Physical Fusion UV Defense SPF 50

EDIT: started to sting my skin that’s currently sensitized from tretinoin :( Drunk elephant sheer is 20% zinc, moisturizing, silicone free and totally non stinging so that’s what I’m using for now. I’ll come back to skinceuticals once I’m fully retinized!! I can’t think of a 100% mineral/physical sunscreen I like more in all regards. And I’ve tried MANY. Probably the most universally outstanding aspect is that it isn’t the goopy thick white cast of many mineral blocks. It is totally invisible. I have the large 4.2 oz size and it’s absolutely worth it on discounted auto-ship from Dermstore. It’s a very lightly tinted thin watery liquid that you have to shake up. A little bead inside makes a noise. It goes very far... I normally hate when people say that about sunscreens because you’re SUPPOSED to apply generously haha but being a thin liquid this one really does spread very well and is worth every penny. I blend/pat generously into face, ears, neck, chest if displayed (over my plethora of skincare products and moisturizers). After it absorbs, it is neither matte nor dewy on my normal 40 year old skin. It totally sinks in and just looks like your skin. After being a makeup fiend for a long time, I gradually started loathing makeup. I don’t wear it anymore, save light brow powder and tinted gloss or balm, so I like this type of sunscreen. That being said, the tint IMO is more to eliminate the standard ghostly cast of mineral spfs. Men could totally wear this. Ya don’t need a mirror or anything. Great for the beach too in this regard. All skin tones from pale to deep would appreciate the tint to prevent a white mask. This doesn’t have bells and whistles - like you definitely need a moisturizer under. No fancy skincare actives. But it does a damn good job of cosmetically pleasing sun protection! I trust anything this brand makes. I recently read that the reason they say to reapply sunscreen every 2 hours is because it loses efficacy on your skin then, NOT that you’re swimming/sweating it off! Of course if swimming/sweating reapply immediately. Armed with that fact, I do reapply nowadays, and not only outdoors but just sitting around in winter rain etc. I use retin a and acids and stuff and I’m not getting any younger. This reapplies great. Either over itself or another spf/tinted or non. I have many tinted and non tinted spf products (including very sheer, high spf tinted moisturizers) that I rotate between day to day, and even within the same day with reapplication. For example sometimes I put my Perricone face finishing or Laura mercier spf 30 tinted moisturizers over it throughout the day. This sunscreen plays well with others (other spfs and also anything you have on under or over it skincare or makeup wise). I don’t see why anyone wouldn’t like it. I will always have in my arsenal.

This is a nice light ss with a tint to it. The color meshed well into my fair skin. I was doing well with this product at first, but it eventually started to irritate my skin & cause pimples. I have very sensitive, rosacea skin. Maybe someone with not so sensitive skin would be fine with this product. I will not repurchase. I wish I knew what ingredient(s) are causing the issue.

This is a very good tinted mineral sunscreen that feels lightweight on the skin and neutral in terms of moisture. The tint is a neutral that would work on many skin tones (the fairest might find this a bit dark and anyone past dark olive skin would surely find it too light). This does wear relatively pleasantly all day long. Something about it doesn't quite work for me - like it dries down to the point that my face feels a tiny bit tight...I'm not quite sure how to explain it, and it isn't consistent, but there might be something in the formula that just slightly irritates my skin. However, this sunscreen is very reliable for sun protection that looks flattering. I wore this to an outdoor wedding this summer and my face looked good the entire afternoon and evening. It is tenacious and worth considering.

This is my holy grail of sunscreens. I've been using it for years and have gone through many bottles. I've tried a lot of other products but am never tempted to stray. Here is what I love about it: It's tinted! On lazy days, applying this gives me just enough light coverage to blur imperfections and get away with no makeup. It's thin. A very lightweight fluid that is very easy to spread around the whole face and absorbs quickly. It's physical. No chemical blockers in here. I've noticed that chemical sunscreens tend to make my face greasy and dull. It's SPF 50, which means great coverage and NO sunburn. It doesn't interfere with makeup. I wait a few minutes after applying to let it set a bit and then proceed with my makeup as usual. I think this actually acts as a primer quite well. Now, the one downside is that it's by Skinceuticals and that means it's kind of expensive. A 1.7 oz bottle costs $34, but considering that it will last a few months and will help keep wrinkles and melanoma away, I think that's well worth it.

My experience with the Skinceuticals Physical Fusion UV Defense is quite similar to LPomona's below. I'd been searching for a sunscreen that wouldn't irritate my late-40s, sensitive, mild rosacean, combo skin, and that I could wear on my eyelids and up to my eyes without stinging. This sunscreen does that. I do have to apply a light lotion (right now, that's Cetaphil moisturizing lotion) on cheeks and dry areas first though, and let that sink in for a bit, before applying this sunscreen on top. Otherwise, it can be a bit drying for me. I find that this method of application works best for me: Shake the bottle well, measure out 1/4 tsp, put that on my held-tightly-together fingertips of one hand, pat the fingertips of the two hands together to distribute, then pat it all over my face, spread it gently, then pat it in again. (I find that gently patting it in, rather than rubbing, then waiting a few minutes for it to absorb, works well for this sunscreen.) It takes a few minutes to absorb but once it does, it looks lovely and natural -- neither too shiny nor too matte. When I use the recommended 1/4 tsp for my face, that's enough coverage for me to go without foundation. The coverage is fairly sheer but has a mild blurring effect that tones down the redness on my cheeks. It doesn't cover it completely but I don't need it to. It just makes my skin look very natural but more even-toned. As for the tint, it works well for my MAC NC23-ish/MUFE Ultra HD Y245, light-to-light-medium Asian skin with slight yellow and olive undertones. I assume the PA/PPD (UVA) protection on this isn't the greatest, given that the zinc oxide percentage is only 5%. I wear this as a daily sunscreen on workdays or casual weekend days when I'm not going to be out in the sun much. When I'm going to be outdoors longer, or for workouts, I use a different sunscreen (currently I'm trying out Rotho Skin Aqua Super Moisture Milk).

I just realized that I've never reviewed this gem, though I've been using it happily for years. My skin is normal, slightly dry, & "mature," and this sunscreen is the most cosmetically elegant formula that I've ever used, by a wide margin. I am NC20, semi-light with yellow undertones. FWIW, the foundations that I prefer are yellow-toned and/or olive-toned. I mention this because this ss is a tinted formula, and it works beautifully with my coloring. That's not to say it wouldn't work just as well with people who have different coloring: I'm just giving you my relevant information. The tinted formula looks lovely - gives just a bit of a sun-kissed look, but not OTT at all. No one's going to ask me if I've "been away" or anything. I just look healthy & well taken care of. (As a point of comparison, the shade of this formula is significantly lighter than that of La Roche-Posay Anthelios - tinted - Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50. So if LRP tinted mineral formula is too dark for you, I'd highly recommend trying SkinCeuticals.) It's not matte & not super-glowy. On me it gives a real skin finish with just a touch of *natural-looking* glow on the high points of your face. It's a light formula (watery, actually) & even though I use as much as you're supposed to (1/4 tsp for face), I never feel it on my skin. It is absorbed completely, leaving me with perfectly touchable skin. And . . . (Bonus Ball!) . . . with this sunscreen I don't need, or use, foundation. Borderline unbelievable, but true. My sun spots are almost completely covered, but it's not a "concealer" type of coverage. What I mean is that the slight glowiness of the formula is such that light is reflected away from the spots, so even though they're still *slightly* visible, they're very much blurred. Yay! Also, I pat it on right up to my eyelashes on top & bottom, so the fragile skin around my eyes is fully protected, and there's never any reaction with my eyes. Never. Again, this tinted formula is perfection for me - like I just happen to have lovely skin that needs no makeup. Can you say dream-come-true? Unlike many mineral sunscreens, this formula does not dry out my normal/semi-dry skin in any way. At the end of the day I take it off easily with Shu cleansing oil and all is well. I've gone through many bottles of this over the years, & it's the only sunscreen I've ever owned that I truly love to use. It should go without saying, but it keeps my skin looking well cared for, though I also make a point of staying out of the mid-day sun. I hope this helps you in your quest for your perfect sunscreen :D

My skin: mature, reactive/sensitive, acne prone, combination with some dry areas. My face seems happiest with the fewest products possible on it during the day. I've tried so many facial sunscreens and this is the best of the bunch - have now used it for 2yrs. Other sunscreens (high end/low end) cause major breakouts or irritation after a few days. I've had minimal problems with this sunscreen ... but there are issues. The tint - I find it better than the SkinCeuticals no-tint version which does have a white cast to it in some light. However the color is a bit greyish for the summer months. So I need to use a bronzer on top. There is no scent to this which is great. Tends to dry my skin and does cause some flakies. So I use a light moisturizer under it some days. Clogs my pores. So I have to make sure I remove every bit of it each evening ... two pre-cleansings with coconut oil and then a good cleanser. Once or twice a week, I use a glycolic cleanser. And a cleansing mask weekly. I find that I have to use a fairly thick application if I don't want to tan/color. My skin tans quickly ... and at this age, that means age spots. But as I said, best of the bunch and as far as facial sunscreens go - it's my holy grail.

This is a runny tinted daily sunscreen, probably a good option for those with normal to oily skin. Price: I bought this as a sample in an attempt to find a daily use sunscreen. I will not be purchasing a full-size bottle, but I believe its price per ounce is in line with other comparable brands like Elta MD, Drunk Elephant or Shiseido. Packaging: The samples I got were in tiny tubes, which were not great. The product leaked everywhere, even when the tubes were upright with the lids screwed on. Product: This is called Universal Tint; I don't know if this claim is true. It has a fluid texture and disappeared into my skin easily enough; I wonder if the drippyness I experienced was due to being unable to fully shake the small sample tubes. I don't recall any scent, which scored points, but after putting this on, my skin felt . . . . tight, somehow? And the mess the samples left all over my counter (several times) didn't make me overly enthused about the idea of purchasing a much larger bottle and possibly experiencing drips every time I had to put this on. I ended up with EltaMD's clear, which has more of a cream texture and much easier to contain in my hand.

This is identical to La Roche Posay tinted mineral spf 50. The only difference is Skinceutical one doesn't go with liquid makeup and it's a little more metallic tint. For sunscreen, I will definitely go with traditional big names like LRP. Even though certain gorgeous sunscreen ingredients are still not allowed in US (hard to believe...), LRP and Shiseido are still making more superior sunscreen product. And, I'd rather run to Target to get my LRP than waiting for a week by ordering from Skinceutical website.

A top-notch sunscreen with a nude tint -- I was sold as soon as I hear about this product in a summer issue of Better Homes & Gardens. The tint isn't a replacement for foundation or concealer, but it does act to blur imperfections and not leave a white cast like other sunscreens tend to. At $34 for a 1.7 ounce squeeze bottle, it's not cheap but it's fairly priced. Dermstore.com always has some coupon code floating around so I bought my first bottle for $27 shipped (it won't be my last).