By Sophie Katz, age 16
On the first day of WriCampia – August 12, 2024 – campers were greeted with WriCampia merch bags including an unexpected surprise. Among the contents were the usual suspects: the plain white shirt with the WriCampia logo (perfect for tie dye or paint fights), the songbook and activity book, a pen, and the fan favorite: the WriCampia hoodie which changes color each year (this year, it’s navy blue with pink accents). Nestled among these normal occurrences, however, WriCampians were excited to find that they had been given an extra item: a Supergoop sunscreen that retails for almost $40. In a newspaper meeting, camp director Rebecca Wallace-Segall confirmed that Supergoop had donated the sunscreen to Writopia. According to Writopia’s website, Supergoop donated two 2024 WriCampia scholarships, and a camptime supply of its PLAY 100% Mineral Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30 with Green Algae (which, according to the company, is impressively vegan, gluten-free, and cruelty-free.) The New York Times “Wirecutter” even deemed the sunscreen one of their top picks, pointing out that its classic unseen finish and economical jug option were just a few delightful facts about the brand.
To see what fellow WriCampians thought about this brand interaction, we sat down with multiple excited campers. Azadeh, age 12, had never heard of Supergoop until she came to WriCampia. However, one of her bunkmates knew all about the sunscreen brand, which was founded by lifestyle doyen Holly Thaggard after her close friend was diagnosed with skin cancer. “She said that it was very more expensive than other brands she uses but that there was no white cast,” Azadeh said.
On the flip side, campers Sage (12), Cayleigh (13), Sarah (13), and Aster (13) all had prior knowledge of the Supergoop brand. “Preppy,” “expensive,” “good quality,” and “sold at Sephora” were some buzz words the campers threw around to describe what they had heard about the brand. “Preppy” refers to the internet-viral style featuring expensive, trendy products and bright, summery clothing. To many, Supergoop has been deemed one of the many preppy necessities. One camper chimed in with “my friend recommended it!” Another was aware of the sunscreen from its social media presence, with the group pointing out that it was often used in both “get ready with me” and “storytime” interactive videos.
Meanwhile, none of the artsy WriCampians I spoke with had used Supergoop before attending WriCampia. The group I spoke with shared that their first impression of the lotion was that it was “really nice and better than normal sunscreen.” The group joked that there may be a “BookTok crossover” between reading and being preppy.
Division Head Tasnim Hussain is pro-Supergoop. “It’s the only sunscreen I use, I’m not kidding,” she said passionately. There’s only one way to find out if Supergoop is for you: try out the complimentary sunscreen for yourself!
