My standards for sunscreen are pretty high: purely mineral, free from
nano-particles, with no or little alcohol, must not make my skin look
white. Especially the last point is difficult: my skin is warm and I am
not pale, so I often read review that a certain product leaves barely
and white traces and then I'm sorely disappointed. I also like my
sunscreen to contain zinc oxide, as this is the only thing that gives
protection from the full UVA spectrum.
For anyone who hasn't been following my sunscreen journey: I avoid chemical sunscreens because they are often not photostable and may react with other products on your skin, they are not immediately effective, apart from Avobenzone they don't offer protection from UVA, and some ingredients work similar to hormones in our body. Mineral sunscreen doesn't have to be reapplied every two hours if you don't rub it off, and usually offers better UVA protection. I stay away from nano-sized ingredients since they penetrate into the blood stream and there is still way too little research about the effect of that. Also, nano-sized particles offer worse UVA protection. This paper is very interesting if you want an insight into the pros and cons of mineral ingredients and nano-particles, it especially highlights the fact that there haven't been enough studies on the subject. I imagine that in the next couple of years new research will change what we know about sunscreen.
My favourite sunscreen so far is Kimberly Sayer. The only disadvantage is that it doesn't stay put when I sweat. Anyway, I wanted to expand my choices and have been testing out many other products: almost everything from the Eco Cosmetics range, Melvita ProSun SPF 50 and the Biosolis Extreme Fluid 50+ which you have seen on Facebook. I decided not to write a detailed review post on each since none turned out to be my holy grail. The Eco Cosmetics SPF 30 (tinted) worked pretty well as long as I used something to mattify it (Hide-A-Pore from Sweetscents is perfect). Everything else took a powder and foundation to look presentable because they are all either really white or a very cool beige, which might work well for some people but not on my warm skin tone. They all need to be mattified. Apart from that not all of the Eco Cosmetics provide full-spectrum protection.
The Biosolis Extreme Fluid 50+ has the advantage of being scent-free and very affordable, plus it is full-spectrum, and it's quite affordable.
The Melvita ProSun SPF 50 is a blueish white which is very noticeable on my skin. The scent is rather heavy. It is full-spectrum.
All of these are going to be applied on my body, hands, kids and paler friends.
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| It blends almost perfectly with my skin |
Alga Maris Creme Solaire Teintee SPF 30 review:
This sunscreen blew me away with how good it is. First of all: no white cast and no greasiness! It looks like a light foundation or a BB cream. The finish is creamy matte, it evens out the skin colour but does not provide a lot of coverage. It glides on really easily and is easy to blend, and once it has set (around 5 minutes) it does not gather in the creases of the skin. The ingredient responsible for the pretty satiny finish is silica. Other
than that the sunscreen contains aloe vera and algae extract, so it has
some skin care benefits.
On to its properties as sun protection: the Alga Maris tinted sunscreen provides full-spectrum coverage, the titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are micronised but not nano. There is no alcohol, so it doesn't dry me out. It has not broken me out or blocked my pores. The product is water resistant which is perfect since in the summer I sweat when I'm on my bike.
The scent is a bit coconutish, but it disperses after a bit -- I can't smell it on me after a while, though normally I'm really sensitive to smells. Some reviewers don't like the smell, however since we aren't exactly spoilt for choice when it comes to good physical sunscreen I'd say it is a minor issue. If the scent bothers you, apparently the SPF 50 from the same brad is unscented.
On to its properties as sun protection: the Alga Maris tinted sunscreen provides full-spectrum coverage, the titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are micronised but not nano. There is no alcohol, so it doesn't dry me out. It has not broken me out or blocked my pores. The product is water resistant which is perfect since in the summer I sweat when I'm on my bike.
The scent is a bit coconutish, but it disperses after a bit -- I can't smell it on me after a while, though normally I'm really sensitive to smells. Some reviewers don't like the smell, however since we aren't exactly spoilt for choice when it comes to good physical sunscreen I'd say it is a minor issue. If the scent bothers you, apparently the SPF 50 from the same brad is unscented.
I wear it over a bit of concealer, and usually wear a bit of bronzer or blush on the top, otherwise the skin can look a bit flat. If you have oily skin, I'd suggest using a starch-based powder below (or even a dusting of pure cornstarch or rice powder or arrowroot starch) below the sunscreen. The Alga Maris sunscreen evens out my skin tone and lightly cancels out the redness, so I don't feel the need of wearing foundation over it.
The Alga Maris sunscreen comes in three shades: white, tinted-light and tinted-dark. I chose the light one which isn't that light -- it leans warm and I'd call it light-medium. The dark one is probably meant for persons with brown skin. If you feel that you are in between shades, you can mix them together. Greenconscience not only swatched of all of shades of the Alga Maris sunscreen, but experimented with mixing them (on the bottom). I don't normally advocate mixing sunscreen but in this case it is the exact same product just with different colours.
The Alga Maris SPF 30 is certified organic and vegan.
The Alga Maris SPF 30 is certified organic and vegan.
The bottom line: Personally I can't find fault with this sunscreen, it's everything I have wished for. However it would be great if the brand came out with a cooler tint as well as an unscented version.
