If you grew up in the 80s, you may remember Zinka, the colored zinc oxide sunblock that lifeguards wore on their nose, and trendy teenagers wore on their faces. I loved Zinka cause it smelled like coconuts and I had this hot pink lip balm I used to wear to the beach. I can’t say I was bold enough to wear the colored sunblock on my nose, or under my eyes, but I still owned some that I would play around with. Imagine my delight when I saw Zinka was back in the stores (at a beach shop in Hawaii) 20 years later!!! I quickly grabbed their Colored Nosecoat in Pink, and it still has that famous coconut smell! Again, I haven’t worn it out yet to the beach, but maybe I will soon if I get brave… I should start the trend all over again!
Even though a lot of advances have been made in the world of sunblock in the past 20 years, I still think Zinc Oxide is best sunblock ingredient. Nowadays Zinc Oxide is micronized, so that it’s nearly invisible on the skin, and Zinka does have a new water-resistant sunblock that goes on clear. I haven’t tried it yet, but want to. However, their waterproof Colored Nosecoats (as seen in the picture) are not micronized, so they go on opaque. I am curious how much better that protects you than the clear Zinc Oxide, but I don’t think too many people want to walk around with a face full of pink or purple or green sunblock. For now, I guess the best solution is to use micronized Zinc Oxide, and let your kids learn the importance of sunblock by letting them play around with the colored versions. If I was a surfer or had to spend the day in the hot sun, I probably would be brave and slather on the hot pink Zinka!! Would you wear colored sunblock if it was the most effective sunblock available?
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August 31st, 2007 at 10:03 pm
I remember being at Sea World and begging my mom to let me wear bright blue sunblock on my face!! “Use the regular sunblock please” blah blah blah -lol-
I use sunblock all the time and so do my kids, I’m sure they’d love this stuff. I know I did when I was their age.
September 7th, 2007 at 10:37 am
anti aging products…
I have this fear of looking at anything that have wrinkles (like skin, prunes, etc.) thats why Im kind of obsessed in keeping my skin as young looking as it can be for my age. But I do it by exercising and getting into sports, I splurge on moisturizers…
September 9th, 2007 at 3:28 am
vitamin c skin care…
I use baby lotion and baby shower gel in the winter. I have had great success in limiting dry skin. I also avoid perfumes and perfumed lotions. For dry hands, try a paraffin wax dip!…
April 18th, 2009 at 9:04 am
Where can I find colored Zinka for my lips or similar colored zinc oxide products for lips? I’ve been looking for years.
June 4th, 2009 at 2:14 am
I loved this stuff as a kid, and living in Oz at the time we wore it all the time in tons of different coloured stripes and patterns on our faces!! Its excellent for mole coverage as its means that you can see when you need topping up! Brings back the best memories!!
August 17th, 2009 at 9:40 am
I too am looking for colored Zinka for my lips. Can you tell me where i can purchase it?
September 16th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
where can i buy Zinka colored zinc oxide
November 18th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
You can find Zinka at most all local surfshops! They also have their own website
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:37 pm
I thought micronized made it more of a problem for free radicals