Remember how I was desperate for a sunscreen that fit all of my requirements? Well, I have found something that is close to perfect. For the first time ever, someone produced a clear mineral sunscreen!
The Sonnenöl LSF 30 from Eco Cosmetics has an SPF of 30, is pure mineral, nano-free, organic, alcohol-free, PEG and paraben free, vegan, carbon-neutral and it turns into a parachute when you press the secret button.
Actually Eco Cosmetics offers two similar products: one is a "sun oil" and the other one is a "gel", and the only difference between the two is that the gel contains Trihydroxystearin. The gel is actually a misleading name, it is an oil but slightly more sticky than the sunscreen labeled "oil" (I only tested them out in the store, so maybe long-term usage would reveal some more differences).
Eco Cosmetics Sonnenöl review:
The Eco Cosmetics Sonnenöl feels very much like an oil, in fact it is mostly oil. My skin absorbs a thin layer of it pretty soon, however I always do two to three layers to get the maximum protection. This means I have to matt it with a powder. My skin ends up looking lightly glow-y. I suppose I could get it completely matt, but I'm not a huge fan of that look. My skin is dry to normal in the summer, and though the product feels a bit heavy it has not given me breakouts or blocked pores. However it's possible that someone with very oily skin might have difficulties with the Eco Cosmetics Sonnenöl. Someone with a dry skin will probably love this product.
The Eco Cosmetics Sonnenöl has a slightly orange tinge, so it's important to blend it around the edges of the face (which I totally neglected to do the first few times I used it).
One big negative is the price: I coughed up 25€ for 50ml. I hope that in the future the price will go down along with the oiliness factor -- this will probably happen when other brands bring out similar products.
The ingredient list is beautifully simple. Nothing that could dry out or irritate the skin: no alcohol, perfume, parabens. It's probably perfect for very sensitive skin.
INCI: Pongamia Glabra Seed Oil*, Titanium Dioxide, Punica Granatum Seed Oil*, Hippophae Rhamnoides Oil*, Tocopherol, Peach Extract.
Here I am with the Eco Cosmetics Sonnenöl on my face:
Application below makeup:
I am right now experimenting with applying the Eco Cosmetics Sonnenöl under and over makeup. I use the sunscreen on a bare face (I skip moisturiser because the sunscreen is rich enough). If I apply sunscreen as the base, I matt it with good old potato starch. Mineral makeup goes on quite well on top of that, however I am always worried about rubbing off the sunscreen. Also, I have to wash my brushes very often as they get oily very quickly.
Application on top of makeup:
I have also tried to apply the Eco Cosmetics Sonnenöl over foundation. This works pretty well over mineral foundation, concealer, green correcting powder and the mineral bronzer (for conturing); because minerals "stick" to the skin well and you need to use so few of them that there is not much to smear around anyway. I pat on the sunscreen instead of rubbing it on, and wait a bit for it to sink in. I matt it with a beige finishing powder, usually with Hide-A-Pore from Sweetscents which makes everything look smoother. I apply blush and sometimes highlighter (again, both mineral) on top, lightly patting and rolling with a brush.
I got it in my local organic supermarket. If you live outside of Germany, you can buy it from here, here are the shipping costs overseas (use Google translate) -- so far they have the best shipping rates to other countries. You can also find it on Ebay (enable international search), for example from this seller.
If anyone of you has tried this, I'd love to hear your impression!
