After reading so many reviews about this being thick and greasy, I knew it was time to write a review. I love the whole line of products and for rosacea this is great.

When you apply it, do it just as foundation, dot it on forehead, cheeks, nose and chin and blend. With sensitive skin never rub, but gently blend until face and neck is covered, then lightly blot face with tissue....no more greasy feeling!

I use this for days in the sun without foundation, and use Clinique redness solution protector under redness solution foundation, on days I what to dress up. Another thing to try is Clinique City Block spf 25 , which is tinted and is a physical block as well.

After having reactions to several products with chemical sunscreens in them, I finally figured out the problem and went in search of a good, non pore clogging physical sunscreen. Tried several, but they all seemed to dry out my skin and make it feel tight. Or, had oils and broke me out. Stumbled upon this in Walgreens and figured I would try it. Got a huge tube for 19.99, which will last for quite awhile. Four weeks later, this is HG. This is a thick formula, but I find if I pat it on then rub it in after it warms up it applies better. i agree that this probably isn't great for oilier skins, but on my sensitive, slightly dry skin it works great. I apply it after washing my face in the morning and it works like a moisturizer/sunscreen/primer in one. No white cast, but it is slightly shiny. No problem, as I wear mineral powder over it anyway. Then I get a slightly dewy effect. No cloggged pores, no acne, and no rashes, hives, or other side effects. Worked outside several days and not a bit of redness. Only con is the smell, which is a bit like burnt plastic. That does seem to fade after a few minutes, though. Will repurchase, but won't need to for a long time.

My absolute favorite all physical sunscreen!

Pros: SPF 60
7.5 percent Zinc Oxide and 7.5 percent Titanium Dioxide.
White cast disappears in less than a minute.
Initially thick and seeminly greasy, but it is silicone based, so the greasiness dissipates in a few minutes.
Stable.
The ZO and TD are very soothing to skin. I use this when I am doing TCA peels and it calms and comforts my skin as well as protecting it from the sun.
Fragrance and paraben free.

Cons: Not carried at most retailers, but can be found at Walgreens or online.

I'm on the hunt for a nice physical based ss to put on my body that's cosmetically pleasing enough to wear under clothes if need be , and relatively affordable . I found this . It's about 20 bucks at walgreens. It boasts a nice 7.5 zinc and 7.5 titanium which gives broad spectrum protection . But I don't think it fits the bill . First I was looking at elta md's 50 sport which all though expensive , absorbs quite nicely and leaves no white cast, just a subtle brightening of where you put it . That however is near 45$ for a 8oz size . This isn't far behind it costs 20 per 4oz which is 40 if I bought the same amount . Elta has more zinc .
I could only see this working on someone whose skin is extremely dry and in the dead of winter, it's incredibly greasy, even a pea sized(literally) amount left my hand feeling greasy . And tacky . I can't even spread this on my arms (male here --with some arm hair) it balls up and is pasty white , forget it . I need something with a lighter, more fluid texture. Will not repurchase, in fact I'm returning it .for the hassle I might as well go with the elta md.

I have the most ridiculously sensitive, acne prone skin. The weird thing is that I had pretty decent skin up until my mid 20's (I am now 30). I had tried everything for my acne, and I've finally narrowed it down to diet and skincare ingredients. I haven't used SPF regularly due to the fact that it freaks out my skin. I have tried everything but I've been stuck with really dark hyperpigmentation because I couldn't wear SPF on my face. I've tried EVERYTHING. Chemical sunblock ingredients break me out, and physical sunblock ingredients leave a really obvious gray/white cast on my tan/olive complexion. I came across a web article written by a dermatologist where she recommended different facial sunscreens. She recommended Vanicream for sensitive and acne skinned-folks like myself. I thought to jaded self, "Yeah, right!!!"

I was at at Walgreens last week, and saw this tube on sale for $3.00 off. I debated for a while, because I really believed that I was going to have to add this to my "tried it, but it sucks" cabinet of beauty products. And it's getting quite full....I really should just throw stuff away, but I always stop myself because deep down I believe I was going to magically be able to use it one day.

So needless to say, I bought the Vanicream and I've used it everyday for about 10 days now....and it is UH-MAZING! I feels very soothing, and does not irritate my super sensitive cheeks AT ALL. It makes for a wonderful primer underneath my Everyday Minerals medium olive mineral makeup. I use Mario Badescu's rosewater mist to help set my makeup, and my skin looks so freaking good! WHEW!!! This is the longest review I've ever written....and it's because I am so in love with this sunscreen!!!

Over the past several years my face has gradually become sensitized to -- as far as I can tell -- every chemical sunscreen. Last year I used only sunscreens containing physical blockers (Eucerin Sensitive Skin, Neutrogena Baby), but you can imagine my horror this spring when I discovered that I had also become sensitized to some ingredient on both of those sunscreens. I have to imagine that the ingredient in question is part of the inactive ingredients, but that doesn't make much difference when your face feels like it's on fire and is rough and flaky the next day. I tried California Baby "super sensitive" products and they too burned.


Vanicream was my last ditch effort before I went to $50/tube products and ate beans for the rest of my life to finance them. As another reviewer said, it's not the most cosmetically elegant cream in the world. But if you, like me, have faced the prospect of living the rest of your life under long sleeves and floppy hats then you will completely understand the joyous hallelujahs that met this cream.


It's very very shiny even after it's been rubbed in -- I don't want to go on rubbing for too long because surely at some point I'll just rub it off. But a good translucent loose powder does the trick -- I use Coty Airspun but I don't see why another powder wouldn't work as well. This keeps me acceptably matte for about four hours and then I can powder again, no big.


This cream is very hard to wash off with soaps and regular cleansers. Oil cleansers or cold cream do a great job removing it though.

EDIT 5/2013 I found a more cosmetically elegant sunscreen I can use -- Paula's Choice Ultimate Anti-Aging Hand Cream, which is spf30 and I usually tolerate well. But I've started using glycolic acid and retin-A, and at times my skin has been pretty touchy and sensitive. At those times I turn to the Vanicream, because it is always soothing and I never react to it. In fact, I'm going to try to use it more often because it's so soothing it's like a treatment for my skin -- I am less dry and more clear adn glowy after wearing it for a couple days, and it actively calms down any irritation I have.

So around 2 years ago, I had a severe allergic reaction that made my skin sensitive to EVERYTHING, since then I haven't been wearing any sunscreen because I consider sun damage preferable to walking around with inflamed rashes. However, I discovered this when my derm introduced me to vaniply and I did some research into the company.This is literally the single sunscreen that I don't react to. I strongly recommend this if you have very sensitive skin. It does have a greasy finish but I just brush a layer of mineral powder on top. Also, if you want to test for reactions before commiting, you can email and request a sample pack from psico, the company.

This is not the most cosmetically elegant sunscreen out there but considering the fact that it doesn't leave a white cast on me, I like it a lot. I use this for the back of my hands, my body and occasionally my face when I'm snowboarding. It's great for dry skin whereas Neutrogena's sensitive skin (all physical) sunscreen was so drying on my (body) skin. With that being said, using this on my face definitely leaves a shine. I sacrifice however and I put on mineral powder over it and that solves the problem. I keep this in my purse in case I find myself in the sun and I want to protect various exposed parts of my body.

It's beyond me how this got such a high rating. Contrary to the reviews I've read, the problem is not the shimmering which tones down if you rub it after it dries out, but the white cast which is noticeable. It could be acceptable for a femaile with or without foundation on top, but for a male it's a definite no-go. It just looks too powdery and 'made up'. In its defense, the whitenes is much less than other all physical sunscreens but yet visible enough to be unacceptable. It is hard to remove it with a regular cleanser - had to use oil based one. It goes back to Walgreens.

Agree with the others, this sunscreen is best for dry skin. There is no white cast all, its easy to spread. It leaves a shiny finish that takes time to sink in. It works well for my dry skin and I like it. Its in fact the only product so far that's given me a dewy look.


EDIT: Did not work at all in tropical weather. I tanned noticably despite salthering this on and walking around with an oily look.