Sephora Favorites Sun Safety Kit Face Sunscreens Reviews Part II (mediocre and good sunscreens)Shiseido, Korres, Supergoop

 

How to read ingredients:

Excellent (very beneficial ingredients, proven research)

Good (mostly beneficial ingredients, not extensive research available or just not quite outstanding properties)

OK (mostly thickeners, emulsifiers, mild preservatives, pH adjusters, all that is necessary formulation wise, but not a skincare per se) 
Bad (anything that shouldn't be in skincare, irritants and fragrance)

Mediocre

Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Cream SPF 50+ WetForce Broad Spectrum Water Resistant (36$ for 60ml)

 

Sunscreen Value:
Octinoxate 7.4%, Octocrylene 3%, Titanium Dioxide 1.4%, Zinc Oxide 16.4%
A mixture of chemical and physical sunscreen actives. These ingredients do provide a broad spectrum protection from UV rays. Personally this kind of combination does not irritate my eyes (usually two ingredients I can't tolerate around my eyes are avobenzone and homosalate).

Ingredients:

Water, Dimethicone, Sd Alcohol 40-B, Isohexadecane, Butylene Glycol, Isopropyl Myristate, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Lauryl Peg-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Xylitol, Glycerin, Polybutylene Glycol/Ppg-9/1 Copolymer, Isododecane, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Peg-6, Dextrin Palmitate, Peg-32, Peg/Ppg-14/7 Dimethyl Ether, Saxifraga Sarmentosa Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Ononis Spinosa Root Extract, Ectoin, Sophora Angustifolia Root Extract, Silica, Hydrogen Dimethicone, Carboxydecyl Trisiloxane, Aluminum Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Trisodium EDTA, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Talc, Alcohol, Bht, Syzygium Jambos Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance.  

Not an impressive formula. High concentration of irritating alcohol is used both as a preservative and a solvent for mineral sunscreen actives. There are some plant extracts that can potentially hold some antioxidant properties. However, they are all listed too low on the ingredient list, plus there is not enough research for most of them to prove their beneficial properties.

Fragrance:
Medium to light neutral fragrance.  

Texture/Wear:
This is a very thick formula, that (when applied liberally) leaves a greasy feel on the skin with quite a white cast (from mineral sunscreen). Not an easy product to use under make-up. I would say it can only work for sports/outdoors activities, both because of inelegant feel/look and quite tenacious water resistant properties. 

Verdict:
Not recommended. Very heavy and hard to work with texture. Not enough skin care ingredients and high concentration of alcohol. 

Korres Yoghurt Nourishing Fluid Veil Broad Spectrum SPF 30 (35$ for 50ml)

 

Sunscreen Value:

Avobenzone 3%, Homosalate 15%, Octinoxate 6.5%, Octisalate 5%, Octocrylene 10%
Chemical sunscreen with broad spectrum protection.

Ingredients:
Water, Alcohol Denat., Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Glycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Distarch Phosphate, Fragrance, Silica, Glyceryl Oleate Citrate, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Triheptanoin, Panthenol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Physalis Angulata Extract, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Ozonized Oryza Sativa (Rice) Callus Culture Extract, Glyceryl Caprylate, Lecithin, Phenylpropanol, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Yogurt Powder, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil.

Another alcohol based formulation. But this one also has quite a lot of fragrance. Even though this sunscreen has a small range of skin repairing ingredients and antioxidants, they would not be able to completely balance out irritation from alcohol and fragrance. Also preservative (phenoxyethanol) is too high on the list, and also can cause irritation.

Fragrance:
Though this coconut based fragrance doesn't seem heavy, it does linger on the skin for quite sometime after application (not a good sign).

Texture/Wear:
As most alcohol based fluid sunscreens it absorbs nicely into the skin. It is neither dry and powdery, nor super greasy. Out of three alcohol based sunscreens from Sephora kit (Clarins, Shiseido, Korres) this one has the best texture and feel on the skin.

Verdict:
Unfortunately, due to high amount of potentially irritating ingredients, I can not recommend this sunscreen. 

Good

Supergoop! City Sunscreen Serum SPF 30 (42$ for 50ml) 

 

Sunscreen Value:

Homosalate 8%, Octisalate 4%, Avobenzone 3%, Octocrylene 2%

Chemical sunscreen actives with broad spectrum UV protection.

Ingredients:

Water, Cyclomethicone, Isostearyl Neopentanoate, Glycerin, Ceteareth-20, Polypropylene, Cetostearyl Alcohol, Xantham Gum, d-panthenol, Octanohydroxamic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Silica, Triacontanyl PVP, Cetyl Dimethicone, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, PEG-40 Stearate, Tocopherol, Disodium EDTA , Pentylene Glycol, Panthenyl Triacetate, Sodium Lactate, Lactic Acid, Serine, Urea, Sorbitol, Sodium Chloride, Allantoin, Oleyl Alcohol, Ethyl Linoleate.

Very basic formula. Most skin beneficial ingredients are way too low on the ingredient list to really work properly. However, there are no irritants in this formulation.

Fragrance:

Fragrance free formula.

Texture/Wear:

This is a very liquid formulation. At first it blends into skin easily, but unfortunately, through the day I've noticed the product coming off my skin in white silicony pieces (that can compromise UV protection, and also doesn't look nice).

Verdict:

It is a good, but not exciting sunscreen option. Probably, what you put under sunscreen will affect whether it would come off your skin later or not. I recommend to try out sample first before committing to a full size product.