Review: Banana Boat Ultra Sport Sunscreen Stick Broad Spectrum SPF 50+

Ta-da! I have another sunscreen stick! This time, it’s not a physical sunscreen stick. It’s a chemical-based one from Banana Boat. It’s the Banana Boat Ultra Sport Sunscreen Stick Broad Spectrum SPF 50+! What caught my eye about this product is that it comes in a larger size. It’s 1.5 oz. My other sunscreen sticks (Blue Lizard, Cetaphil) are only 0.5 oz. each. They’re a bit more expensive too for the amount of product. I’ve been using Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen Stick Sensitive SPF 50+ on a daily basis, and I’m so close to being done with the whole stick! It hasn’t even been a month yet! It’s going down real quick. So, I think it’s time to venture out to other sunscreen sticks to see if they’re any good or not. Just because something costs more, doesn’t mean it’s better, right? This one could work just as well or even better. We’ll have to see! Here are my thoughts on Banana Boat Ultra Sport Sunscreen Stick Broad Spectrum SPF 50+!

My experience

The first thing I noticed about this sunscreen stick was that it was larger in size (1.5 oz.). I thought it was nice, since my other sunscreen sticks are much smaller in size (0.5 oz.). They seem to go down very fast, and I feel like…is it worth it? lol. Sunscreen gets really expensive over time too, since I use it more often compared to other skin care products I have. Especially with reapplication. So this sunscreen stick goes on the skin clear. There’s no white cast. There shouldn’t be a white cast. It’s a chemical based sunscreen. It contains 2.7% avobenzone, 9.0% homosalate, 4.5% octisalate, 9.0% octocrylene for UV protection. I don’t have any problems with chemical-based sunscreens. They seem to work a tad better for me compared to the physical-based ones. Physical sunscreens tend to dry my skin out most of the time and irritate my skin. Leaving my skin feeling itchy. I have to make sure I layer on moisturizer before using a physical-based one. Sometimes it dries out my skin regardless. But that’s just my skin…

The texture of this sunscreen is very soft and smooth. It glides on the skin effortlessly. It leaves the skin feeling a little sticky, but a lot of sunscreens do anyways. I think I’m pretty much used to that. I would put up with it if it’s working to protect my skin from skin damage and skin cancer. Since I don’t use this product on my face, I can’t say much about it clogging my pores. From my experience using it on my body, it feels like it would clog my pores, since the texture of the product feels dense and heavy. I don’t think it would work for my face due to how thick it feels (and it’s sticky). I don’t use sunscreen sticks on my face anyways, just my body. So the product itself is good. It works for what it is. My only issue is the cap of the product. There’s a clear lid inside of the cap. Product gets mushy around the lid, and it looks so messy. I just don’t like looking it, but that’s just me. haha. Also, with this sunscreen, make sure to twist the stick all the way down, so the cap can close properly. That gets annoying sometimes because even a little bit of the stick poking out prevents the cap from closing properly.

This is what the sunscreen stick looks like. Clean and new.

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

• Moisturizing
• Contains SPF 50+ (2.7% avobenzone, 9.0% homosalate, 4.5% octisalate, 9.0% octocrylene)
• 1.5 oz. sunscreen stick!
• Soft and smooth texture
• Glides on the skin easily and effortlessly
• Goes on clear, no white cast
• Water resistant (80 minutes)
• Reef friendly

❌ Cons

• Feels a bit sticky
• Annoying cap

Conclusion

This sunscreen stick wasn’t too bad. It’s different in texture when compared to my physical-based sunscreen sticks. It has a smoother feel to it when applied to the skin. It goes on clear and doesn’t leave a white cast behind. The final application is invisible. I don’t have to blend it into my skin too much. Saves more time since I don’t have to worry about a white cast. But I think I’m pretty neutral about this product. It’s not amazing, but it’s also not terrible. In a way, I do like my zinc-based sunscreen sticks. ha! This is a tough one. It all comes down to if you prefer chemical-based or physical-based sunscreens. The chemical ones are less expensive from my experience. They give you more product from what I’ve noticed too. Soooo I think I would purchase this one again if I ever run out of my physical-based ones. They all work the same to me, since I’m not using it on my face. It’s entirely based on which one you prefer. Taking out my preference for zinc-based sunscreen sticks, this one is good to go! It works like it’s supposed to, and it’s bigger and cheaper. lol. This is a good way to save a little bit of money. But overall, it works. It was nice to try out something new and different.

For more reviews on sunscreens go here.