Solmates & Tested Sunscreens

We always wanted our Solmate applicator to be sunscreen-agnostic because it meant that it would fit easily into your current lifestyle, routine and work with your choices.  Easy means buying your favourite sunscreen in bulk,  filling and refilling your Solmate and no longer needing the small single use bottles!  Winner! 

We get a lot of questions about what type of sunscreens work in our Solmates. Let’s be honest,  you don't want to buy a Solmate only to find your favourite sunscreen doesn’t work in it!

We designed the applicator to work with as many sunscreens as possible. However the reality is that there is a vast range of sunscreens on the market and consistency can vary widely so some will work better than others!

So we’ve  pulled together a summary of the sunscreens we have tested to date. Of course, this list isn’t exhaustive, and we will continue to add to it.  Please note:  we’ve prioritised testing sunscreens that you can buy in larger bottles and have an SPF of at least 30. (The lists are in alphabetical order and do not represent ranking in order of preference or performance.) 

Key Things To Know First

1. Solmates work best with creams and lotion-based sunscreens.

2. This includes mineral (zinc-based) sunscreens although the very thick ones may be more of a challenge. We have some tips below on how to alleviate this.

3. Solmates DO NOT work well with liquid spray and very thin/runny sunscreens - our seals and the gap around the ball is designed for a slightly thicker consistency cream so you may see some leakage with very thin or liquid sunscreens.

4. When sunscreens get hot they can change consistency and become very liquidy and runny.  This may cause some temporary leakage in certain circumstances until the sunscreen returns to its original consistency.  Please note: Sunscreens should be kept as cool as possible as exposure to high temperatures can also affect their efficacy. 

Mineral Sunscreens that love Solmates

We know many  of you love mineral (zinc-based) sunscreens and we get a lot of questions about Solmates compatibility with them. The zinc-based sunscreens we’ve tested that work in our Solmates are:

Brand	Type
Banana Boat	Baby Zinc
Bondi Sands	Mineral Zinc
Cancer Council	Kids & Zinc
Ethical Zinc	Natural Clear Zinc
Hawaiian Tropic	Silk Hydration Mineral Zinc
Invisible Zinc	Face and Body
Key Sun	Clear Zinke
Little Urchin	Natural Clear Zinc
Mother	Natural
Neutrogena	Sheer Zinc Dry Touch
Sun Bum	Mineral Zinc
Wot Not	Natural Sunscreen Clear Matte, Sensitive Skin

 

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

 

Tips for Zinc-based or Thicker Sunscreen

1. We suggest keeping the Solmate upside down (or turning upside down before usage) so that the sunscreen falls on the ball.

2. Keep the Solmate quite full so there is always sunscreen on the roller ball end. 

3. Some customers have given feedback that mixing a tiny amount of liquid coconut oil with their zinc sunscreens helps the sunscreen fall better on the roller ball - please take precautions however if you choose to alter the makeup of a sunscreen.

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
Coles	Ultra Sunscreen
Dermaveen	Sensitive Sun
Goat	Sunscreen Dry Touch
Hamilton	Sensitive, Active Family
Hawaiian Tropic	Silk Hydration
La Roche Posay	Anthelios Wet Skin
Le Tan	Coconut, Watermelon
Mecca Cosmetica	To Save Body
Neutrogena	Beach Defence
Nivea Sun	Sensitive Protect
Standard Procedure	Original
Sun Bum	Original
Ultra Violette	Extreme Screen
We are Feel Good	Signature, Coconut, Kakadu Plum, Sensitive, Wild Rosella
Woolworths	Everyday Lotion

 

Chemical Sunscreens that may have a tricky Solmates relationship

There are a few runny / thin consistency sunscreens that work well with our Solmates, however as our seals and gap around the ball are built for a slightly thicker consistency sunscreen, you may experience leakage in certain circumstances with the following sunscreens so please take care:  

Brand	Type
Nivea Sun	Protect & Moisture
Ego	Sunsense
Natio sun	Quick Dry

 

We hope this helps! Please drop us a line at hello@solmates.com.au if your favourite sunscreen is not on the lists here and we will make sure we test it.