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As summer approaches, I’m on the hunt for a solid facial sunscreen that won’t break me out or feel too heavy, so I picked up the EltaMD Sunscreen to review and test out. It has pretty great reviews on Amazon, so I was really hopeful it would work well for me as well.
Although I feel like I’ve found a body sunscreen I really like – Australian Gold Botanical Sunscreen, I’ve yet to find a really great facial sunscreen.
A lot feel too heavy on my skin, sticky, or break me out. I need one that won’t do any of those things, while still providing really good coverage because as someone with fair skin, I need it!
The EltaMD UV Clear Sunscreen is SPF 46. It’s oil free, and formulated specifically for sensitive and acne prone skin. Sounds like the perfect facial sunscreen for me!
A few highlights from the EltaMD Amazon page:
- 9.0% transparent zinc oxide
- Calms and protects acne-prone skin
- Leaves no residue
- Does not contain fragrance, oil, or parabens
- Antioxidant protection combats free radicals associated with ultraviolet (UV) and infrared radiation (IR)
- Helps protect against UVA (Aging rays) and UVB (Burning rays)
On Amazon, the average EltaMD Sunscreen review is 4.3 stars with over 3,200 reviews! Many of the reviews stated that this was recommended to them by their dermatologist, so that’s always a plus to know it’s often doctor recommended!
After using this for a few weeks, my EltaMD Sunscreen review is that I like it, but don’t love it. Truthfully after all the really great reviews, I had very high expectations, and it just didn’t quite meet them as much as I thought they would.
That being said, this is definitely the best facial sunscreen I have used so far. I can’t say that there are other facial sunscreens I currently like better than this one. But, I think when I use this up, I will keep searching.
UPDATE – I have FOUND THE ONE!! Finally have found my holy grail cruelty free facial sunscreen. Review linked here.
It is a pump bottle with a cap, and very easy to use. They use an air pump to dispense the product, meaning no product will be leftover in the bottle when you finish it up.
It applies really nicely, and I experienced no white cast whatsoever. It doesn’t take much to rub it in, but I felt like some product was left sitting on top of my skin. It didn’t dry down or absorb as much as I wanted it to, and my face definitely felt a little tacky. Not a lot, but noticeable to me.
One small complaint I have is no matter how much I wipe off the pump, a little bit of sunscreen gets on the cap. Not that big of a deal, but over time I see the cap getting very messy. And even though it’s just a little bit leaking into the cap, it’s still wasteful.
A major positive for this sunscreen is that it definitely did hydrate my skin, did not irritate my skin at all, and did not break me out whatsoever. It mostly left my skin feeling hydrated and moisturized. But like I said, I definitely could still feel a little bit on my skin, even hours later. I personally would prefer to not feel it at all.
Something to note with the EltaMD UV Clear Sunscreen is that it is NOT waterproof. It is not intended to be used while swimming in the ocean or pool or where ever else. This is more of a daily sunscreen, not an active, waterproof sunscreen.
Furthermore, it contains Octinoxate, which is one of the ingredients that can be harmful to the ocean’s reefs. Technically, this is not a reef safe sunscreen, but again, it’s not meant to be used in the water. This is not a chemical I know too much about, but I do know that some people do try to avoid it. Click here to read a bit more about it, if you’re interested.
Honestly, I think I would rather find a mineral face sunscreen to use, to not have to worry about any chemicals or ingredients sinking into my bloodstream. Also I like the “dry” feeling of mineral based sunscreens.
EltaMD UV Clear is a mineral based sunscreen, but still contains chemical sunscreen ingredients. So, if you’re trying to avoid those, this isn’t the sunscreen for you.
As I said, I’m not super knowledgeable in all the ins and outs of sunscreen ingredients, and I know it’s a hot topic right now. But I’d rather err on the side of caution, and stick with mineral based sunscreen so I don’t need to worry about what’s sinking in.
However, if that isn’t a concern of yours, the EltaMD UV Clear Facial Sunscreen is a solid product. It offered me wonderful sun protection and hydration. I could feel it on top of my skin, but not in a greasy way.
I didn’t have any irritation or breakouts using this product. It comes highly recommended from dermatologists as well, so it’s definitely a good product worth giving a shot!
Update: click here to read more on my favorite cruelty free facial sunscreen!
