Most Australians consciously slip, slop, slap – the message is loud and clear, there is a large variety of sunscreen that fills the shelves at your chemist and supermarket. For sports people, the oily sunscreen that runs into your eyes, makes you sweat too much and vanishes in sweat and water; its more of a burden than it should be – particularly for the performance orientated who want to focus on their goals.
Recognising these problems, Athlete and biochemist Dr. Nic Martens created SCAPE Athlete Sunblock. His aim was to develop a sunscreen that would address your needs as an athlete, regardless of how professional (or unprofessional) you are.
Scape have two times World Champion Ironman, Craig Alexander, onboard as a sponsored athlete. It is pretty easy to see why Craig endorses this product, it won’t run in your eyes plus all of the products in the Scape range are rated at SPF 50+ and contain vitamin E, aloe and antioxidants for extra moisturising.
The Scape range includes;
The Lip balm (vitamin E, aloe, antioxidants) which is perfect for windy days and it’s not shiny or glossy. It was created to protect your lips from the sun and wind. There is a slight note of lemon but it’s very subtle.
The SPF 50+ Sunblock lets the skin breath naturally so the core temperature of the body won’t rise, the theory being that you wouldn’t sweat more than you usually would without sunscreen. I can confirm this, I tested this product by doing interval sessions as hard as possible, the sunscreen felt barely there.
For wet and sweaty skin, the Face Stick is perfect for applying during transitions after the swim leg and before the run. The Face Stick has the same properties as the Lip balm and the Sunblock.
SCAPE is also available in a spray version, plus to keep your hands from getting sticky applying the sun block, there is also a foam applicator version.
I tried the sunscreen on a 10km run in Melbourne, and it doesn’t run when you sweat,. The formula has ‘engineered polymers’ which aim to bond to your skin for longer. So if you like to start your bike ride with a swim and follow that ride with a run, then this is the sunscreen you’ve been looking for.
The SCAPE products aren’t just about health, they are tailored to suit sports men and women who need performance. One of the great advantages is that in addition to protecting your skin against sun and fitting into your sports routine, the sun blocks and lip balm help keep your skin moisturised, so you have better skin and remain hydrated even longer.
For all you internet addicts out there, you can check out this product at scapelabs.com, it’s not available in Australia yet, but it is online!
UPDATE [March 2016] – Scape appears to have gone out of business.
