I find the Avene line great for sensative skin, so I thought I would try their suncare line. The texture of this sunscreen is very runny, so be careful when opening the tube. It would have been better if this product came in a pump form. It was easy to apply and it did not leave any white streaks behind, but then again I am very fair, so I did not notice. It did not take long to dry and it felt like velvet on my skin, no greasiness at all. I am happy with the texture, high spf factor (chemical and physical block), and last but not least, I didn't wake up with bumps on my face.

My dry, sensitive skin is pleased overall with this Avene SPF40 Lait for Children. I like that it is avobenzone-free, somewhat moisturizing (though I need to use extra moisture in the winter) and is fragrance-free.

The finish is somewhat matte (it does NOT look like an oil-slick). It takes a bit of work, but you can apply the full 1/4 tsp on your face (it starts out very white, but seems to turn clear as it dries). The texture is a runny milk, and you do have to work fairly quickly to prevent white streaks. Once it dries, it's very hard to get rid of these streaks. It can highlight any dry flakes.

There is only a very slight white cast, but though the finish is fairly matte, it is also very sticky/tacky. This can feel quite heavy at times. I stipple my foundation with MAC's 187 brush, and it seems to work fine with a nice finish.

The active ingredients are the Tinosorbs M + S, octinoxate, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide (Avene calls this combination MPI-SORB, which stands for "Mineral Protector Ingredients-SORB (as in TinoSORB). It also contains pre-tocopheryl, a photostable anti-oxidant which is the pre-cursor to vitamin E.

I like that this product contains photostable filters, which are a combination of mineral and chemical filters. The Tinosorbs, in particular, have very good UVA protection. The PPD is estimated to be 15-20. I used this while trekking through SE Asia and was really quite surprised to see that I got practically no color! I did not find it to be very water-resistant, so be certain to reapply.

The tube stands on a flip-top, which can be somewhat annoying as product tends to accumulate at the opening. It is about US$20 (not including shipping) for 100mL, which is a pretty good price.

All in all, this is currently my everyday ss as it is protective, photostable, fragrance-free, avo-free, moisturizing, dries fairly matte, and a decent price. Downsides are that it's sticky/heavy, and not very water-resistant.

Ingredients: Avène Thermal Spring Water (Avene Aqua), Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol, Water (Aqua), Cyclomethicone, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Glycerin, C-12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Stearyl Alcohol, PVP/Eicosene Copolymer, Butylparaben, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Decyl Glucoside, Disodium EDTA, Methylparaben, o-Cymen-5-OL, Phenoxyethanol, Propylene Glycol, Propylparaben, Sorbic Acid, Titanium Dioxide, Tocopheryl Glucoside, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Trimethoxycaprylylsilane, Xanthan Gum, Zinc Oxide continued >>

I purchased a tube of this earlier this year, so I hope I guessed correctly that I have the reformulated version. At any rate, I'm very pleased with this sunscreen, which contains Tinosorb M, Tinosorb S, and physical filters. Even with the physical filters, I don't have any problems using 1/4 tsp on my face, but I do find that if I'm too heavy-handed, it leaves a slight white cast on my NC20 skin. It does feel a tiny bit greasy, but nothing a light dusting of powder can't fix, and I'm more grateful that it doesn't seem to clog my highly clog-prone skin (though I should add that I use a retinoid, AHA, azelaic acid, and other exfoliants religiously). It rinses off easily with an oil-based cleanser.

I applied this sunscreen around 6am, hit the slopes a few hours later, and after a full day of skiing, my face had taken on only the teensiest, faintest, barely perceptible tan. My scalp and lips were another matter -- they were horribly sunburned. I suspect that I rubbed off some of the sunscreen (and compromised some of the protection) as I was constantly fiddling with my goggles and earband. Still, I'm pretty impressed with the performance of this sunscreen. I just wish we had an official PPD rating! I ordered this from leguidesante.com for around $15.

(EDITED TO ADD) According to Tubotica's site, these are the ingredients as of 2007:

Avène Thermal Spring Water (Avene Aqua), Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol, Water (Aqua), Cyclomethicone, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Glycerin, C-12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Stearyl Alcohol, PVP/Eicosene Copolymer, Butylparaben, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Decyl Glucoside, Disodium EDTA, Methylparaben, o-Cymen-5-OL, Phenoxyethanol, Propylene Glycol, Propylparaben, Sorbic Acid, Titanium Dioxide, Tocopheryl Glucoside, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Trimethoxycaprylylsilane, Xanthan Gum, Zinc Oxide.
New: C-12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Propylene Glycol.
Removed: Glyceryl Stearate, Ethylparaben, Isobutylparaben.

this is a chemical base sunscreen and i like that it is fragrance free too.
it didnt caused me any problems even though i have sensitive skin as sensitive skin should use physical sunscreen instead.it didnt make my face shine either and i find it a tad drying.