Quick Summary:
Date Tested: 07/26/2022
The Hawaiian Tropic Sheer Touch SPF 15 sunscreen lotion is one of those sunscreen brands you see all over the place at convenience stores near the beach. It’s obviously marketed towards tourists on vacation who need a sunscreen because they forgot to pack one and want to go full HAM vacay mode. If I was in Hawaii (and didn’t test sunscreen), I would probably buy it just because the bottle looks so fun and vacation-ee-ey.
The bottle looks largish and seems like a decent value in terms of perceived cost/volume amount of sunscreen lotion when browsing the store shelves, and the Hawaiian tropic name conjures up vivid mental images of sandcastles and large green leaves. Both very effective marketing techniques. This is why when I obtained a sample of this brand sunscreen lotion I was so interested in the products effectiveness as a UV blocking lotion.
The Hawaiian Tropic Sheer Touch SPF 15 is a chemical based sunscreen with a very typical cocktail of the three widely used chemical UV filters of Avobenzone (0.9%), Octocrylene (3%), and Oxybenzone (3%). The content percentage of the active ingredients are lower than that typically used which is probably why this sunscreen has such a low SPF rating.
The results turned out to be what I would assume would be normal for an SPF 15 (I don’t really know what the aim is for an SPF 15 honestly). The Hawaiian Tropic Sheer Touch SPF 15 reduced UVI by 53.97%, UVA by 54.36%, and UVB by 48.10%.
This brings up the question of why there even is an SPF 15. I suppose people may want to get a tan and not get a sunburn at the same time and would deliberately select such a low SPF rating. So I guess in terms of the specific “I want a tan” use-case scenario this low SPF lotion makes sense. *Hamster wheel still turning* – how come there is no mention of it being used for that purpose on the bottle then? Wait…is that what they are insinuating when they include the phrase “ultra radiant” on the package (*brain flashback to the movie Cocoon)?
I sometimes think I will never understand cool marketing methods. Maybe that’s why I’m just a stay at home dad.
Hawaiian Tropic Sheer Touch SPF 15 ingredients
Active ingredients: Avobenzone (0.9%), Octocrylene (3%), Oxybenzone (3%)
Inactive Ingredients:
Water, Diisopropyl Adipate, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Acrylates/C12-22 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer, Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A), Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), PEG-8 Dimethicone, Sodium Propoxyhydroxypropyl Thiosulfate Silica, Octyldodecanol, Silica, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Fruit Extract, Plumeria Acutifolia (Plumeria) Flower Extract, Colocasia Antiquorum Root Extract, Psidium Guajava (Guava) Fruit Extract, Passiflora Incarnata (Passionflower) Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Phenoxyethanol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Hydrated Silica, Sodium Polyacrylate, Benzyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Dimethicone, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Fragrance.
Manufacturers Website: www.hawaiiantropic.com
The Hawaiian Tropic Sheer Touch SPF15 characteristics at a glance:
- Ultra Radiance formula leaves skin luminous
- Oil-free for a non-greasy look and feel
- Contains Vitamins C & E to condition skin
- Water resistant – for up to 80 minutes
- Iconic Hawaiian Tropic® Scent – this tropical scented sunscreen celebrates the island botanicals of Hawaii
- Does not contain oxybenzone or octinoxate
- PETA-certified Cruelty-free – we never test on animals
- Broad Spectrum UVA and UVB Protection
- Available in SPF 15, 30, and 50 for the protection level you want
- Viscosity is good.
Prepared slide ready for testing
The Sheer Touch SPF 15 felt thin, but it actually offered decent coverage. If you look at the prepared slide sample, you do see a much thinner center area which corresponds to the runnier/thinner viscosity. Besides that shortcoming (or maybe that’s what you want for this low SPF rating), the consistency and even distribution looks quite good.
Below are the results from 2 hours of testing in my UV testing station.
Hawaiian Tropic Sheer Touch SPF 15 UV blocking test results
Ultraviolet light quick reference:
UVA: The Ultraviolet wavelength from 315nm – 400nm. The “Aging UV light” – Causes wrinkles.
UVB: The Ultraviolet wavelength from 280nm – 315nm. The “Bad UV light” – Causes skin cancer.
UVI: The global sun UV index. The more a sunscreen can reduce the level of UVI, the better.
UV test results:
Ultraviolet sensor readings:
| Before Sunscreen | After Sunscreen | % UV Blocked | |
| TEMP | 88.55 | 89.6 | |
| UVA | 23300 | 10634 | 54.36% |
| UVB | 1174 | 609.2 | 48.10% |
| UVI | 13.665 | 6.29 | 53.97% |
Want to know more about how I test sunscreen? Head here to read about the details.
Testing notes:
Would I use an SPF 15? No. Would someone who wants a little “ultra radiance” on their skin use an SPF 15? I think it’s very possible. Now with that said I am not really sure how to approach the recommendation of this particular sunscreen lotion. On one hand, it is a low SPF and only blocks about half of all given UVA and UVB irradiance so I would not recommend it if you wanted strong UV protection. On the other hand, if you wanted a little “ultra radiance” from deliberately aging and harming your skin with the suns UV rays (because tan), then yes, this product would certainly work out.
Want to try the Hawaiian Tropic Sheer Touch SPF 15 sunscreen lotion?
Not sure how to recommend this. Possibly good for tanning, but bad for sun protection.
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