Alba Botanica • Very Emollient Sunblock SPF 30 • Sunscreen

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*TOP REVIEWER* jskellis on 12/26/2012 10:43:00 PM more reviews by jskellis

Age: 19-24   Skin: Very Oily, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Blond, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I have this in the green fragrance free version.


This is probably the worst mineral sunblock I've used. I'm very pale and it leaves a terrible white cast with 1/4 tsp. Worst of all, it's so tacky that it never sinks in and makes my makeup brush stick to my face instead of gliding along top of my skin.


My foundation which I normally love sank into my pores and got patchy and cakey and just looked terrible.

The ppd is on the lower end of pa+++ with 14.5 percent zinc but I would never ever wear this without being selfconscious the whole time.

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ishhara on 5/19/2012 5:59:00 PM more reviews by ishhara

Age: 25-29   Skin: Oily, Olive, Neutral   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I bought this as I was rushing off to a day long road trip and needed sunscreen ASAP. This was on-sale at the local health food store for $6. My other choice was Badger's sunscreen, but I chose AB's not only because of the price but because of the consistency and the lack of smell.


So far, I'm pretty impressed. For natural sunscreen with non-irritating/harmful ingredients, it blends in pretty well and has decent protection. According to Alba Botanica's website, they don't use nanoparticles, which is a plus. I greatly prefer mineral sunscreens opposed to the chemical stuff, as long as the particle size isn't small enough to be harmful.


To those who have never used natural sunscreens before: don't expect it to be like the chemical stuff. It will take a little bit of time and rubbing for it to melt into your skin. It feels like a slightly greasy viscous lotion. Not as bad as Badger's (which looks like dried toothpaste when I tried it at the store), but it won't be as liquid as the traditional drug store types. At first, there will be a pale sheen on your skin due to the minerals, but that will go away in a few minutes.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Laski on 5/11/2011 3:48:00 AM more reviews by Laski

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

A very good mineral sunscreen with great antioxidant ingredients, and it is even moisturizing! Of course, at first there is a very witish cast, but that disappears entirely after rubbing it in thoroughly, I need about 2 minutes for this. As I realized last year that my skin acts up when I use chemical sunscreens, this is well invested time for me. It doesn´t irritate my skin, I can even use it in the eye area (no burning or watering eyes) , moisturizes very well and protects really good. Also recommended by Beautypedia for Rosacea-victims, if I remember correctly. Great product - though I can imagine that on really hot days, it will be a bit too rich for my skin. For the rest of the time, I find it almost perfect!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

luckygreenclover25 on 3/30/2011 8:31:00 PM more reviews by luckygreenclover25

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I have the Mineral Protection, Fragrance Free version of this sunblock (the one in the green tube). The ingredient list is impressive, which is the main reason I bought it. It is a purely physical sunblock, which is not easy to find. However, I was disappointed. It is greasy, sticky and the consistency is super thick (like toothpaste). This makes it difficult to blend. If this is meant for the entire body, the tube seems too small (only 4oz). I've read you need at least one shot glass full of sunscreen to cover your entire body properly, which is 1oz. So technically this only provides 4 applications. I will use up what I have, but I wouldn't repurchase or recommend this product.

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RoseMe on 1/20/2011 4:01:00 AM more reviews by RoseMe

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

Amazing quality sunscreen. One of the most under-rated gem in the sun protection skincare.

You can buy it for less than $6 at iHerb.com.
You can use coupon code HIH374 for $5 off, making it less than $3 including shipping.

You really can't buy a better sunscreen than this. Non-oily, smooth, feels luxurious on both face and boy. Love!

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queenstar on 1/2/2011 1:50:00 AM more reviews by queenstar

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I like this product. One of the best sunscreens I ever had.I have acne prone skin and this product does not break me. It is non-greasy, rubs in clear and has very light fragrance which I like.I will definitely purchase again!

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CatEye5 on 7/2/2010 12:40:00 AM more reviews by CatEye5

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Red   Eyes: Blue    

I used this all-physical sunscreen for several weeks as a body sunscreen for exercise in the sun. The color is slightly off-white with a pinkish beige tone; it rubs in clear. It's very thick and stayed on well through vigorous exercise in heat. I'm quite pale, and after a few weeks I think I tanned very slightly wearing this; I never burned.

Downsides for me: It has a sweet fragrance that I consider stronger than desirable; some may enjoy it. The texture is too thick and the finish not fine enough for me to use as a facial sunscreen.

Here's package label info:
New and Improved (purchased in spring 2010)
Alba Botanica very emollient Sunblock
Mineral protection aloe vanilla SPF 30

Ingredients: Zinc oxide 12%, Titanium dioxide 1%
Aqua (water), caprylic/capric triglyceride, dimethicone, ethylhexyl palmitate, sorbitan sesquioleate, glycerin, Butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), glyceryl isostearate, polyglyceryl-3 polyricinoleate, Vitis vinifera (grape) seed oil, Aloe barbadensis leaf juice(1), Camellia sinensis left extract(1), Chamomilla recutita (matricaria) flower extract(1), Echinacea purpurea extract, Ginkgo biloba leaf extract, Magnesium sulfate, polyhydroxystearic acid, Sodium chloride, Tocopheryl acetate, Benzyl alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Coumarin, Fragrance (Parfum). (1) = Certified organic.

Cruelty free: Leaping bunny on tube."100% Vegetarian Ingredients. No Animal Testing."

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*TOP REVIEWER* CarolinaMidwife on 6/28/2010 6:27:00 PM more reviews by CarolinaMidwife

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Olive   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

Stay away from this one if you actually desire sunblock; I'm actually angry at the product.


Like many folks I had recently read up on the unfortunate evidence that most of the drugstore sunblocks are not only made mostly of poison but many of them are lying about their SPF factors. So, being a melanoma survivor and a mother of two young children I decided to switch to more natural brands, namely this one and Jason.


After ONE hour the pool my daughter was burned wearing this sunblock. Luckily, my kids wear sunblocking rash guards or her whole body instead of just her little face would have been burned.

I generally like Alba, especially their Very Emollient lotion but their sunblock (at least this version) belongs in the trash.

5 out of 9 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No