't include the chemical that is drawing the most suspicion, and literature I have read suggests that these chemicals carry a low to moderate risk of being endocrine disruptors.

If any of this makes you nervous, there are some good and more natural options, which have their own upsides and downsides.

This remains the best sunscreen I have used to avoid a sunburn for extensive time outside. it applies easily, survives surf and sweat well, and most importantly, serves as an extremely effective UVA/UVB sunblock. 

Better yet, the price has reduced to $42 per quart!

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I found and purchased this after some bad experiences with sunscreen last summer and winter. I admittedly sweat a ton when I'm hiking, cycling, or otherwise working hard. Most sunscreens I have used just don't prove to be truly sweat-proof or waterproof. A number of sunscreens smell bad. I was looking for something I could put on, forget about, and not worry about getting burned, period, so long as I observe reasonable precautions.  

i like this because it works. The lotion has an odd consistency but applies without leaving residue. It doesn't leave my skin feeling slick/greasy or tacky. It does not wash off easily in water or sweat off, and I have not gotten it washing into my eyes—my prior "sweatproof" sunblock of choice didn't always prove to be sweatproof. In fact, it takes a little scrubbing to remove it. It has no odor, unlike both of my previous go-to sunblock options. I have been using it consistently for a few months and have not gotten a sunburn yet, despite many, many hours out in the sun.  

Downsides—I had to order this online; no one sells it locally on the East Coast that I could find. On the plus side of that, though, I purchased a big size, a quart with a pump on top, and I pump the stuff into a small container we got at the drugstore that's more portable than a large bottle.  

I'm not sure what SPF 70 means or how it's distinguishable from SPF 30. Once i'm at 30 or more, I figure it's going to keep me from getting burned. I think the FDA is changing labeling requirements that will hopefully introduce some logic to sunscreens.  

If you insist on sunscreen that doesn't use chemicals, that relies only on natural ingredients and minerals, this isn't for you. Active ingredients are avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene, oxybenzone. I don't have particularly sensitive skin or allergies, but my daughter has sensitive skin that gets a rash easily. So far, this stuff hasn't caused any reactions.

Basic rules of the road apply to this as well as any other sunscreen. Apply it at least 15 minutes before you head outside and before you are sweating. I reapply after about an hour and a half if I'm in the water, about half-day if i'm just sweating hard.  Even if i'm wearing sunscreen, I usually wear a hat for further protection.

Source: bought it new
Price Paid: $55 for a quart

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