I Tried Vacation’s Sold Out Classic Whip Sunscreen On My Sensitive Skin and the Results Were Surprisingly Good

• Value: 17/20
• Functionality: 19/20
• Ease of Use: 20/20
• Aesthetics: 20/20
• Effectiveness: 18/20

TOTAL: 94/100

When I was a kid, I had very little self-control around whipped cream. You could find me sneaking into the kitchen in the wee hours of the night, barefooted and bleary-eyed, opening the fridge ever-so-quietly to reach for the bright red canister of Reddi Wip. Or on occasion, when my family was feeling extra bougie, Cabot, with its cow print label. I’d knock off the cap and go to town, squirting the delightful stream of fluffy cream directly into my mouth. I had no shame. And honestly, I still don’t. (I always keep a can of it in my fridge.) So, when I came across Vacation’s Classic Whip, an indulgent sunscreen marketed as ‘dessert for your skin’ and sentimentally packaged in a whipped cream canister, I knew I had to try it for myself. 

Vacation, Inc.’s Classic Whip has been sold-out on their website for quite some time, and while you can sign up for restock notifications, you can also get the heavenly-scented sunscreen at Ulta Beauty right now.

Tested by dermatologists, reviewed by toxicologists and formulated with clean ingredients like coconut oil, aloe vera, banana extract, shea oil and vitamin E, Classic Whip already checks off a lot of boxes that I look for in sun protection. I want something that I can feel good about putting on my skin and know is vetted by trusted experts. But Classic Whip goes beyond the standard fare by ensuring that it’s Hawaii Reef Compliant Act 104, vegan, cruelty-free and made from sustainable packaging. Not to mention that it also smells *divine* (They formulated their sunscreen to have Vacation’s award-winning scent, which was “developed with Carlos Huber and Rodrigo Flores-Roux, the perfumers behind ARQUISTE Parfumeur and the St. Regis Hotel.) Think: notes of coconut, banana, 80s pool-side nostalgia—the works. 

Because of Classic Whip’s active ingredients, which include homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene and avobenzone, it is considered a chemical sunscreen meaning that the sunscreen absorbs the sun’s rays, turns the rays into heat and then releases that heat from the skin through a chemical reaction. (Science is so cool, right?!) Usually, this type of sunscreen is lighter and sheerer, so it’s less likely to leave a whitecast on your skin.

Something that I was weary about before testing Classic Whip were some of the reviews left on Ulta’s site mentioning eye irritation from using it on their faces. While most, if not many of the reviews for Classic Whip were positive, there were a handful that caught my attention. 

147 people gave it a five-star rating and an additional 21 gave it a four-star rating, leaving 10 people rating it a three-stars or below. Knowing I wanted to do my due diligence, I went straight for the less flattering reviews to see what was up. The reviews that gave the Classic Whip a poor rating attribute it to it burning their eyes badly when used as a facial sunscreen. Because of my sensitive skin, I wanted to patch test the product before slathering both my face and body with it. 

While patch testing, a generous dollop came out of the canister with the tiniest squirt, so I rubbed the remaining product over my legs. I rubbed a tiny dollop of sunscreen on a small patch of my bare face having used no other products prior and set the timer for 15 minutes to see if there was any immediate reaction. Thankfully, there was no reaction and I was good to go.

Because I wasn’t at the beach while testing and was curious about how sticky the formula might be and how it wore, I decided to try sticking my hand in a pot of soil at home to see how much soil would stick to my fingers in place of sand. It seems like if you were to be at the beach sand would stick to your skin fairly easily, similar to other sunscreens on the market.

The application of Classic Whip was most definitely my favorite part of the whole testing process. Because it's housed in a metal canister with a star-shaped tilt-valve, it comes out looking like, well, whipped cream. Making a little mountain of Classic Whip in my palms and then rubbing into my skin reminded me of when I used to pretend to shave with my dad when I was a kid. It was unsurprisingly fun and whimsical.

The recommended amount for one application was a tennis ball-sized mound, but I used a bit more than that to cover my arms, legs, shoulders, neck and face. Be warned, the product comes out fast and generously at that, so definitely press down on the nozzle lightly. You don’t want to waste any of this precious Whip. It’s only a four-ounce bottle, so every drop counts.

When smoothing it over my skin, the consistency felt a lot like shaving cream at first but was quickly absorbed after a couple seconds of rubbing it in. There was absolutely no white cast left over, making it an ideal option for those with darker skin tones. Many reviewers on Ulta’s site were raving about this, too, and how fun it was to apply. No ghosts on the beach this year. 

I will note that the Classic Whip does leave you a bit tacky to the touch, but no more than other sunscreens that I’ve tried. Also, I did notice that when I leaned against various surfaces, like the elevator wall in my apartment building that I left little arm and handprints. 

The Classic Whip smells subtle, but delightful. Slightly tropical and very much in line with the brand’s 80s pool culture nostalgia vibe. It felt like summer in a can and made me desperately wish I was on the beach in the middle of July. 

Though I would’ve preferred to test out Classic Whip by the ocean, a stroll to get coffee in my Brooklyn neighborhood would have to suffice. For the first three and a half hours, the sunscreen worked perfectly with no apparent issues. (I even got a tiny bit tan without burning at all!) But when the sweat started to come down, a little bit of the Classic Whip that had been on my face dripped into my left eye and caused some irritation. I quickly washed it away with some water, and my eye felt much better.

It’s important to note that on the packaging, Vacation makes it clear that it will only give you 80 minutes of water resistant protection. So if you’re spending the day at the beach or pool, you’ll definitely want to reapply.

Because I have sensitive skin, when products have scent or perfume in them, I’m often wary. But, to my surprise, Vacation’s Classic Whip didn’t cause my skin to react in the slightest. Huzzah!

Overall, it’s a solid sunscreen, but the eye-irritation factor makes me inclined to use a separate sunscreen for my face and use the Classic Whip on just my body. That said, I would most definitely repurchase Classic Whip, even at its $22 price point. It was that much fun to use.  

And if you’re someone who prefers a mineral or physical sunscreen, Vacation has you covered with their Mineral Lotion SPF 30. (P.S. It's just a impressive as Classic Whip and available on deal through WowText!)