January 19, 2022

Bikinis at noon

New Zealand summer has been awesome, incredible weather that we all needed to set our regular schedule aside and just enjoy it. I hope you've got that perfect mix of family, friends, work, ocean, late evenings and cool mornings.  Even though up here in Northland, we are still in our own little space because of Auckland Covid RED :-), we're getting in our share of ocean time.  I call it BLUE time.

I've been dipping out to the Bay to play on our little sailboat.  I've gotten a reminder of the sun habits of all of us in the wild.  I saw hats, and shoulders covered... yes!

I also saw bikinis at noon :-(

At noon, in summer, the UV Index is Extreme- meaning a fair person can burn in 11 minutes. No sunscreen should be asked to take care of that much skin in that much UV. That's why the word "block" is no longer allowed in relation to sunscreen. There is no such things as blocking the sun. 

I've been learning alot about the UV index this summer through NIWA's site. Their work is extraordinary. In Auckland today, the UV Index is over 3 from 9am to 6pm- that's a whole lot of sun care in every day.

We've been hearing that you are VERY happy with Sun Balm. The reviews surely make us smile because through our product, we get to be out there with you!

I have yet to find a natural sunscreen as good as this one.

Love this sunscreen. 

I will not use any other sunscreen

Love the smell, I live in the tropics and find the sunscreen protects well.

And we've gotten a couple of comments that

The sunscreen IS expensive!

Yes, it is.

And it should probably be more expensive, but we want it to be available to anyone who values its performance. Over 15 years ago we made the decision to always offer fair price for the quality of the product, not sell you a luxury lifestyle product that amps up the price.

When we first gave our formulation to our lab to produce for us, they told us that our 80g tube should sell for at least $70.  We said, we're going to sell it under $40.

 

  • We're a small company, making each product a few thousand at a time, instead of hundreds of thousands like a corporate. 
  • We use real ingredients, not ingredients made in a chemical factory.
  • And, we test and test and test to make sure we've got you covered with performance, not only when the sunscreen is first made, but throughout the life of the product. We're so incredibly proud of and grateful for Sun Balm's performance.
  • Sun Balm has no water in it, so you can think of our 70g tin as being something along the lines of 100g of normal sunscreen.
  • It's precious, and we recommend using it where clothes cannot easily protect your skin.  Or the occasional splash out of using it on shoulders and arms because that sun dress is really what you need to wear. 

Not for bikinis at noon.... too much sun for summer! Save your Vitamin D capture for the earlier and later hours in each day.

Use Sun Balm for the really tough mission of protecting your face, lips, eyelids, ears, backs of hands and tops of feet. 

About the author

Becky Cashman

Founder and Product Maker ~ Goodbye NZ

Goodbye makes certified natural, water-free products that take care of skin outdoors. Established by Becky in 1999, the key message has been consistent from the beginning.  Outdoors is good. We belong outdoors. It's better outdoors. Being outdoors is self-care in it's most natural state.

Alongside this message of wellness outdoors is the ethos that we take care of what we love. When you are connected to your environment, you naturally take better care of it.

Becky is the product maker for Goodbye products, sometimes development takes years. As a former outdoor guide, she has remained focused on bringing performance and portability to genuine natural products.

Her products are a good reason to keep showing up to the conversation about a life lived better outdoors.

Join the neighborhood! There's a sign up at the bottom of this page.