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Sat Jun 16, 2007 12:15 pm  |
Hello All,
As you all know, I've been experimenting with different European sunscreens lately. After the many raves about the new and improved Avene Emulsion formulations, I tried diligently to get my skin to agree with them, but my skin was constantly congested, and I still felt like I was wearing a sticky film on my skin that attracted all the dirt from the streets of Paris to my skin.
So, I decided to buy a bunch of ss and test them out.
First off was Galenic (all tinosorbs) Extreme High protection SS, and secondly was Vichy Capital soleil 50+ (mexoryls), which was supposed to dry fast to leave a light, matte appearance to the skin. the Galenic sunscreen, while ostensibly an excellent formulation, felt exactly like the Avene on my skin: if I ran my hand across my face, it would "drag" against the sunscreen film (yuk!). The Vichy sunscreen, ironically, left my skin shinier than ever and never did seem to "dry." Neither were particularly irritating.
But THEN I picked a winner: Bioderma Photoderm AR tinted sunscreen for sensitive skin:
http://www.parasolder.com/parapharmacie/bioderma/bioderma-photoderm-ar-creme-teinte-naturelle-peaux-sensibles-reactives-spf-50-30ml-/product_info.php/products_id/34978
formerly called "Flush teintee," this sunscreen has recently been reformulated and now is targeted toward sensitive, pre-rosacea or rosacea skins. So it will not irritate, and after four days of wearing it, my skin has COMPLETELY cleared up from the Avene mess it was dealing with for over a month. The tint is light and creamy, but does not leave the skin looking at all opaque. In fact, Bioderma sunscreens are known for leaving the skin with a nice "glow," and the Photoderm AR is no exception. I love that it just evens out my skin tone ever so slightly.
It has a very nice slip, not too oily, not too creamy, not too gel-like, and does not leave the skin too shiny. I normally cannot leave the house without powder over my sunscreen, and with this one I don't have to use powder over it.
The BEST part about this sunscreen is the shape of the bottle--like a little rectangle, it lays flat in the hand, so it is VERY portable, even in the smallest of purses. We all know we have to reapply ss often (and most of us do NOT) so I'm going to keep one at home and one in my purse at all times--just in case I decide to have a late picnic lunch outside after an entire morning of studying in the library, for example!
The only drawback to this sunscreen is one that I'm not 100% convinced about--that is, the fact that you are NOT supposed to wear any makeup over it, as it is avobenzone-based (although photostabilized by tinosorbs). apparently, the active ss ingredients will break down if they have any contact with minerals. BUT there are iron oxides and titanium.zinc oxide IN this particular ss, so I'm thoroughly confused as to how that would preclude me from dusting a bit more on top... As well, avobenzone is a controversial ingredient in itself, since according to some people, it's inherently damaging to skin cells, and it penetrates the corneal layers. But that is only one side of the argument, so hopefully they're wrong! 
I would HIGHLY recommend this sunscreen to anyone I know: I give it 5 stars!
--avalange |
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http://newnaturalbeauty.tumblr.com/ 37, light-toned olive skin, broken caps, normal skin. My staples: Osea cleansing milk, Algae Oil, Advanced Protection Cream, Eyes & Lips, Tata Harper, Julie Hewett makeup, Amazing Cosmetics Powder, & By Terry Light Expert, Burnout, and daily inversion therapy and green smoothies! |
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