Buying sunscreen (and other toiletry items) in Venice

[grace#11]

My husband and I are going to be spending time in Venice prior to our cruise. I am choosing to travel light - a small carry-on bag for clothes and a tote bag or backpack. In the interest of flying light, I would like to purchase certain products in Venice when we arrive - specifically shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, and sunscreen. My question, for those who have purchased these types of items in Venice, did you find sunscreen equivalent to a 30 SPF or higher readily available? Based on your experience, do you think I'll find it at a supermarket (which is where I'm thinking I'll probably pick up the other items - please correct me if they don't carry those things at a supermarket like Coop in Piazzale Roma), or will I be better off at a pharmacy?

 

TIA!

[euro cruiser]

I can't speak specifically for the Coop at Piazzale Roma for these items but every other Coop I've been in carries them so I would expect to find them there. That would be my first place to check, in any event. Certainly pharmacies carry them as well but at higher price points.

 

I've found higher SPF sunscreen without problem.

[euro cruiser]

Hours and other info for the Piazzale Roma Coop here: https://www.coopalleanza3-0.it/fare-spesa/elenco-negozi/dettaglio-negozio/2542-venezia---piazzale-roma.html

 

This is the catalog of Coop-branded products, you'll see that they offer sunscreens up to 50 SPF: http://www.catalogoprodotti.coop.it/pam/it/Categorie-PAM/Cura-della-persona/Igiene-persona/c/110401?pagesize=12&q=%3Arelevance%3Acategory%3A11040108

 

Of course, that doesn't mean that all products are carried at all stores, but it should give you confidence that you'll be able to find what you need.

[grace#11]

Wow euro cruiser! That's perfect. Thanks so much - your help is very much appreciated!

[cruisemom42]

I will just add that my experience last year suggests that finding sunscreen with higher SPF numbers can sometimes be challenging. I spent a week in Pompeii and my normal sunscreen wasn't heavy duty enough to deal with being out in the hot sun with no shade for hours on end. Granted this was in the small town of Pompeii, but two pharmacies and a Coop could not produce anything higher than a 15 SPF -- but there were plenty of tan accelerators! Seems at least some Italians (or visitors staying in town) still worship the sun.

[euro cruiser]

Let's hope that fairer northern skin leads to a more diverse product selection, for Grace's sake!