Skinceuticals • Sheer Physical UV Defense SPF 50 • Sunscreen

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LuluBr on 5/25/2013 4:25:00 PM more reviews by LuluBr

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Brunette, Wavy   Eyes: Hazel    

Another hit by SkinCeuticals. I have not tried a sunscreen with SPF50 that it totally invisible before, and this one is perfect. It was suggested by my local pharmacist. I am very pale (NC15) and I was looking for something light + high protection that does not leave any white residue/cast. This fits the bill.

You have to shake the bottle very well and apply the product on face and neck. It completely disappears and looks invisible. As it is silicone based it works also as a primer under the foundation.
Three problems: 1) the price is extortionate; 2) the scent is nasty (luckily it dissipates very quickly); 3) it contains only 50ml

Notwithstanding the three drawbacks mentioned above it is still the best sunscreen I have ever tried. I love SkinCeuticals products and this is one of my favourites. Such a shame it is not cheaper.

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LockMorgan on 5/12/2013 2:46:00 PM more reviews by LockMorgan

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Grey    

This is definitely an HG of mine! As pricey as it is, I need it since I have very light skin that burns easily (due to a ginger gene :P)
I got this from my doctor's office as I've been seeing her every few weeks to work through my acne. I asked her about sunscreen and this is what she recommended I get, along with telling me to mix it with foundation when I put it on. I was like, okay....
Putting it on the next morning, I understood why as I noticed the white cast that I got (and that other reviewers talk about) even after mixing it with foundation. I'm now mixing it with a slightly too dark very pigmented liquid concealer which works AWESOME. And for my foundation through the winter, I needed a white something to mix it with as it's ridiculous to find a foundation pale enough for my skin. The white cast isn't even that big of a deal for me since my skin is so light.
It is a tad drying, but that's good for me because I have oily, acne prone skin. The matte-ness doesn't last all day, but that's not a big deal for me. Dry skin, however, should avoid this sunscreen though.
Overall, it's a great product for me. Will definitely be buying for years to come!

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80sglamrock on 4/9/2013 11:45:00 PM more reviews by 80sglamrock

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Green    

This unfortunately was one of the worst sunscreens I've tried. This is EXTREMELY drying & even under a good moisturizer, this sucked every bit of moisture out of my skin while leaving it tight & dull. I know some have had success but I highly encourage any dry or dehydrated girls to try a sample or keep the receipt.

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Jhulagurl on 3/9/2013 7:51:00 PM more reviews by Jhulagurl

Age: 25-29   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

This broke my face out so badly, I think the zinc oxide is the culprit for the clogged pores. This is very occlusive on the skin since it is all physical sunscreen, which causes clogged pores since the skin cannot properly breathe. A chemical sunscreen is much better for acne clog prone skin, I highly recommend the L'Oreal SPF 50+ fluid- its awesome and so much cheaper! This feels a little heavy and leaves a white cast as well. DO NOT recommend for acne prone people! Its also super expensive : (

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*TOP REVIEWER* joy2uandme on 1/17/2013 12:21:00 PM more reviews by joy2uandme

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

This left white bits under my foundation. I found I could still feel it on my skin despite it's sheer quality and it's not as sheer or light as La Roche Posay ultra light sunscreen. It also made my rosacea flare, also disappointing because it is a physical sunscreen. I had high hopes.


According to Dermstore this version has been discontinued and now they are going with the tinted version which would probably work better in terms of white cast.


Overall I was disappointed in this especially in view of the hype it's been getting.

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Mareez on 1/6/2013 11:25:00 PM more reviews by Mareez

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

I really love this sunscreen as it's so light on my skin and gives my face a nice finish. I have a really oily t-zone and this doesnt make it worse. I would repurchase but its so expensive :(

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geecard on 11/3/2012 2:06:00 PM more reviews by geecard

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

It caused breakouts, which is unfortunate because otherwise it caused very little irritation... Which is very rare indeed for me. I had some luck with mixing it with my foundation on special occasions, but ultimately not worth the price.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Jocky80 on 9/30/2012 9:13:00 AM more reviews by Jocky80

Age: 30-35   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Green    

I agree with all that say that this leaves a white film on the face, yes it does. But for me it isn't a big problem, my face is darker then rest of my body, so it just makes it look more even.
for the mattifying part it is only so-so... better than many but not the best.
But still I love this sunscreen, just because it works great with my oily-acne face. No breakouts or irritation. Also i love the high Spf, I need that. I put on my sunscreen very early mornings and I want a sunscreen that will work all day, because I'm not going to apply more sunscreen on my face during the day.
Also loving that this is a physical sunscreen, Paula Begoun have sad that the are abit better of protectin the face from agespots...
I use this together with Paula's choice shinestopper and that does give a matte and shinefree face for 4h, after that I just use some paper to blot my face...

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kissykissy on 7/27/2012 7:52:00 AM more reviews by kissykissy

Age: 30-35   Skin: Dry, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I tried this after reading a lot of rave reviews on the skin care board. It definitely has a white cast--I'm extremely pale and I can use it to even out some of the sun damage spots on my face. I HATE the smell. It's runny. It offers so-so sun protection, but for the price I can buy almost 3x as much Biore Aqua Rich Watery Mousse (shipping incl), which has it's drawbacks but is easier to handle and reapply. I'll use up the bottle but will not repurchase.

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*TOP REVIEWER* junomacguff on 7/24/2012 8:41:00 PM more reviews by junomacguff

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Warm   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

I got a bottle of this to compare with the Physical Fusion which I ♥. This is exactly the same but without the tint. Very lightweight, liquid texture. It's non-whitening even though I slathered it on before going swimming this morning. Dried to a non-shiny finish, not quite matte either. We swam for 2 hours straight and no pink. I do prefer the Physical Fusion since it's tinted and helps even out my skintone, making me look like I'm wearing a little bit of makeup. So if the tint of the Physical Fusion isn't right for you, I'm NC15/N3 and it's perfect, the Sheer Physical might be worth a shot.

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*TOP REVIEWER* fivestar on 7/24/2012 7:48:00 AM more reviews by fivestar

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Blue    

This is for the tinted version. I use a moisturizer under it.
It does have great sunscreen ingredients but have to be careful to apply lightly or will look orange on me.
I use a translucent powder to even out the color.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Dimanta on 7/4/2012 9:28:00 AM more reviews by Dimanta

Age: 30-35   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

I love this sunblock. I tried it at my Spa and was told this is one of the best sunblocks out there (well, of course they would say that). However, I ended up loving it - I did not even purchase it yet, I like it based on my visits at the spa, when my esthetician applies this sunblock before I go out.
I was reading some comments below that people rate this product bad, based on the fact that Loreal tests on animals, and I think it's really wrong to do that. This is a product review, not a brand review. And - its very good that they test on animals! If they wont test in animals, they will test on human (did you know that?) and I would like to see how these "bad review people" go to be tested on (instead animals).

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*TOP REVIEWER* caramelkiss19 on 5/26/2012 11:42:00 AM more reviews by caramelkiss19

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Brown, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

Been using more than two weeks, very happy with this purchase. I'm a sunscreen newbie, have tried some in the past but never wanted to invest $ or time into finding one that wouldn't clog me. This is a wonderful tint for my skin-tone, does provide some coverage for me. I put about a nickel sized squirt in my palm and it covers my whole face generously. I love the packaging especially the "ball" that shakes around to blend the product before use. No additional breakouts or clogging from this. I do however see how in the dryer winter months this might not work for me as well. I'm not experiencing any white cast from this but I am fair skinned. Would like to try one other tinted sunscreen after this, after comparing the two i will determine if I will repurchase.

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windkey on 5/15/2012 2:38:00 PM more reviews by windkey

Age: 36-43   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

Update: I'm allergic to something in this. If I get it anywhere near my eyes, they swell and get irritated. I'm still using it (applying carefully) but boo!
_____________
I like this stuff reasonably well. I haven't had any problems with it leaving a white cast on my face (certainly nothing in comparison with, for instance, the Chanel primer I tried last week, which isn't even a sunscreen) and it stays on well, in comparison to my previous regular player, the Cliniderm Gentle. I think I'd probably actually give this more of a 3.5 -- it's close, but I'm not in love with it.

The good:
Thin formulation spreads easily, I don't have to use much to cover my entire face (which is good, considering the high price for my tiny bottle)
Dries well, doesn't peel or rub off on clothes as far as I can tell
No skin reactions, allergies or breakouts

The not-so-great:
It has a weird smell -- very faint, and it fades shortly after application -- but plasticky with maybe a hint of floral? Barbie's makeup bag? I don't know.
Dries shiny. Not that this is anything weird; the only sunscreen so far that I've tried that didn't was the Lise Watier, and that one made me break out.
The bottle sucks rocks. It's skinny-based and unstable and if it tips over it goes on a wild spinny flight through the bathroom. The tiny little spout opening means you don't lose much product in the adventure, but it's still annoying.
Expensive (almost fifty dollars with tax when I bought it) and hard to find (only sold by one place anywhere close to me).

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baronchow on 4/30/2012 10:40:00 AM more reviews by baronchow

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

Hubby and I wore this before a walk ... we looked like extras in the Twilight cast.

Blended, rubbed - I even put makeup powder on top. This stuff has a heavy white cast. Kinda heavy/greasy going on but then sets and is white and doesn't move. Matte, slightly powdery finish.

At the end of the day, my skin had some dry flaky spots -- moisture sucked dry -- so I'm thinking this would be great for oily skinned folks.

Apparently, it's a good idea to use a moisturizer, and/or primer with this ... sheesh -- way too much stuff on my skin. In the summer, I like to limit my routine to serum, bit of concealer, spf and a touch of bronzer.

Teeny bottle. Add to that - Skinceuticals tests on animals :-(

Too many negatives for me. For an Spf 50 - I'll stick to Sheseido.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Carrol on 4/5/2012 1:55:00 AM more reviews by Carrol

Age: 44-55   Skin: Very Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

Oh boy! I am totally cheesed off. I bought this from my derm doctor and have fallen in love with it. Great for my oily skin. No breakouts and very little skin aggravation and clogging. THEN I read the previous postings and found out that Skinceuticals is owned by L'Oreal - the dreaded company that does very cruel animal testing. Sadly, won't be repurchasing and would not suggest anyone else get it due to the animal testing L'Oreal does. So my rating is 1 (it doesn't allow a zero). L'Oreal and Skinceuticals, you should know better!


However, if you don't care about animal testing, the product is 4 lippies, but I will not go into details due to feeling so strongly about Skinceuticals being a part of L'Oreal.

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CorreLola on 3/16/2012 2:54:00 PM more reviews by CorreLola

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

This is hands down the best sunscreen product I've ever used. I found it while shopping during a very bright hot day last summer and decided to get it and apply it on my skin before hitting the street again. It is much more liquid than most sunscreens in the market, so it goes on smoothly, evenly and dries a little powdery, so you don't get that sticky feel typical of many good sunscreens. It never makes my skin feel greasy, even in the summer, and I can layer it on without feeling it's caked on my face. Two drawbacks: it's very costly at $30 for less than 2 oz. (ouch!), and it's hard to find in stores where I live (mostly dermatologists carry it), so I have to order online and that might mean waiting a few days between bottles.

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Ginger1234 on 3/8/2012 1:27:00 PM more reviews by Ginger1234

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

I tried using this sunscreen for almost a year and will not repurchase for two reasons:

Leaves a white cast/sickly effect on my NW15-20 skin;
Flakes horribly on random dry spots on my combination skin (even highlights dryness I couldn't see prior to application)

The positive aspects of this sunscreen include being very sheer and lightweight and also providing very good sun protection. The product wasn't worth the extra effort I had to make in order for it to work: adding color to counteract the sickly effect and using extra moisturizer to balance the dry spots (which made my skin feel too heavy and then negated the desire for a lighter-weight sunscreen).

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smhr on 2/9/2012 10:08:00 AM more reviews by smhr

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

I was disappointed in this. This provides decent suncreen protection and dries down to a soft, matte finish, but the tint is worse than Elta MD 41 tint, more ashy in color. I'm over these one tint fits all. I'll probally send this back and try Stila's new Illuminating SPF20 tinted moisturizer.

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nancyrd on 12/17/2011 11:57:00 PM more reviews by nancyrd

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

This is the best and most cosmetically elegant sunscreen I have ever used. After washing my face with Cerave hydrating cleanser I apply my Nia 24 skin strengthening complex. After about 5 minutes I shake the skinceuticals and put small drops on the top of my hand and then apply to my face a small area at a time. It is so great that I even use it as a primer if I am not going to be out in the sun. Over this I use Bobbie Brown tinted moisturizer in extra light. My dry as desert skin is soft, smooth and well hydrated and looks great.

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