THE PRODUCTS

This Test will look at six Dermatone products:

Four different sunscreens: Starting at the left in the photo, Sport Sunscreen Lotion, in SPF 30  and SPF 50 strengths, MSRP $16.99 and $18.99 respectively [all MSRPs are in US dollars]; and Mineral Sunscreen, in an SPF 30 Lotion [$22.99] and SPF 50 Stick [$9.99]. [SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor, an industry standard based upon the percentage of UV rays that will penetrate the treatment to the user's skin. The higher the SPF number, the greater the protection.]

Anti-Chafe Body Stick, $8.99

SPF 30 Mineral Lip Balm, in a cylindrical stick, $4.79

Each Sport Sunscreen Lotion is contained in a 3 fluid ounce/89 ml tube that measures 6 in/15 cm long; the Mineral Sunscreen is slightly smaller at 5.5 in/14 cm, with 2 fluid ounces/59 ml. Each Stick is 3 x 1.5 x 0.25 in/7 x 3.8 x 0.6 cm and contains 0.5 ounce/14 gram of product. The 2.6 in/6.6 cm Lip Balm cylinder contains 0.14 ounce/4.2 g of product

All items fit comfortably in an 8 x 5.8 in/20 x 15 cm fabric pouch with a zipper at the top, mostly webbing but a solid panel on one side with the manufacturer's name and logo.

Dermatone, website dermatone.com, is a Swedish manufacturer now in its fifth decade. On its website are offered five categories of products: skin protection, lip balms, sunscreens, mineral line, and hats and things. Each of the products in the kit furnished to me is available at the website; MSRPs listed above. Dermatone does offer certain product bundles, but at this writing the product mix I'll be testing is not available as a set. Adding up the MSRPs of the products yields $82.74 and doesn't include the pouch.

From many years of experience I can report that Dermatone products are widely available at sports shops, pharmacies, grocery stores, and other retail outlets in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Out of the box I have two immediate Likes about this bundle. The first is the pouch, which looks to be ideally sized for skin care stuff and, if I only pack one sunscreen, perhaps part of my toilet kit [toothbrush and toothpaste, pill box, topical antiseptic]. Second is the Anti-Chafe Body Stick. For some reason in the last couple of years I've had chafing problems when backpacking and have been looking for products pointed at protection rather than treatment. I find Dermatone's description - "formulated without active SPF ingredients for all the areas on the body where the sun don’t shine" - to be very promising. The Mineral Sunscreen Stick is also appealing because of its small size, nice for skiing when most skin is clothed and pocket storage is limited.

I am a fair-skinned former redhead who, on doctors' orders, is especially attentive to sun protection when hiking, fishing, snowshoeing, skiing, or just outdoors. While I've used various Dermatone products for many years, I cannot recall any in lotion form. I've been partial to sunscreen sprays for convenience, and because the ones I've used are less greasy in texture than lotions or creams - less messy in a pocket, less sticky on my skin. Dermatone advertises all three of the lotions it's provided as "nongreasy" yet "moisturizing."  I applied a dab of each of the Lotions in the comfort of my living room, and in that controlled environment the nongreasy description appears accurate. This will be a special focus of my field testing.

On the other hand, I've used Dermatone lip balms [the company offers several other varieties] regularly for decades, though more often in the small blue tins familiar to customers of ski hill shops. As with the Sunscreen Stick, I prefer the smaller size and easier, hands-free application of a stick.


I've used much of the test kit supplied, though much remains for outdoor activities in warmer temperatures. The only reason I haven't used more is that I haven't gotten outdoors as often as I would have liked. All results have been excellent.

FIELD CONDITIONS

After mild and relatively dry winter conditions through early March, the past six weeks have provided an inordinate amount of precipitation - two snowstorms each depositing more than a foot [30 cm] of snow, numerous snow flurries, several daylong rainstorms [a rarity in any season in the Northern Rockies], and an occasional squall of rain, snow, sleet, or some combination of the foregoing. The late downfalls, while welcome for reducing summer fire risk, have made hiking, snowshoeing, skiing, and fishing more adventuresome and the need for sun protection less urgent. On about twenty days of those activities temperatures ranged from 5-70 F [-14 to 21 C], with a few calm days, a couple of full-on gales, but mostly relatively mild winds. All use took place in Montana. All use was also limited to my face, lips, neck, and hands, as those were all that were exposed to the elements.

My standard operating procedure was to apply sunscreen and lip balm at the start of the outdoor activity. Twice - both fishing days - I dabbed on a second application of sunscreen midday, and I would reapply lip balm or sunscreen to my lips every couple of hours. On one warm fishing day and a sunny backcountry skiing day I applied the Anti-Chafe body stick in my groin area before leaving for the river or trailhead. 

Each outdoor day I selected one sunscreen and either the Mineral Lip Balm or Mineral Sunscreen Stick, sticking with the selected products all day.

PERFORMANCE

As noted in my Initial Report I'm unaccustomed to lotion sunscreens, and for about the first five minutes of each day when I applied one of the Dermatone lotions to my face I felt a bit greasy. That this sensation lasted only five minutes is substantially progress, which I attribute to the dry Rockies air, the colder temperatures, or some unique chemical compound in the products. I really didn't notice I was painted up. Both lip products felt somewhat gummy immediately after application or reapplication, but no more so than any other lip balm. All the products have a very mild vanilla smell, most pronounced on the Mineral lotion, that lingers for a quarter of an hour. This eliminated a second reason for my preference for sprays. Every other lotion I can recall left me smelling of coconut, pomegranate, or other noxious substance for most of the day, to the point that when the aroma faded I thought that the product's protective powers had vanished.

On none of the days that I lathered up did I return home with even a mild sunburn. That's abnormal for me. True, I only covered a small percentage of my body, but every sunny day included exposure to both direct and reflected rays. I have no complaints at all about these products' ability to block the gamma rays.

Two days of testing the Anti-Chafe stick obviously do not provide sufficient data for a fair evaluation of the product's functionality. I didn't have any chafe burns on a 70 F [21 C] fishing day that entailed considerable walking while wearing wool long johns and GORE-TEX waders, often a source of problems. I do plan to use the Anti-Chafe while hiking and backpacking after the mercury rises and hope that this stuff will work as well as the Dermatone sunscreens.

The testing season also didn't allow me to test whether the sunscreen retains its protective capabilities after a swim or other prolonged dunking. That has always been my acid test for sun protection, but my devotion to BackpackGearTest.org does not extend to polar bear swims.

I believe all products' sizes are well suited for me any time I'm carrying a pack. Each contains more than enough for a day's use and each fits easily into a hipbelt pocket on my daypack or backpack. And the pouch has been a very welcome addition, especially on day hikes and fishing trips. I include my selected sunscreen and lip balm, and there's room left over for some small first aid items [tweezers, bandages, antiseptic wipes] and a multitool. The pouch fits nicely in my fishing vest. If Dermatone makes the pouch available for purchase I might snag a couple more for assorted small stuff that can sometimes be hard to find when needed.

If I were asked to select a favorite product I'd select the Mineral Sunscreen Stick, particularly for winter use. Small in size, effective at blocking the harmful rays, not susceptible to a puncture, and suitable for both skin and lips, I can stash it in a trouser pocket or hipbelt pocket and have enough product to reapply whenever needed or desired. It's more difficult to apply to my face than a lotion; to get total coverage I need to scrape off a small amount into the palm of my left hand and rub it into a paste with my right thumb, then smear the paste into places difficult to reach with the stick - upper lip, ears, and nose. Very handy when only face and hands require protection. 

Overall I'm quite pleased with the Dermatone products and look forward to using them this summer.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

My sincere thanks to Dermatone and BackpackGearTest.org for this testing opportunity.