Outdoor Workout SPF: SuperGoop Vs. SunBum Sunscreen (Part 1)

June 3, 2023 Ashley 0 Comments

Now that warm weather is finally here in Virginia, I’ve taken my exercise outside many days.

The only issue? Preserving my precious skin which now hisses and sizzles whenever it sees the sun. Anyone who knows me knows I love a good trail run. But I won’t hit the dirt without lubing up with a good amount of UV blocking goo. (No wrinkles for me, please.) Now, that’s easy enough when it comes to my limbs. I’ll just grab any old exercise friendly – AKA sweat resistant – stuff I can find off the shelf. The only caveat is that it needs to be SPF 30 or above (which many don’t know, but now ya do, thanks to me.) However, when it comes to the front of the head, nobody wants to look like they’re about to perform Kabuki theater with a face full of pastiness. That’s why they make special sunscreens for your mug.

And, seeing as Supergoop Glow has been trending, I figured I might give it a try:

(No association with G. Paltrow, btw…. )

Although I’ve seen this stuff circulating, my decision was made when I saw it on an actual friend.

Her skin looked absolutely luminescent.

“It’s all I’m wearing!” She said. “No need for makeup!”

When mine arrived (which I ordered before she could even finish her sentence), I greedily tore open the package, desperate for the treasures of glistening skin which lay within. Upon application, I can confirm there was a “glow”. And, indeed, it matched (my) flesh. (I don’t know how it looks on different skin tones, but would be interested to hear.) But, most importantly, when heading out for my WOD in the sun, this stuff was stellar. It stayed on nicely and didn’t sweat off. Same went for a day of farm work. (My ex is building a vineyard and I spent some time helping him with the labor – the less sexy part of winemaking – that entails.) When you’re out there, there is no beating the solar shower. Even so, after hours and hours in the sun (granted I did wear a hat and long sleeves), I still had no sign of burn. Caveat: the glisten, glow, and dewiness is all nice and cute, but I run oily, so I always dab a bit of loose powder over top of this stuff to set it in. That may just be a me thing, but I’m throwing it out there as an option for anyone who feels like it’s not staying put.

But was there a better, less pricey option?

After all, $38 is a bit much… Fast forward to about a week ago in CVS when I’m standing at the checkout with some human petri dish coughing all over me from behind. Passive aggressively, I turned to look behind me. (You know, one of those nice and slow dramatic turns, to really drive the point home that you can’t believe something so repulsive in human form could possibly exist.) But I didn’t even get the full 180 turn to see the phlegm gargling gargoyle perched behind me because something caught my eye. It was like Supergoop’s Glow, but larger and cheaper: Sunbum Glow Screen. For better than half the price.

Naturally, I grabbed it…

Keep reading here to see if Sunbum’s a better buy or if Supergoop is worth a week of Starbucks.

(Or, let’s be honest, more like three days…)