Genevieve Fields

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Sunscreen Review: Skinceuticals Sheer Physical UV Defense SPF 50

Claims: Mattefying for normal, oily and combination skin types. Appropriate for sensitive skin. 

Apart from sunscreen filters, it lacks of additional skin care ingredients almost entirely. There is a touch of Vitamin E and smidge of salicylic acid.

Ratings: Broad Spectrum SPF 50

Cost/Value: $34 (1.7 fl oz) and $64 (4.2 fl oz) / Cheap price relative to the other offerings at high end shops.

It is a 100% Physical sunscreen. Its active ingredients are 6% Titanium Dioxide and 5% Zinc Oxide.

It did NOT sting my eyes.

It did NOT smell.

It DOES gather in my wrinkles.

It DOES leave a white cast on my skin. If you apply a sufficient amount of this sunscreen to form a protective sunscreen film on your face, it will give you a strong white cast. Its claims of being transparent are completely unfounded. Anybody who is familiar with the things that make sunscreen opaque can look at the ingredient list and know that with 6% Titanium Dioxide, it is highly unlikely this sunscreen will be transparent.

It did NOT dry down in 20 minutes or less. It sets a bit in about 40 minutes. Even for 2 hours, this sunscreen is still super soft, super fluid, very shiny and very easily transferable off of skin.

It did NOT look good under make-up. It moves all over the place. It mixes with the make-up. It whitens the make-up and it makes any foundation, even a thick matte foundation, very streaky.

For as long as you don't accidentally move it off around your face, it will stick around (7 or 8 hours). 

This does not have any particular benefit for combination and oily skin as advertised. It does not have any mattefying effects. If you are looking at it because you have very oily skin, do not bother. I actually do not like it for sensitive skin, it is true it does not have chemical filters which is good, but it has no skin care ingredients to speak of. There is nothing soothing, cooling moisturising, protecting and comforting in here. It also has some ingredients that a lot of people are sensitive to. There are many kind of silicone in here, totally unnecessarily for physical sunscreen. Alcohol figures prominently in this ingredient list as well as talc and aluminium, why? 

Texture and consistency: You have to shake it before using, it has runny texture. After 20 minutes of application, it did not change at all. It is still shiny and soft and transferrable off skin. 

In conclusion, this is fine sunscreen but I would not recommend it because I don't think it is great value. Nowadays, there are better sunscreen in terms of cosmetical and skin care.