Seven tubes.

Before the samples, there were the calls.

We live abroad. Our formulator is back home. So we talked late at night and early in the morning. Whenever we could. For weeks.

Most calls were arguments. Good ones. We all wanted the same thing: the best sunscreen we could make. Not one more copy of what's already on the shelf.

Smooth or grippy? One base glided on and vanished. The other held on to the skin. We chose smooth. You should forget you're wearing it.

Which filters? They do the real work, so they got the most time. We picked newer ones that stay strong in hot sun.

Every call came back to one question: what do people actually want to wear every day?

Some days our formulator won. Some days we did.

Then seven tubes arrived. No names. Only codes.

No names means no favourites.

Round one: the arm. A little of each. Wait ten minutes. Check in daylight. White layer? Sticky? Smell? We tested alone and hid our notes. We picked the same three.

Round two: the face. One sample a day on one cheek. On the other cheek, our old favourite, the imported one we started 78 Labs to replace. Out into the midday sun. Back to the mirror. Two hours later, check for oil.

Our old favourite feels like a gel. Ours is a light cream. So we didn't judge the feel. We judged what matters: white cast, oil, sun.

One tube matched it. Then beat it: less oil, better in the sun. The score sheet says just two words: “I'm impressed.”

Round three: people who aren't us. Two founders liking their own sunscreen proves nothing. So friends and family got the winner, with the same score sheet. Different skin tones. Different routines. On darker skin, where white cast shows first, it disappeared.

Two honest notes came back. It takes a few extra seconds to rub in. And makeup doesn't grip it like a primer. Fair. We've noted both.

The final version went straight to the lab, with two things taken out. More on that soon.

That was our feel test. Protection is the lab's job. Its first check is back. Next week, we share it.

Join the waitlist. It's free. Your first bottle is ₹499.

— Aashish & Rishitha, 78 Labs