Unless your family summer plans involve hibernating in the local million-plex theater and surviving on popcorn and Twizzlers, you can be assured of one thing: There will be sun. Which means we mamas can’t leave home without packing plenty of sunscreen.
But since I am still skittish about putting anything white and liquidy in my checked baggage after the Great Moisturizer Explosion of ’94, I’m pleased to see that Doctor T’s SuperGoop! has created a new sunscreen application that should set my mind at ease: SuperGoop! Swipes.
Much like a package of diaper wipes, SuperGoop! Swipes are little towelettes that come loaded with SPF 30 for babies as young as a couple of months. I love how easy it is to get a baby covered with sunscreen without having to stop to pour another handful of goo into my palm.
Like our other favorite SuperGoop! products these new Swipes are paraben-free, water-resistant, and missing loads of those other chemicals that make me shudder, especially when it comes to stuff we put on our babies’ skin.
Of course even an SPF of 30 means there are limits to how long that fragile baby skin should see the sun, especially considering these wipes are better at blocking UVB than UVA rays. It’s definitely a balance, which is why we don’t recommend sunscreen as an alternative to a good sunhat or beach umbrella. A deep-tanned baby looked cute in that old Coppertone logo, but we all know better now. -Christina
You’ll find SuperGoop! Swipes, along with other great paraben free suncreens, on their website. And be sure to click over to PNMag’s Baby Buzz blog for a week’s worth of their own summer travel picks.
yes, they look awesome, and I would love something that was easy to apply on my squirmy toddler, but 34 FREAKING DOLLARS??? Are you joking me???
But these contain vitamin A, which is one of the no-no ingredients from the new sunscreen research! 🙁 Otherwise, they look awesome, though.
Hi Rebecca, We did compare the cost of the Swipes vs. the cost of Supergoop’s regular formula: if an adult is supposed to use 1 oz of lotion per application, you can assume a baby needs about half that much. So the 15oz bottle of Supergoop should make it through about 30 applications on a little one. The cost for 15 oz. is $44. . . so the Swipes, at 40 wipes for $34 are actually not a bad deal in comparison, though it obviously costs a lot more than drugstore sunscreen (the Swipes are about double the cost per use compared to the pink bottle drugstore brand). But, we think their ingredient list makes the cost worth it.
Amanda, I don’t see Vitamin A in the ingredients in the Swipes. . .I will check with the company for you.
Wow I’m so glad you featured this. The hot springs/spa I go to on a monthly basis just started carrying this line and I am eager to try it! Even thinking of using it on the super sensitive skin of my little munchkin.
Definitely pricey, Rebecca – as are all the great brands of sunscreen and the wipes we’ve found.
I’ve been using these with my kids, and while we don’t recommend them for days at the pool or the beach where kiddos would definitely need more coverage, they’re SO easy to use to just wipe them down when you know you’re going on an outdoor playdate, trip to the zoo, that sort of thing. I find that my kids are now almost always covered with something thanks to having them in my bag!
My kids (6, 3, and almost 2) ask for them in fact. They’re also great for faces! -Kristen
Hi Amanda, This is a note from SuperGoop! Thank you for asking…our sunscreen swipes are not formulated with vitamin A.
We are in the process of manufacturing our Everyday UV lotion without Vitamin A as well. The 1.6 oz size has already transitioned into the reformulation. By mid-July our 24 oz pumps our 3oz airless will be sans Vitamin A!
Well, that’s good to hear. They should know that the product image on their website clearly states “Very water resistant, with vitamins A, C, & E” right on the front of the package. You can easily see it by zooming in on the image… so they should probably update that ASAP if vitamin A really isn’t in the Swipes formula.
I’d personally be reluctant to buy a product that says right on the package that it contains vitamin A, even if the company says it’s not in the product.
I received a a sample of these swipes in my Nordstrom beauty gift last week and while I like the individually wrapped samples, this 40 pack would be much easier to pull from.
I definitely agree these are great and easy to reapply when you’re out during the day but (especially with kids) a good slathering of the supergoop lotion makes me feel better and I’ve never been scared about them being in sun too long.
I got these as an added bonus FREE with my sephora purchase. They are packed and ready for baby’s first trip to the beach this weekend.
Hi Amanda!
My name is Holly Thaggard. I am the founder/CEO of brand Supergoop!.
Thank you for pointing out that our product image (a mock-up that was done pre-production) has not been updated. The actual photograph of this product in our collection can be found at: https://www.supergoop.com/images/products/Swipes-high-res2.jpg
We have forwarded your reply to our ecommerce team so that our image will be updated to a live product shot.
I LOVE this brand of sunscreen!