I blather on about sunscreens so much that reader Jessica thought it might be a good time to pick my brains on what is THE sunscreen for her 😀 Here’s her request:-
Hi PB!! I know what a big fan you are of sunscreen so hope this question’s easy to solve 😉
I am currently in search for THE sunscreen as I am getting more and more aware of how bad UV can be for the skin. Problem is, most sunscreen (be it for the face or body) can be a litle too sticky and some of them have scents which are overwhelming!
So, PB (and fellow readers), can you please recommend some of the possible sunscreen products which are of good quality, not sticky (mattifying effect is the key word!), easily absorbed and without any of those plasticky scent??
Thanks much!!
Well Jessica, I detest sunscreens that have strong plasticky scents too. I grew up with the smell of Coppertone sunscreen invading my nostrils almost everyday while my mom slapped it on me. This was in the days before we had more choices available in the market. Then it was Banana Boat sunscreens, both of which I now detest with a passion. Its a personal thing – brings back memories of swimming lessons 🙂 I do however thank her for her foresight in protecting my skin from those harmful UV rays when it was not in vogue to!
However, because we are all different and our skins can tolerate different levels of chemicals or products and we all have different requirements and preferences, I’m afraid there is no THE sunscreen I can recommend. I can however tell you which are the ones I have tried and which I like to use.
For the face, I will place my money on either of these sunscreens or sunblocks, all of which offer UV-A and UV-B protection:-
- La Roche Porsay Anthelios XL Fluid Cream SPF50 PA+++
- Vichy UV-Active Anti-pigmentation fluid sunscreen SPF50 PA+++
- Clinique Face Cream sunscreen SPF30 or SPF50 PA +++
- L’Oreal UV Perfect sunscreen SPF50
- Eucerin White Solution Whitening Extra Treatment Fluid SPF40
For the body, these are the ones I use:-
I have said time and again that my personal preference lies towards chemical mixed with physical sunscreens and I’ve worked out Zinc Oxide is not for me so I stick to products with Titanium Dioxide. If you prefer sunscreens that are natural or mineral based Vivawoman has some good references. 🙂
I also prefer a cream texture as opposed to liquid textures as found in Japanese type sunscreens. I find that sunscreens that are very liquid or that dry matte tend to have high alcohol content and makes my skin feel dry and papery or weird so I stick to creams which might make some feel oily. Again, its a personal preference – there’s no right or wrong.
We’ll discuss SPF and PA ratings some other day k? For now, lets just keep it to what sunscreens you like to use. Do share with us:-
What is your favourite sunscreen or sunblock for face and/or body?
Stay beautiful,
Paris B
Wow…I have so much to learn about sunscreen =p thanks for the review.
hi im so sorry if this is already asked to death but uh i guess i’ll still ask (;
is there a need to differentiate between sunscreen/sunblock for the face and for the body? im currently using neutrogena’s ultra sheer spf55 and you mentioned that you use it for your body. not that i’ve any big problems with neutrogena on my face since i wouldnt say that it gives me breakouts. would like to find out if i am doing any harm to my skin? yes no why? 😀
appreciate your advice, truckloads of thanks (;
I’ll take this up in a future post 🙂 But briefly if something works for you, there’s no need to change because everyone isn’t doing it. Usually sunblock for the body tends to be thicker which might clog pores. Less of a problem on the body, more of a problem on the face. So if you don’t face problems using body sunblocks on your face, then you just saved yourself some money!
Kiel’s Ultra Light Daily UV Defense SPF 50 PA++