:: Review :: IS Clinical Powder Sunscreen
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » Products Reviews Forum

free skin care · Sat Feb 18, 2006 2:15 am

Firstly, the reason I can give this review is because those wonderful people at EDS have again shipped my parcel to me so quickly (unbelieveable service).

Now to the sunscreen - I have the translucent one and even though I have a slight tan on my face, the powder was not visible.

What I loved:
1. After a day in the hot Australian sun, there was no hint of sunburn. It works.
2. I have oily skin and at the end of the day, my skin is NOT oily. Even after running around outside all day, no streaks, no runs, no oil slick, just very nice matt skin.

The downside:
1. The packaging was obviously designed by rocket scientists - who else would know how to open and use it. I won't describe the antics or tools I used to try and open it, suffice to say I have managed to get some on my face but have no idea how the powder gets onto the brush and whether it will continue to do so.
2. I will be surprised if it lasts more than a month with daily use which will make it very expensive.
3. Some basic instructions on using the container would have been very useful.

In summary, a very classy sunscreen that does work very well with a lovely finish on the skin that lasts all day. Such a shame about the container.
Perhaps someone in USA could contact IS Clinical and obtain instructions on exactly how this container is supposed to work and how long the contents are expected to last with daily use.

free skin care · Sat Feb 18, 2006 4:20 am

no, no... please DO describe the antics!!

When I looked at the pic on EDS I figured that to close it, the neck would pull up over the brush so that the lid could fit on easily... but I could not work out about the powder (which I presume is at the bottom of the tube with the brush).

I just figured it shook its way through the brush from bottom to top. Do share! I am intrigued and very keen to try this stuff.

free skin care · Sat Feb 18, 2006 7:21 am

Thanks so much for the review Very Happy

This is on my "must try" list and am looking to get feedback before I purchase. How long have you been using it?? Any concerns with breakouts? Thanks.

free skin care · Sun Feb 19, 2006 1:34 am

When I went to open the tube, I could see a line roughly in the middle and pulled and pulled. Nothing happened. Then I tried screwing it but it still wouldn't move. Then I got a very small pointed knife and finally prized it open but all I had then was the bottom part of the tube, an inner tube and the top part of the tube. At this stage I could not even see the brush. Just above where the tube separates there is another ring which both my husband and I could see (he was now in on the act) and he tried screwing and pulling to no avail. Out with a screwdriver and finally prized the top part off to reveal the brush and a big puff of powder.
Once it has been opened once, it is not so hard the second time but I still have no idea how the powder gets onto the brush so at the moment I just put the cover on the brush and then pump the bottom and top half together a few times which seems to put some powder on the brush (I think).
I am very prone to breakouts but this sunscreen, I am convinced, will not cause breakouts. It hasn't on me after three days and products that cause me problems usually do so after the first day.
I just wish I could find out how this container is really supposed to work.

free skin care · Mon Feb 20, 2006 4:17 pm

A few more days down the track with this sunscreen and I thought I would give you a follow up.
I have now returned to my favourite Kosmea Moisturising Sunscreen. This is no reflection on the IS Clinical sunscreen but I was using the Kosmea as a combined moisturiser and sunscreen and I really missed the moisturiser. I could have added another moisturiser under the ISC sunscreen but I prefer fewer layers rather than more.
I am also not very keen on the ISC container (Kosmea takes less than a minute to apply) as it seems to take much longer to apply (but I may not be doing it properly). I am also not very keen on the brush and I think anyone with sensitive skin might patch test for a few days first.

free skin care · Mon Feb 20, 2006 8:26 pm

Besides the application challenges, this product just doesn't have a high-enough SPF for me, much less whatever the value is of its UVA protection.

Since some IS Clinical products exfoliate (I use the Firming Complex, plus a retinoid, and their Active Serum and Proheal Serum are both exfoliators), I think I need more protection than this.

free skin care · Tue Feb 21, 2006 8:06 am

Aaagh!! Too late, I ordered it yesterday and it shipped. Well, hope I like it anyway and I will e-mail IS to get the low down on the container. My main concern is shine and matte finish w/o turning orange and discolored by the end of the day (I use heavier sunscreen anyway and have oily/combo skin). Do you think it will at least fulfill those needs?

free skin care · Tue Feb 21, 2006 9:17 pm

I have oily skin and at the end of a hot day outside, my face looked just like it had in the morning after I had applied the ISC sunscreen, very matt, no discolouration and no hint of oil. So I think you should find the same.
It may make a difference to this product if someone could find out exactly how ISC meant this container to be used.
With the translucent powder, it is very hard to see it on your face so it is hard to know just how much has been applied. The first time I used it, the brush looked like it had plenty of powder on it but on subsequent days, I could not see a lot of powder on the brush so I brushed it over my face quite a lot to try and ensure it was covered.
If you wanted a sunscreen to keep your skin matt then this product will certainly work.

free skin care · Mon Feb 27, 2006 8:28 am

Got mine on Friday. Short lived excitement. Your right, it isn't a simple container but I had advanced warning. I'm not very impressed with the product in general (and I've never said that about an IS product). The reasons being: rough brush, no even application, slight pink undertones which makes my skin more ruddy. I do like it on my nose so I will use it just there but not reorder. Oh well.

free skin care · Mon Feb 27, 2006 9:44 am

Don't think I'll be trying this anytime in the near future. Sounds like the brush might be alittle rough on my skin. Also sounds like it takes awhile to apply. Good thing I have a few tubes of Vichy. Very Happy

Perhaps others will post their reviews when/if they try it.

Tue Feb 28, 2006 2:31 am

AnnieR wrote:

The reasons being: rough brush, no even application, slight pink undertones which makes my skin more ruddy.

I was wondering about the brush... I have a Colorescience foundation that is packaged in what sounds to be the same way and the brush is too rough for my face and the application is also uneven.

free skin care · Tue Feb 28, 2006 3:13 am

ISC have some wonderful products but I think they need to go back to the drawing board with the container and method of applying the powder sunscreen. The brush was a little too hard for me.

free skin care · Tue Feb 28, 2006 8:44 am

Ack you gals have me in a TOTAL quandry!! I love the idea of a powder sunscreen and I need the matte-effect, especially during our hot, humid summers. But, I'm usually way too rushed in the morning to have to mess with some bizarre applicator. Is it really THAT bad????

free skin care · Tue Feb 28, 2006 2:06 pm

Well not horrible, but not worth the bucks for the hassle. The container is managable if you have used something like it before, which I had so I knew how to open it. The brush is just too rough for my skin and that's my main beef. I do love the matte finish in the sunscreen powder idea though. I use it on my nose and it is fine there.
It is also just a little too much in the pink tones for my rosacea-prone complexion.

free skin care · Sun Mar 04, 2007 11:09 am

Is the translucent the one with pinkish undertones? I have been eyeing this product because I love the idea of brushing on sunscreen since I hate the texture and smell of real sunscreen. Hmm, anyone had any luck with getting the powder out of their container and just brushing it on like regular loose powder?

free skin care · Sun Mar 04, 2007 11:46 am

It does have pink undertones. I can get it out of the container just fine now, it just stays packed away in my beach bag.

free skin care · Sun Mar 04, 2007 12:28 pm

I looked at the main ingredients of this product:

Quote:

This revolutionary powder containing gentle physical UV blockers: 25% titanium dioxide and 20% zinc oxide in a nanotechnology formulation, provides the ultimate broad spectrum sun protection. Micronized mineral filters help prevent sunburn and redness while protecting the skin against UVA and UVB rays linked to premature aging and skin damage. Non-comedogenic. Fragrance-free and non-irritating. Available in translucent and sun medium

I believe titanium dioxide and zinc oxides are ingredients found in many MMU lines and provide adequate SPF protection for normal daily use, though they may vary from line to line. I just use MMU as my sunscreen because I hate sunscreen lotions too. They clog my pores and make me look greasy. I find MMU works just as well, keeps matte, stays put and looks natural.

You might wonder if that would be enough protection. But even if your MMU just provides 15 SPF protection, it may be enough for you, depending on your sun tolerance. Darker skinned people could do with lower SPFs. For example, I get burned without sunscreen in 20 minutes. So SPF 15 gives me 5 hours of protection (20 minutes x 15), which is enough for me because I'm not in the sun that long. I think alot of people believe really high SPFs provide more protection than low ones and that is not the way SPF works. It is more an indicator of how long it lasts before you have to reapply it.

Definition of SPF on Medicine.Net.com:

Quote:

Definition of SPF

SPF (sun protection factor): A number on a scale for rating sunscreens. SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor.

SPF numbers on a package can range from as low as 2 to as high as 60. These numbers refer to the product's ability to screen or block out the sun's burning rays.

The SPF rating is calculated by comparing the amount of time needed to produce a sunburn on protected skin to the amount of time needed to cause a sunburn on unprotected skin.

Let us take for instance a fair-skinned person who would normally turn red after 10 minutes in the sun. Ten minutes is their "initial burning time." If that person uses a sunscreen with SPF 2, it takes 20 minutes in the sun for that person's skin to turn red. Now, if that person uses a sunscreen with SPF 15, it multiplies the initial burning time by 15, so it takes 150 minutes, or 2 and half hours, for that person's skin to turn red.

Sunscreens with an SPF of 15 or higher are generally thought to provide useful protection from the sun's harmful rays.

free skin care · Mon Mar 05, 2007 12:20 pm

I LOVE IS Clinical but couldn't use the powder sunscreen. My face broke out in a horrible rash. My skin is very sensitive.

free skin care · Tue Mar 06, 2007 1:26 am

boski wrote:

You might wonder if that would be enough protection. But even if your MMU just provides 15 SPF protection, it may be enough for you, depending on your sun tolerance. Darker skinned people could do with lower SPFs. For example, I get burned without sunscreen in 20 minutes. So SPF 15 gives me 5 hours of protection (20 minutes x 15), which is enough for me because I'm not in the sun that long. I think alot of people believe really high SPFs provide more protection than low ones and that is not the way SPF works. It is more an indicator of how long it lasts before you have to reapply it.

Hi Boski - I'm afraid I don't really agree with what you say. It's estimated you need a quarter or half of a teaspoon to achieve the MMU ratings as stated and that's clearly going to look cakey. On the other hand I do agree that this one and the Colourscience SS are little more than jumped up MMU.

People use higher SPF ratings because they're not just out in the sun for 20 minutes. In a usual day we have incidental exposure on the way to work, lunchtime, home. Not only do we not gloop it on for an average day, but it also rubs off and absorbs over time so if you want day-long protection a higher SPF is better.

And then most of us are not solely concentrating on SPF because that just relates to UVB which leads to burning. We also want to know the UVA rating (PPD) because UVA is the real deep aging stuff and penetrates glass so you need it in the car and in the office if you're near windows.

There's a heap of good info here for anyone who's interested;
http://www.skincarecentral.biz/sunscreens-about-.html

I don't agree with everything in there. Recently there are doubts about the CIBA PPD calculator and indeed PPD itself. I also have qualms about putting SS chemicals on my face daily for no good reason, so like you, lately I'm just using MMU more thickly for incidental exposure but the issue's much more complicated than you make out.

free skin care · Mon Mar 26, 2007 11:41 pm

I prefer Colorescience to ISC Powder sunscreen for its retractable brush and higher SPF. The ISC Moisturizing Sunscreen is however a very nice product.

free skin care · Tue Mar 27, 2007 1:44 am

I am soooooooooooooooo interested. What a interesting product!
I am running to take a look of it!

free skin care · Tue Mar 27, 2007 5:19 pm

sorry to say that i don't like this at all. first the packaging is a problem, the powder pour out everytime i open the cap. and the texture of the powder feel very thick and sticky on the face.

free skin care · Tue Feb 26, 2008 4:36 am

Has anyone compared this product to Peter Thomas Roth's mineral sunblock? looks to be very similar products... PTR's has a higher SPF of 30 with lower concentration of TiO2 & ZnO!

free skin care · Wed Feb 27, 2008 10:53 pm

i use the colorscience powder suncreen and i think i just finally figured how to put it on properly, but its hard to know exactly how much sunscreem you are putting on...dont think i would re purchase.

free skin care · Thu Feb 28, 2008 8:25 am

I'm getting another one as my free gift with my reorder of Proheal and Hydracool. I will give it away to my son's girlfriend as I don't use the one I have, but it's always nice to get free gifts from EDS. Smile

Automatic Message

If this is your first visit to the EDS Forums please take the time to register. Registration is required for you to post on the forums. Registration will also give you the ability to track messages of interest, send private messages to other users, participate in Gift Certificates draws and enjoy automatic discounts for shopping at our online store. Registration is free and takes just a few seconds to complete.

Click Here to join our community.

If you are already a registered member on the forums, please login to gain full access to the site.