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Have you ever smelled a new beauty product and were immediately taken back to your favorite summer? That’s what Vacation by Poolside FM is trying to do every time you apply its SPF. Inspired by classic sunscreens of summers past, Vacation packages modern formulas that provide both optimal sun protection and skin benefits in distinguished vintage-looking branding, with delicious scents to boot. Now, before summer wraps up, the brand is putting out an SPF oil.
Vacation tells InStyle that over 1,700 waitlisted shoppers have patiently waited for the Chardonnay Oil SPF 30 to launch, and now it’s here. And it’s nothing like traditional tanning oils of the past: Aside from SPF, the formula incorporates chardonnay grape seed oil, which contains rich vitamin E that helps strengthen and moisturize the skin and delivers a shine that doesn’t leave you greasy. Jojoba and shea oils add an extra dose of moisture and leave skin soft and hydrated.
“I particularly like Vacation’s formula because it’s packed with some incredible skin-nourishing ingredients,” Dr. Elizabeth Hale, a board-certified dermatologist and Skin Cancer Foundation vice president, tells InStyle, adding, “The formula rubs in really quickly, feels incredibly light on the skin, and smells wonderful.”
Wondering if an oil protects the skin just like the white stuff? Dr. Hale reassures: “When used properly, an SPF oil works in the same way as a more traditional sunscreen to protect against sun damage and skin cancer.” The Chardonnay Oil offers broad-spectrum SPF 30, and Dr. Hale also notes that “the oil works well on all skin tones (unlike a zinc-based formula, which might leave a white cast).”
Vacation’s line of SPF products quickly became a favorite with shoppers after its debut earlier this year. “I love this stuff!” one shopper writes of the Classic Lotion. They continue to say that “until I discovered Vacation, Hawaiian Tropic was my go-to for their scent. But Vacation exceeds them by far, both in scent (which is similar, but better) and in quality.” The brand says that signature scent is a mix of classic sunscreen scents — “coconut, banana, pineapple, orange blossom” — and “unmistakable poolside aromas (pool water, pool toy, swimsuit lycra).”
“The smell is everything,” another shopper says of it. “It literally smells so incredible that I want it as my everyday moisturizer.” A different reviewer notes that “the scent takes me back to summer afternoons in the backyard with my Mom. I can’t wait to buy more Vacation products.” No wonder Vacation bills itself as making the “world’s best smelling sunscreen.”
Before you race to grab your SPF oil, Dr. Hale reminds you that “as a general rule, you should apply sunscreen in the morning and then re-apply it every two hours on sunny days, or when you’re spending a majority of your time outdoors.” Snag yours now for $22 on Vacation’s website before it sells out.