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Hello, Internet friends! Thanks for visiting My Dad the Chemist. This blog was inspired by my dad, a cosmetic chemist who has decades of experience in formulating personal care products and aerosol technology. The idea for this blog took root many years ago, when I was browsing the beauty products aisle at Trader Joe’s. I was trying to decide if I should buy the face wash and/or the serum. My dad came over, squinted at the ingredient labels over his glasses, and declared that the serum (this one) contained more quality ingredients than the face wash ..read more

My Dad the Chemist is a personal blog that is intended for informational purposes. This blog does not claim to offer or replace advice from a medical or licensed professional. All opinions are my own (and my dad’s) and are very subjective based on our personal experiences. While a product may be disappointing for me, it may be a great choice for you (and vice versa—if I love a product, there’s no guarantee that you’ll love it, too ..read more

Another day, another zinc oxide-based sunscreen to review. Today I’m going to share a review of a sunscreen I first started using last summer: Hello Bello Minteral Sunscreen SPF 55+. I liked it enough to bring it on vacation to Hawaii, and it did its job. We didn’t get sunburned! And the water resistance was put ot the test because we were outside walking around (i.e., sweating) and swimming. It’s marketed to babies, but it works well on adults, too ..read more

Shopping at Trader Joe’s was always such an ordeal when I lived in NYC. Right when you get in the store, you see the back of the line, because it snakes around the entire store. It’s actually more efficient to go there with a partner, so one person can stand in line while the other weaves through the aisles and frantically swipes items off the shelves. It is not a relaxing experience, to say the least ..read more

Chapped lips are a nuisance—and they can get so bad that it becomes painful to eat (one of my favorite activities!). I was recently reading a book where this was the case for a little girl who couldn’t stop using Lip Smacker lip gloss and licking it off her lips. Licking your lips only makes them more dry, sadly…so it became a vicious cycle for her. Another character in the book recommended using Vaseline, which makes me respect this author more ..read more

Before I had a baby, I imagined that babies had perfect skin. Isn’t that why there’s that expression, “smooth as a baby’s bottom?” But it turns out that babies deal with a ton of skin issues. Some of them are mostly cosmetic (like baby acne and cradle cap), but others require treatment (like eczema). I was hoping that my baby would inherit her father’s skin instead of mine, but it seems that I might have passed down my eczema to her ..read more

Vaseline Intensive Care Advanced Repair Body Lotion is a mainstay of my bedside table. It’s the lotion I use every night before I drift off to sleep (and the lotion I reapply every time I wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, ha). I don’t think I can fall asleep without slathering it on my hands first…the sleep association is that strong. It’s not an expensive product, but I’ve always been curious about the store-brand dupes I’ve seen at places like Walgreen’s and Target ..read more

Supergoop Mineral Sheer Screen Sunscreen SPF 30 is the most elegant mineral/physical sunscreen I’ve ever tried. It’s impressive that it doesn’t contain any chemical sunscreen filters, because it blends in just like a chemical sunscreen would. Because it’s not water resistant, I only use it sparingly (whenever I’m sure I’m not going to sweat). But whenever I do use it, it’s always a treat. Supergoop Mineral Sheer Screen Sunscreen SPF 30 ingredients Active ingredients: zinc oxide (17 ..read more

Cetaphil makes some of the most trustworthy skin care products you’re likely to find at the drugstore today. Lots of people have raved about their lotions, including me. But a few months ago, I tried one of their sunscreens, and I could instantly understand why this company isn’t famous for its sunscreen. I’ve only used it a few times because it makes me look like a ghost, so I tend to reach for other sunscreens instead of this one ..read more