(KTLA) — The sun, the surf, the sand – it’s that time of the year when we start using more sunscreen.
“I’ve lived in Southern California my whole life so sunscreen’s definitely been important,” said Sadie Sieroty, an actor and casting assistant in Los Angeles.
We lather it on, then relax.
“It’s really important, not just for sunburns but for skin health in general,” said Sieroty.
Most of us are good at that first application, but after that, we sometimes forget when it’s time to reapply.
That’s where a sticker called SPOTMYUV could come in handy.
“It doesn’t react to heat, it reacts to the UV rays affecting your skin, and that’s completely 100% unique,” said Claudia Harvey of Dig It Apparel. Dig It recently acquired a company named Suncayr, which makes the skin-sensing tech.
The tiny stickers start out purple. You stick one to your skin, then apply sunscreen, including over the sticker. It will turn clear to let you know your sunscreen is working. When the sticker turns purple again, it’s time to re-apply.
“The spot will tell the wearer much faster than your skin tells the wearer when you are being affected by harmful UV rays,” explained Harvey from her remote office in Canada.
The biopolymer tech inside the sticker was created by university students and has won over 50 awards.
“Students at the University of Waterloo are nanotechnology engineers and they actually created the sticker because they were affected by skin cancer,” explained Harvey.
It’s a colorful reminder that lets you have more fun in the sun.
“It’s definitely water-resistant, sweat-resistant, and it’s effective for at least 6 sunscreen applications,” said Harvey.
“I burn really easily and so if I just forget after a couple of hours, it’s almost like I wasn’t wearing sunscreen at all,” concluded Sieroty.
SPOTMYUV is available online, a 6-pack of stickers costs about $8. It will be available in retail stores including CVS and Walmart starting in May. You can request a free sample here.
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