Watch: Netherlands Installs Free Sunscreen Vending Machines, Desis Think 'It Will Disappear In India'

Sunscreen is an essential part of our skincare routine. It not only prevents unwanted tanning but also protects our skin from sun damage, particularly from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. With rising temperature and increasing sun exposure, the importance of applying sunscreen has become more necessary than ever.

Recently, a viral video from the Netherlands has been doing rounds on the internet. In the video, a woman is seen dispensing some sunscreen from what appears to be a sunscreen vending machine.

Shared on X (Formerly Twitter) by user Ravi Handa, the accompanying caption read, “Free sunscreen vending machines are now being placed in public places in the Netherlands. Won’t say much else. Don’t want unnecessary abuse.”

Since being shared online, the video has intrigued the wide audience, amassing over 850,000 views and sparking a lively discussion in the comment section.

One user exclaimed, “What do you mean? Seems like a great idea,” while another speculated, “Simply they are making habitual to this and then people have to buy this in future as a necessity..!”

A viewer provided some context, stating, “That’s because the rate of skin cancer is much higher in the Netherlands.”

“Abundance of resources and limited population Absence of scarcity mindset,” a person highlighted.

“Nice. Since paying for skin cancer treatment must be expensive in a state that pays? Or is it just that they know that happy citizens are productive citizens. Small things but they matter,” one insightful comment read.

The conversation took a humourous turn when users imagined such scenarios in India. “Place it in India, it won’t be in that place in the next minute,” one user quipped. Another added, “In india aunties will come and break that machine n take all the cream for home.”

“If placed in India, the problem won’t be that sunscreen would be out of stock. But the whole booth would disappear,” someone remarked.

The initiative follows the Dutch’s government decision last year to provide free sun protection for its citizens. The government had announced that sun cream dispensers will be made available at various locations across the Netherlands, including schools, universities, parks, at festivals, sports venues and other public spaces. The aim is to make sun protection accessible to everyone, eliminating barriers such as cost or inconvenience. This initiative is inspired from Australia’s successful ‘slip, slop, slap’ campaign, which encouraged people to slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen and slap on a hat.