Hamilton Sunscreen Review

Product talk by Nuffnang.

I was lucky enough to receive three bottles of the Hamilton Suncreen range to review. At first I was worried due to the dreadful weather we have been having on the east coast of NSW and didn't think I'd actually get any sun to test it out on but finally over the New Year period we got some lovely sunny days and I could finally get my sunscreen on!

A little bit about Hamilton which I gained from their website:


Hamilton has a rich history going back over 75 years and three generations.
In the late 1920s, Milton Blake, a young Adelaide Chemist, experimented in his bedroom at a North Adelaide boarding house with the production of a sunburn cream. He had read in a German technical trade publication that a substance, which was a well-known treatment for burns, also possessed the property of absorbing the burning ultra-violet rays of the sun.
With the aid of a kerosene room heater, saucepans for containers and a pair of old-fashioned hand scales, H.A. Milton as he referred to himself in the early records of the company made a lot of attempts to incorporate this substance in a cream base. Many were failures, but eventually a process was evolved and a sunburn preventative cream was produced. The formula was tested by Professor Kerr Grant at the University of Adelaide and found to offer ultraviolet protection.
Soon after Hamilton Laboratories was established in 1932 by four friends, one of whom was Mr Milton Blake. The initial batches were made in the kitchen of the family home in Grange Road, Hawthorn. In due course Milton Blake formulated a diverse range of house hold products including a fly spray, indigestion powder, aspirin, spring salts, vanishing cream antiseptic, toothpaste, hand lotion and flavour essences.
In 1977 Hamilton's introduced one of the very first Broad Spectrum Sunscreens in Australia.
During the mid 1980's Hamilton commenced collaboration with Flinders University of South Australia to investigate the phenomena of suppression of the human immune system associated with exposure to sunlight. This world leading research lead to the development of a new sunscreen which, when tested using methodology developed at Flinders University, was demonstrated to reduce the immune suppression associated with sunlight.
Hamilton - The perfect blend of modern science with traditional values


To tell you the truth I never thought about the history of how sunscreen came about so found this page quite interesting.

Anyway, with me being of Irish background and having the whitest of white skin you can imagine, I literally cannot leave the house without being covered head to toe in sunscreen if there is the slighest hint of sun out. This meant that I could give these products a real 'run for their money' because if they could stop me from getting burnt then they deserve a gold medal in the sunscreen department.

So, here are my thoughts on each one:

Family Sunscreen - This is a broad spectrum 30+ sunscreen designed for use by the whole family for everyday protection. It is water resistant for up to 4 hours and is claimed to be ideal for both the face and body.
This one was actually my favourite out of the lot as it was non-greasy, sunk in nicely and had a pleasant smell that didn't overpower any perfume I was wearing. It also was nice and easy to spread without leaving a white film on the skin. I wore this all over, including on my face under my regular makeup and have not experience the slighest bit of sunburn once.
I've worn it taking the dogs for long walks in the blazing sun, doing yard work and just as a precaution if we were going out somewhere and I didn't know if I was going to be out in the elements or not.
This is definitely a product I will continue to use into the future.

Sensitive Sunscreen - This is also a broad spectrum 30+ sunscreen with up to 4 hours of water resistance and is designed to be low allergy and gentle on sensitive skin.
This was actually the first one I reached for as I gravitate to sensitive skin products a lot due to suffering from eczema now and then. I must admit though that this isn't a sunscreen that I would choose to wear often as I found it way too thick and very hard to spread. It took ages to sink into my skin and made me feel as if I had a white glow about me. It was practically impossible to apply makeup over this product as it was just too heavy on the face.
I never really got to test out the sensitive skin claim either as for once I am actually eczema free at the moment. I'll try and give it another go one day if I do get a bit of a breakout in that department. 

Toddler Sunscreen - Last but not least we have their Toddler version. This is also broad spectrum 30+, 4 hours water resitant and is designed to be gentle on delicate young skin.
I used this sunscreen on our 9 month old a few times when we were out and about and he didn't get the slightest bit red once so I'd say it definitely works. He suffered no irritation at all that I could see and it sunk in nicely to his skin without being too thick or taking too long to rub in (something that is very important with a squirmy bub who loses patience very quickly).
I will definitely continue to use this into the future.

Has anyone else used Hamilton Sunscreen before? If so, what did you think?