Solmates and Your Sunscreen

We’ve always aimed for our Solmate applicator to be sunscreen-agnostic, seamlessly integrating into your lifestyle and preferences. This means you can easily incorporate your favorite sunscreen into your routine by purchasing it in bulk, filling and refilling your Solmate, eliminating the need for small, single-use bottles – a definite win!

 

We receive numerous inquiries about which sunscreens are compatible with our Solmates. After all, no one wants to invest in a Solmate only to discover their preferred sunscreen doesn’t work with it!

 

While we’ve designed the applicator to accommodate a wide range of sunscreens, it’s essential to acknowledge the variability in formulations across the market. As a result, some sunscreens may perform better than others in our Solmates.

 

To address this, we’ve compiled a summary of the sunscreens we’ve tested thus far. While this list isn’t exhaustive, we’ve prioritized testing sunscreens available in larger bottles with an SPF of at least 30. We’ll continue to expand this list as we conduct more tests.

 

Important Considerations:

1. Solmates are most effective when used with cream and lotion-based sunscreens.
2. This also applies to mineral (zinc-based) sunscreens, although extremely thick formulations may pose a slight challenge. Below, we offer some suggestions on how to address this issue.
3. It’s crucial to note that Solmates are not suitable for use with liquid spray or very thin/runny sunscreens. Our seals and the gap around the ball are specifically designed to accommodate a slightly thicker cream consistency. Therefore, you may experience some leakage with overly thin or liquid sunscreens.
4. When sunscreens are exposed to heat, they can undergo changes in consistency, becoming excessively liquid and runny. This may result in temporary leakage under certain conditions until the sunscreen returns to its original consistency. Please be aware that sunscreens should be stored in cool conditions whenever possible, as exposure to high temperatures can also impact their effectiveness.

Chemical Sunscreens that love Solmates

Examples of the chemical sunscreens we have tested and know work well are:

Brand	Type
Aldi	Ombra Sunscreen – all types
Banana Boat	All Lotion types (not spray)
Bondi Sands	Coconut Beach, Sport
Cancer Council	Kids, Active, Sport, Watersport, Everyday
Carroten	Everyday Lotion
Dermaveen	Sensitive Sun
Goat	Sunscreen Dry Touch
Hamilton	Sensitive, Active Family
La Roche Posay	Anthelios Wet Skin
Le Tan	Coconut, Watermelon
Mecca Cosmetica	To Save Body
Neutrogena	Beach Defence
Standard Procedure	Original
Sun Bum	Original
Ultra Violette	Extreme Screen
We are Feel Good	Signature, Coconut, Kakadu Plum, Sensitive, Wild Rosella
Woolworths	Everyday Lotion

Mineral  Sunscreens

We also know many  of you love mineral (zinc-based) sunscreens. The zinc-based sunscreens we’ve tested that work in our Solmates are:

Brand	Type
Bondi Sands	Mineral Zinc
Ethical Zinc	Natural Clear Zinc
Invisible Zinc	Face and Body
Key Sun	Clear Zinke
Little Urchin	Natural Clear Zinc
Mother	Natural
Sunbum	Mineral Zinc
Wot Not	Natural Sunscreen

 

Mineral Sunscreens that have a tricky Solmates relationship

Unfortunately some of the very thick mineral sunscreens / sun butters do not work well in our Solmates as the sunscreen tends to stick to the sides of the applicator and not fall well onto the roller ball.  

Examples of the sunscreens that don’t work well are:  

Brand	Type
MooGoo	Clear Zinc
Sunslayer	Natural
Surf Mud	Natural Zinc