Last Saturday morning I went to Disneyland in the early morning to take advantage of the last 8 AM opening day of the summer. Even though it was cloudy and foggy when I left the house I knew it was going to be sunny and warm that day so I wore a tank top and covered all of my exposed skin with Coola Sport Mineral Citrus Mimosa Sunscreen (SPF 35). I read about the Coola brand in a magazine and not only was it supposed to smell great, but its only active ingredients are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide (non-chemical sunblocks are good!). I couldn’t find a store anywhere nearby (or even sort of nearby)that sold it so I ordered a tube from the website (http://www.coolasuncare.com/) so I could give it a try. Like the Anthelios sunscreen that I wrote about in experiment #1 and experiment #5, this stuff isn’t cheap, but I’m willing to shell out a little more money for a top-notch product. So what’s the verdict? Well, the Coola Citrus Mimosa Sunscreen did indeed smell very good, not at all like sunscreen which is a plus, and it felt more like a lotion on my skin than a sunscreen except for the fact that my skin never really absorbed it. My arms felt tacky and a little gooey all day which was annoying at Disneyland. But I was out all morning in direct sunlight and I didn’t get even a hint of a tan so the mineral sunblocks did their job without making my skin look white or pasty. I appreciate that. I think this will be a good beach sunscreen for me. Too bad it’s so expensive and hard to find. That’s why I’m partial to Ocean Potion Clear Zinc Oxide Face Potion (SPF 45) – it’s cheap and available in every corner drug store. And it comes in little 1 oz jars so you know you’ve used enough sunscreen on your body only when the tub is empty! But if you’re looking for something that has no hint of an offensive sunscreen smell, definitely try the Coola Citrus Mimosa Sunscreen.

P.S. I intended to try another sunscreen over this holiday weekend, but it’s been hot in Los Angeles for the last week or so. Really hot. I might not have another experiment to share until after I get to Florida. Stay tuned!