Reviews > Health & Safety > Sunscreens > KINeSYS Sunscreen Products > Lynne Durham > Initial Report

KINeSYS Performance Sunscreens

Initial Report
Lynne Durham
August 20, 2005

NAVIGATE THIS REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION

PRODUCT FEATURES

Reading the packages, the manufacturer’s Web site, and the 6-panel brochure that is enclosed with the product, the following information is determined. The product:

• offers broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection (the spray uses Parsol 1789; the cream, titanium dioxide)
• is appropriate for sensitive skin – oil-free, alcohol-free and PABA-free
• is water- and sweat-resistant
• is hypoallergenic and won’t block pores

All packages are labeled “fragrance free” except for the 4 oz cream and the stick. However, neither has any type of odor.

Return to top

INGREDIENT LISTS

I did not find a complete ingredient listing easily on the manufacturer’s Web site. This information is important to people with allergies or sensitivities, so I’m presenting it here.

Spray
Active ingredients: Octinoxate 7.5%, Octocrylene 7%, Octisalate 4%, Avobenzone (Parsol 1789) 2%
Inactive ingredients: Cyclomethicone, Octyl Palmitate, Dimethicone and Trimethylsiloxysilicate, PVC/Hexadecene Copolymer.

Cream
Active ingredients: Octinoxate 7.5%, Oxybenzone 6%, Titanium Dioxide 4% 
Inactive ingredients: Water, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Dimethicone and Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Cetyl Alcohol, PVP/ Hexadecene Copolymer, PEG-20 Glyceryl Stearate, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, DMDM Hydantoin, Ceteareth-12, DEA-Oleth-3 Phosphate, Triethanolamine, Carbomer 940.

Stick
Active ingredients: Octinoxate 7.5%, Octisalate 5%, Oxybenzone 4.5%, Titanium Dioxide 1%
Inactive ingredients: PPG Myristyl Ether Propinoate, Stearyl Alcohol, Pentaerythrityl, Tetracaprylate/Tetracaprate, C18-36 Acid Triglyceride, C10-30 Cholesterol/Lanosterol Esters, Synthetic Beeswax, Tribehenin.

Moisturizer
Active ingredients: Octinoxate 7.5%, Oxybenzone 4.0%, Avobenzone (Parsol 1789) 1.0%
Inactive ingredients: Water, Capric/Caprylic Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-20 Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Ceteareth12, DMDM Hydantoin, Carbomer, Methylparaben, Triethanolamine, Propylparaben.

Return to top

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

The first thing I did when I received all of the items is open the bottles and sniff. None of the items exhibits any type of odor whatsoever which amazes me – even “unscented” items tend to have a smell of sorts, but I detect none in any of these products.

It appears that the stick would be the most convenient (and lightest) to carry in a pack, but the manufacturer recommends the stick for use on lips, ears and face and I concur – it would take a long time to cover larger areas of the body using the smallish stick.

Reading the spray package I found that you don’t even have to rub the spray in – just spray on approximately 20 minutes prior to exposure. The manufacturer also recommends that you reapply every 2 hours and immediately after swimming or exercise.

I sprayed some spray on prior to my 6-mile, walking commute home from work. The spray is sort of “soft” feeling: slippery, light and pleasant. The spray dried quickly and there was no hint of greasiness. When I arrived home, I had no pinkness that would have indicated overexposure to the sun (the walk takes me just over 1 hour 20 minutes). The spray did not feel oily, sticky or uncomfortable in any way.

Return to top

TEST PLAN

Activities, locations and conditions
The sunscreen will see extensive usage during the testing period because I spend so much time outside. During this time period, I currently have planned a multi-day camping trip to central Kentucky in September. I will use the sunscreen during my October Grand Canyon rim-to-rim dayhike and during visits to Zion and Bryce. I’ll be doing a 28-mile dayhike in the Manistee National Forest in September. I may be doing a 30-hour adventure race in September, during which I will use the sunscreen. The sunscreen will be tested in a variety of conditions:

• Hot, humid conditions (high 80s F [30+ C])
• Rain, ranging from light mists to strong downpours; possible snowy conditions
• Cool-to-cold, late-fall to early-winter conditions
• Sandy beaches
• Lunch-time runs
• Long (28+ miles [45+ K]) dayhikes or trail runs in terrain ranging from wide-open meadow to well-shaded forest
• Four-hour trail maintenance trips
• Activity ranging from short bursts of intense anaerobic activity to hours-long stretches of moderate aerobic activity and hours-long stretches of easy aerobic activity

Questions to be answered
Function:

• How well does KINeSYS Spray-On Sunscreen prevent sunburn?
• Does it really adequately protect without me rubbing it in? Will I have a scattershot, spray-looking protected area, leaving me with a funky-looking tan or burn?
• The package says the product is non-comedogenic. Is this true or does it clog up my pores and cause me to break out after extended use?

Comfort:

• Does the spray cause any reaction on my skin?
• Does the sunscreen burn my eyes when it inevitably sweats into my eyes?

Durability:

• How often does the sunscreen need to be reapplied during sweaty activity? How about during non-sweaty activity?

THIS IS COOL

• The product is completely odorless
• The feeling is light and pleasant – not sticky at all
  

THIS COULD BE IMPROVED

• I haven’t discovered anything yet

TESTER BIO

Name: Lynne Durham
Gender: Female
Height:  5' 10" (1.78 m)
Weight: 153 lb (69 kg)
Age: 43
Email:  lynnedurham AT yahoo DOT com
Location:  Benton Harbor, Michigan, USA

Backpacking Experience
I have hiked and car camped all of my life, mostly in the relative flatlands of the lower and upper peninsulas of Michigan, but also in areas east of the Continental Divide, such as South Dakota, New England, Kentucky, Florida, Ohio, Indiana, and more. I have been backpacking since 2002. I put in extensive mileage dayhiking and trail running with a pack, as I train for ultramarathons and adventure racing events. I have competed in both sprint- and expedition-length adventure races and gone as far as the 50-mile distance in ultramarathoning. I have dayhiked from rim to rim in the Grand Canyon and will do so again in October.

I love to be outdoors and I am outside for a minimum of an hour daily each weekday, whether I am in the city, at the beach or in the woods. I also spend most of the weekend outdoors playing, either hiking, trail running, bicycling, backpacking, or paddling. Thus I use sunscreen extensively.

Thank you to KINeSYS and BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to test this sunscreen.

Return to top

Reviews > Health & Safety > Sunscreens > KINeSYS Sunscreen Products > Lynne Durham > Initial Report