The Daily Valet. - 7/16/21, Friday

✔️ Beware the Danger

July 16, 2021

Friday, July 16th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

I will be a “Rohmer guy” this summer.

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

Five Sunblock Sprays Recalled

Keep wearing your sunscreen ... just not these.

If you’ll allow me a bit of rant, I never liked those aerosol sunscreens. Watching someone douse themselves is a study in frustrations—first of all, that haze of product hanging around is proof that it’s wasteful. And if you have to rub in the sunblock to make it effective, what's the point of misting yourself down?

I know those old school creams seem laborious, but they work. The spray is the illusion of making something simpler, when really it’s making the process less effective (and often, more expensive). Buy the lotion.

But don't take my word for it. Listen to an independent lab, which found carcinogens in a bunch of popular sunscreens. Now, after coming to a similar conclusion, Johnson & Johnson is recommending you throw out several of their popular SPF sprays.

The company recalled five Aveeno and Neutrogena aerosol sunscreens, after finding low levels of benzene, a human carcinogen, in some of the product samples. All can sizes and SPF levels of the sprays, which were distributed nationwide, are included in the recall.

Fun fact from the CDC: Benzene is apparently ubiquitous in the environment, meaning we humans are exposed to it on a daily basis, both indoors via certain glues, paints, furniture wax, and detergents, and outdoors, thanks to things like cigarette smoke, car exhaust, and industrial emissions. However, according to The Cut, benzene is not an ingredient used in any of Johnson & Johnson sunscreen products, so the company is currently investigating how it ended up inside some of their canisters.

↦ FYI: The Skin Cancer Foundation finds that one in five Americans develops skin cancer—a rate expected to rise as more intense UV rays hit the planet’s surface.

Deadly Floods Hit Western Europe

1,300 people assumed missing and more than 65 have died

Devastating floods swept across Germany and Belgium on Thursday, engulfing whole villages in raging muddy brown waters, overturning cars and killing at least 67 people.

More than 1,300 unaccounted for after a summer deluge at levels not seen in some areas for a century. Recent storms across parts of western Europe made rivers and reservoirs burst their banks, triggering flash floods overnight after the saturated soil couldn't absorb any more water.

According to the Washington Post, thousands left their homes Thursday night for makeshift shelters after being evacuated over concern that, with the threat of more rainfall, flooding could spread and dams could collapse.

Intense rainfall rates are becoming more common in the warming climate, reports CNN, as warmer air can hold more water vapor that is available to fall as rain.

↦ Meanwhile: A study predicts record flooding in the 2030s, and it's partly because of the moon.

MTV ‘Cribs’ Returns

Open the fridge and let’s go

Everything comes back around. Even the only real estate show you watched as a kid. MTV announced this week it's revived the network's Cribs series more than 20 years since its debut.

The show, which gives an inside look at various celebrities and their lifestyles, including a full tour of their homes, is set to return on Aug. 11, reports Deadline.

According to the New York Post, this latest iteration will include Martha Stewart, Big Sean, Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross, JoJo Siwa, Kathy Griffin, Marsai Martin, Snooki, Tinashe and Rick Ross.

↦ FYI: Cribs amassed a total of 113 episodes in a span of 19 seasons, with the upcoming season being its 20th.

Let’s All Be Rohmer Guys

The perfect coinage for a novel concept

This summer, with any luck, we'll all be traveling somewhere. Why not let your new location embolden you to break out of your style rut? This concept was just written about by Sophie Kemp at GQ and I couldn't agree more.

She calls it being a “Rohmer Guy”—taking inspiration from the stylish men in French filmmaker Eric Rohmer's movies. The idea is all about looking good while hanging out on vacation. (Straw hats, high-waisted pants, perfectly undone shirts, etc.)

But she stipulates, a Rohmer guy does not have to have even seen an Eric Rohmer movie. Rohmer guys can also take their inspiration from a myriad of other flicks that appear to revolve around going on a super-long vacation. Call Me By Your Name is a Rohmer guy movie. So is Summer Hours.

Why now? She puts it this way: In this long summer where we're all outside and hanging out together again, “it feels kind of nice to dress for the life you want to have: one where all you do is hang out, and look good.”

In Other News

↦ An 18-Year-Old Will Join Blue Origin's First Human Spaceflight, After a Late Shuffle

↦ Why Airlines Keep Canceling Flights—and Will Yours Be Affected?

↦ Yeah, Jason Sudeikis Is Actually Kind of Like Ted Lasso in Real Life

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Handsome, affordable shades

Sob Rock

Those coffin flops

A Weekend Pairing

Roadrunner + a Negroni Bianco Bergamotto

It's been three years since Anthony Bourdain died, by suicide, and the void he left is still feels like a void. But shortly after his death, documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville began talking to people who had been close to Bourdain: his family, his friends, the producers and crew of his television series.

Today, the film Roadrunner, which is being called sharp and vividly compelling, hits theaters. (After its theatrical run, you'll be able to stream it in full on HBO Max and CNN.) The New Yorker says the film presents Bourdain as both the hero and the villain of his own story. Though it may not always have been evident to the public, Bourdain became somewhat of a prisoner of his own success—and the personal relationships he had in his private life, as well as the tireless roadrunner himself, suffered because of it.

↦ Your Pairing:The Negroni was famously Bourdain’s favorite drink. This take on the classically bitter aperitif, from our resident cocktail expert, swaps the Campari for Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto. It gives the more mellow white Negroni an added bergamot citrus complexity.

20 Under $20

Who said great things have to cost a lot? We’re always keeping an eye out for quality products at an affordable price, and we’ve rounded up the Valet. team’s favorite finds for under $20 bucks. Start making your cold brew at home and grab one of these products instead—trust us, they’re worth it. All of the following items will have you looking and feeling good while leaving you plenty of cash in your pocket.

↦ Check It Out: 20 Under $20

Partner

Put Your Pain to Rest

There's nobility in pushing yourself—be it at the gym or at work. And sometimes, pain is an inevitable result. But that doesn't mean you have to endure it. ASYSTEM's popular Radical Relief Gel Roll-On is one of the most powerful, instant pain fighting products on the market today with 25% active ingredients. That's five times more than most brands, just so you know. The handsome applicator delivers natural menthol, methyl salicylate and high-quality CBD right where you need it via a stainless steel Cryosphere. The cooling rollerball encourages you to massage the area, which not only feels great but ensures maximum absorption as well.

↦ Get It: $59 at ASYSTEM