SPF WITH A TWIST

Vacation® Just Brought Gelée Back

By: Savannah McGowan

As seen on the top shelf of every bathroom cabinet in the early 90s.

Just in time for summer, Vacation® brought back the infamous (and now discontinued) tanning gel, Orange Gelée which, at the time, had a major cult following. After doing a deep dive into the world of Bain de Soleil, I stumbled upon the brand’s products selling for upwards of $600 on eBay, read countless claims about how Orange Gelée enthusiasts stockpiled the products before the brand went defunct, and ultimately was left needing to know everything I possibly could about Bain de Soleil, Orange Gelée, and why Vacation® decided to revive this product.

I went down the rabbit hole so you don’t have to. Scroll on to read all about the suncare product that has the internet in a frenzy all over again.

WHO IS BAIN DE SOLEIL?

Bain de Soleil was a brand of sunscreen products produced by a pharmaceutical company back in the 70s and 80s. French for “sun bathing,” Bain de Soleil was known for its low-SPF products, including Orange Gelée, which at the time had an SPF of 4. This product launched when tanning beds were all the rage and the vast majority of consumers weren't worried about reapplying or even applying SPF to begin with. Bain de Soleil’s slogan was to give the user a “St. Tropez tan” with a glowy finish.

THE ORIGINAL GELÉE

The original Gelée was a $10, 3oz tube of tanning gel that could be purchased at any local drugstore. It had a unique scent and was an everyday essential for sunbathing enthusiasts and once the news broke of it being discontinued, online petitions started popping up and Gelée fans tried to get their hands on as many tubes as possible. The original formula can be found on resale sites selling at just $135 for a half-used tube. Orange Gelée's color, texture, and scent are what set it apart from other suncare products and its customers considered it a “quintessential” summer product.

ORANGE GELÉE REVIVED

Taking note of the disappointment from Gelée fans around the world, Vacation® launched The Orange Gelée Revival Project, a joint initiative between Vacation® and Orange Gelée fans to bring a revived version of the product back. The newly revived sunscreen gel pays homage to the original product by keeping the look, feel, scent, and shine of Bain de Soleil’s Gelée the same but now features SPF 30 combined with natural oils and butters. The orange-tinted gel rubs in clear and its oil-to-balm formula leaves the skin feeling silky and moisturized. As for the iconic French Riviera-inspired scent? Vacation’s Gelée features notes of bergamot, clove, saffron, patchouli, and sandalwood, and long-standing fans of the original product are saying that Vacation® “nailed it” on everything from the look to the feel and especially the scent.

ALL ABOARD THE ORANGE GELÉE TRAIN

There’s only one way to find out if Vacation® truly nailed this product, and I’m calling it now, it’s definitely going to be an Orange Gelée summer. Diving into the history of the original product, the new-and-improved product, and getting caught in the whirlwind of the Orange Gelée hype really made me feel like I missed out on something and it’s safe to say that I won’t be missing out this time around, and neither should you.

So, will you be stockpiling Orange Gelée this summer?