Review | Garnier Ombrelle SPF 60

To me, summer always reminds me of coconuts. That's what sunscreen always used to smell like.

Now, I favour sunscreen that provides me ample sun protection.

Ombrelle is one of my new favourite sunscreens. It would be nice if it could smell like coconuts, though.

What is it:

A chemical sunscreen for the body. Part of the Ombrelle line of sunscreens.

Packaging:

To be honest, when it comes to sun care, packaging ranks pretty low on my list.

I care more about whether the product works, than anything else. Whether I'll burn, whether it'll help prevent wrinkles – that sort of thing.

I do appreciate that the bottle comes in a pretty generous size. I can take this on, maybe, five beach days! Or a whole tropical vacation.

I like that it's easy to squeeze and that the cover protects the nozzle (and the sunscreen) from dirt, sand and bugs.

First impressions:

As far as consistency goes, it's a bit like the face cream I reviewed a while back – light and moisturizing.

I had to rub it in quite a lot, but I felt the protection I got was more than adequate.

Takeaway:

In Canada, I love that not only does this have a seal from the Canadian Association of Dermatologists, but it also has a DIN (drug identification number).

The DIN really only affects Canadians and means the sunscreen is approved for sale and use by Health Canada.

There are only two things that I don't enjoy about this sunscreen are pretty major.

Applying this sunscreen can leave me pretty greasy and shiny for a while.

The other issue is that I sweat a lot when I use this. Most of the time, I sweat right after application. I head outside and maybe, for the first 20 minutes, I sweat. Just doing nothing. After those 20 minutes outside, I reapply and I'm fine for the rest of the day. It's weird and maybe this is a reaction that is just unique to me.

Despite those issues, I do like this sunscreen. It's pretty moisturizing. In my experience, I've found some sunscreens to be a bit drying. Not so with this.

I like that I never break out with this sunscreen, despite all the sweating I do. Which is weird, but I'm not complaining.

I even like the white cast it leaves because, at least for me, it's a visual reminder of where I've applied and where I have yet to apply sunscreen.

I haven't gotten sunburned using this sunscreen, which is the most obvious and compelling reason to buy a sunscreen. I don't even have much of a tan to speak of since I've used this. Odd, because I've spent way more time outside in the sun than most summers I can remember.

Would I repurchase?

Yes.

Garnier Ombrelle SPF 60 can be found online and on the shelves at London Drugs, Loblaws and Shoppers Drug Mart.