Samples arrived.

A small box came to our door this morning. Inside were the first tubes from our manufacturer. For months this sunscreen was only on paper. Now we could hold it.

We opened it and started testing right away. We wanted to write this the same day, before we changed our minds.

How we tested

We both tested it side by side with our old favourite — the imported sunscreen we've used every day for years. That's the one we want ours to feel like. First on bare skin. Then over moisturiser. Then under makeup. Same arm, same room, same morning light.

What matched

It was smooth. It spread easily, with no drag. In the tube and on the skin, it looked the same as our old favourite.

What didn't, yet

It looked shinier than our old favourite. Rubbing longer helped, but not fully. We want it to disappear the way our old favourite does.

It had a smell. The sun filters were doing their job, but you could smell them. Our old favourite has no smell at all.

These are real problems, not small ones. A sunscreen you wear every day has to be invisible — to your eyes and your nose. We wrote it all down and sent it back to our manufacturer the same evening.

Next, people other than us need to try it. Two people looking at one tube is not a study.

Where this leaves us

About where we expected. First samples are rarely ready. The work between the first version and the one we put our name on is the part we won't rush.

We'll write again when there's something real to share. We won't post just to post.

— Aashish & Rishitha, 78 Labs