“I’d like my sunblock shaken – not stirred.”

Actually, shaking is kind of what the drinkable sunscreen called UV Neutralizer Harmonized Water claims to do – shaking your body’s molecules, that is. By sipping a few milliliters before relaxing by the pool, the founder of the company (Osmosis Skincare) Ben Johnson, M.D. says the cocktail makes “the water molecules just below the surface of your skin vibrate, emitting frequencies that cancel out the burn-causing frequencies.”

Hmm. The concept of my subsurface molecules shaking has me stirred a little bit. It sounds like something you might see happen pre-teleportation in a science fiction flick. So, naturally, I decided to see if it works (literally – as in see other people try it out and talk about their experience). Does this elixir provide protection as it purports?

Well, it didn’t hold up so well, according this ABC tale of two twins who took to the beach to test it:

While one sibling slathered on traditional sunscreen, her sister wanted to see if the edible brand imparts an invisible dermal armor against harmful rays. The product gets taken in water form an hour before sun exposure and pledges to provide the same as SPF 30, although you must reapply every few hours (depending on weight) and cannot exercise with it – according the site. As for the results? The O.G. lotion delivered, while the new guy failed as a solar filter.

K. Aleisha Fetters also detailed a personal experience post consumption and after a relaxing weekend by the pool. The final review was that while it wasn’t gross going down, it also didn’t stop sun from coming in: “It didn’t taste bad. It was literally just water. Phew. But that’s all I really have in terms of pros, since my near-transparent skin still burned after a couple of hours spent in the sun. (Well, all of my skin except those parts covered in true sunblock. I wasn’t about to take any chances with my face.)”

Dr. Jayshri Gamoth has also expressed doubt, noting that the fine print indicates you not only cannot exercise while wearing it, but also cannot have eaten anything beforehand.

Drinkable sunscreen tastes just like water, doesn't work http://t.co/7ROLH8amLZ

— Jezebel (@Jezebel) June 12, 2014

Then others, still, shared their understandable unwillingness to try it:

Drinkable Sunscreen? NO THANKS.

— Allison Bay (@Abaybay50) July 5, 2014

People should be free to do what they like – but they also should be provided all the facts.

And currently, some facts provided include that the FDA hasn’t approved it, many everyday-person testimonials outside of the site aren’t supporting that it works, and that companies like Osmosis aren’t new; but after hiring a good PR company, they’re getting more exposure – and so is the scorched skin of the misinformed. Also, there seems to be a disagreement between medical professionals and the creators of drinkable sunscreen as to whether it’s even legitimate – or just based on pseudoscience.

(Meanwhile, some simply want to know if it’ll go well with gin.)

“There’s no evidence-based scientific data to support the product’s SPF 30 claims,” dermatologist Michael Shapiro, M.D., told TIME – referring to the company’s claim to block sun via vibrational frequencies “dubious at best.”

Despite this large lack of support from dermatologists or FDA approval, there are some testimonials (er- on their own website at least) praising the product for its effectiveness. And even though it’s thought to be mumbo-jumbo sans scientific evidence, let’s play devil’s advocate a moment (for the sake of non-biased reporting) by conceding that science itself is a field that is constantly evolving. That means current scientific findings aren’t necessarily the be-all and end-all – indeed many of them are constantly being improved upon or disproved altogether. So, there that is. Maybe this innovation has helpful potential and maybe it doesn’t.

For now, I think I’ll stick with the retro goo, lest I turn into Silence of the Tans in a few years. (“It puts the lotion on its skin or else it gets the melanoma…”) But, let’s open it up to some actual testimonials and reviews from you guys – for the sake of other interested readers.

Have you tried this stuff?

How has it worked for you?

And no… beer does not count as drinkable sunblock…

Cooler than a farmer's tan… pic.twitter.com/comGM8J2rP

— Bud Light (@budlight) June 29, 2014

Images via Youtube