I am a strong believer in the use of sunscreen protection for face and body. For my face, I used to use L’oreal UV Perfect sunscreen with SPF50 protection.
I then switched over to Sunsense by QV, an Australian brand. I loved it because it felt nice on and had mattifying properties, so it made my skin look matt nearly the whole day long. I reviewed this sunscreen and gave it a glowing review. I thought it was perfect – good sunscreen, mattifying, great price.
UPDATE: After about 2 months using it, I found that I was having worse than normal breakouts on my face. I was breaking out in places I never used to break out before. Also, I found that my skin was very uneven as there appeared to be many clogged pores. Again, something I haven’t had for a long time.
I pondered the reasons for this and looked at all the skincare I’d been using. Slowly, I cut out each of them from my routine. Yet the problem persisted. In the end, on a whim and a hunch, I decided to cut out the Sunsense sunscreen and revert to my L’oreal UV Perfect.
In 2 weeks, my skin cleared up. Its no joke! I still don’t have perfect skin, but all the clogged pores are gone, and my skin is much smoother now. The culprit was the Sunsense sunscreen.
So, although it works amazingly for my friend who looks flawless and has no problems with it, I’m afraid it caused me problems and for that, I’d advise anyone wanting to try this to be careful as there is a potential problem of it clogging pores.
So now, I’m back to my L’oreal UV Perfect Sunscreen with SPF50. It comes in a slim 50ml tube which makes it very travel friendly. It has SPF50 and PA+++ which is a very high sunscreen rating and good for our tropical weather.
It contains Meroxyl which is a chemical sunblock that is patented by Loreal. It claims to block both UV-A and UV-B rays which cause aging. This sunscreen used to retail for about RM32.90 but I’ve noticed that the price seems to have dropped recently to under RM30. It often goes on sale for 10% or 15% less which is a good time to stock up on it.
The texture is a lotion and you don’t need very much to spread all over your face. It spreads easily and has a slight fragrance that isn’t very strong. I find that it does help protect my skin from the sun. When I use this and am out in the sun, my face doesn’t feel like its burning. That makes it a great sunblock.
However, I did find that throughout the day, it did make my face oilier. I used to use it under makeup and does cause my makeup to slip a bit which is a bit of a drawback.
I have been using this sunscreen for about 3 years now and didn’t experience any adverse reactions to this sunscreen including blocked pores or breakouts so I do highly recommend it to anyone who wants a good facial sunscreen that is a handy size. It comes in 3 types for now. Transparent, tinted and anti-dullness. I only use the transparent ones.
This particular item is now only available in Europe and Asia. Meroxyl isn’t approved by the USA FDA (Food and Drug Administration) so they can’t bring it into the USA. I’m not quite sure why.
Budget Tip: L’oreal owns Lancome and this sunscreen contains the same ingredient as Lancome’s UV Expert 50SPF sunscreen. The one by L’oreal costs a lot less though! So, its Goodbye Sunsense and Hello again, L’oreal UV Perfect!
Pros: Good sunscreen, slim packaging, did not cause blocked pores or breakouts on me
Cons: Skin gets oily, quite expensive for its size
L’oreal UV Perfect gets a [rating:4.5/5]
Sunsense gets a [rating:0/5]
I’ve never had any problems with Sunsense as it was recommended by a dermatologist. Sad to hear that it doesn’t work for you.
PB says: I guess each of us have different skin that handles things differently. I’m glad it works for you though! 🙂
Anything above SPF 35 is negligible. It will hardly block anymore rays than a SPF 35 sunscreen and you’ll end up saving money.
Sunscreen is SUCH a vital part of one’s skincare routine, I really hope everyone get into the habit of using sunscreen. I haven’t tried the Loreal one you reviewed but would like to try it someday. I’m currently using Shiseido’s Anessa sunscreen which I bought in Japan. Definitely the best I’ve used; too bad they don’t have it here.
Hmmm I think i am having the same probs too, but I can’t tell whether it’s caused by this product.. but skin condition is quite unstable as I always try out new stuff.
Sadly, I faced a similar issue with Sunsense. It was nice at the beginning but my skin started reacting adversely to it too, so into the bin it went. I recently bought Chanel’s Blanc Essentiel (SPF30) and it’s been great. Very lightweight and helps my powder foundation go on better. But it’s more of a makeup base than sunblock.
I too had the same reaction and it was my mum who pointed out that maybe it was the new sunscreen i was using. Stop using ever since.
Are you the sensitive skin type? I am…so thats why
PB says: I don’t have sensitive skin, which makes the reaction worse. Glad I tracked it to the sunscreen though.
ive been using loreal uv perfect advanced fluid protector for more than 6 months , ive noticed that after applying it my skin looks smooth and glowing. it suits my skin .. and anyways its made for asian phototypes so it might not work for every one… and its a good make up base too… its true that after some time it gets oily, but i would say it works fine for me….
im using the L’oreal UV Perfect sunscreen with SPF50 protection too. started using this 4 years ago and never switched to any brand. im satisfied with it, my sister bought one for her after she tried mine.
I have also had to stop using Sunsense. It worked really well, for a while. Then the outbreaks of spots & rashes bacame worse. Since stopping using it my skin has cleared dramatically. However, I have also discontinued using any product that contains the preservative “methylisothiazolinone” – known as MIT or MI. This product featured in a BBC Radio 4 program, last year, and is a known problem – causing, among other things, involuntary eye spasms, hives, spots, & more. Now I stick to products with as few ingredients as possible!