“How do you know of your sunscreen is working?” my cousin Louise asked me a few months ago. “Well if you don’t tan or burn after playing in the sun all day long, you know it’s working,” I replied.

The truth is, I don’t know for sure if my SPF is going to ward off harmful effects of the sun without scientific evidence so I will just take the brand’ sword for it. That is after seeing my skin unscathed after sun worshiping.

Sunscreens have come a long way since the early days of those white faces and skin patches from the zinc used in the product. We came to accept the ashy residue left on out faces and bodies after sunscreen application. Even some of my favorite products still on my beauty shelf leave me ashy.

A few weeks ago, I received two sunscreen products from COOLA Suncare, a beauty brand dedicated to making potent sun lockers that smell great, with sophisticated formulas that are no fuss and streak-free, for my trip to Puerto Rico.

One of my biggest pet peeves is having an ashy face after applying my sunscreen, which doesn’t look so good when I apply makeup on top. So I gasped when I used the COOLA Suncare Natural Mineral Skincare Face Sunblock SPF 30 Matte Cucumber , $36 and didn’t see a single trace of ash.

The formula is light, glides on effortlessly and disappears instantly. It made it easy to incorporate daily sunscreen on my face because I didn’t have to wait a long time before applying my makeup. I have been using it religiously the past week and I love it. It’s replaced my go-to face sunscreen.

Another product I took on my trip I Puerto Rico was the Coola Citrus Mimosa Sport Continuous Spray SPF 30 + Plant Protection , $32 from the sport line. The sunscreen spray comes out in a fine mist for easy application all over the body, including my back without assistance.

Even in the humid Puerto Rican heat, this formula kept my skin protected. I didn’t burn at all and I was able to swim in the pool and lounge for about 40 minutes before reapplying. I lounged in my hammock on a private beach in Rio Grande for most of the weekend because I had good sun protection. COOLA has some really great products in their line-up including lip balms and Suncare for the entire family.

It’s worth noting that many of the COOLA suncare products are TSA approved so they can go in your carryall, manufactured in Southern California in a solar powered facility – meaning they use the power of the sun to protect you from the sun, they use recycled boxes for their packaging and use no-toxic inks to print and they’ve been using 30% less plastic for their packaging.