Diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl hexyl benzoate paula's choice
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As a sunscreen connoisseur who tries out a lot of sunscreens, it always feel premature to make a list of my favourites. I try a lot of sunscreens but I feel like I can never get through as many as I’d like, because unfortunately I have just the one face. I did a list of my favourites at the end of 2019, but then a whole bunch of them were discontinued in the 2020 sunscreen crisis. So here’s an updated version! I’m sure some of these are probably going to test at a lower SPF at some point… The video is here on YouTube, keep scrolling for the written version. My sunscreen preferencesObviously this list is limited by what I’ve tried and my personal preferences – everyone looks for different things in sunscreens, so please don’t just assume my favourites will necessarily work for you! I have oily skin that’s prone to acne, dehydration and hyperpigmentation, and that dictates a lot of my wants and needs in a sunscreen (if you want to work out what your skin type and concerns are, how to choose and use different skincare products, check out my eBook The Lab Muffin Guide to Basic Skincare).  There are some honourable mentions at the end that didn’t quite make my “could happily wear this for the rest of my life” list, but they’re still great and they’re actually other people’s favourites. I like high UVA protection because UVA can cause hyperpigmentation, so I look for a high UVAPF rating (where it exists), or a broad spectrum label if it’s Australian or European. Related video: Why you should protect your skin from UVA (and how) (with video) I really like the newer UVA filters since they tend to be more photostable and give high protection. While I know avobenzone and zinc oxide can produce higher UVA protection, without firmer UVAPF information it seems like a safer bet to me. I realise it’s a bit superstitious on my part, but if they don’t have newer UVA filters they can’t join my favourites list. I’m sorry but that’s the rules. (That means US sunscreens can’t be in my favourites list – if you want those, check out the honourable mentions.) The most popular newer UVA filters are listed here along with the common brand names for them. There are a lot of different brand names for them now, so I’m going to start using the abbreviations over the brand names for them (e.g. diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl hexyl benzoate isn’t just Uvinul A Plus – it’s also in Silasoma EP(S), Silasome SP, Uvinul Easy, Mfsorb 512, Vida-Care SP-10 and Vida-Care USB-50+ – so it’s easier just to call it DHHB).
I hate white cast. My skin isn’t that dark (it’s in the light-medium NC20 range), but even then some sunscreens make me look like a mime. I also wear makeup, so sunscreens need to not pill up on my skin when I put on foundation – this is when your skin starts looking like it’s peeling off. Pilling depends on skin type. Some sunscreens that pill up on me aren’t as bad on drier skin. La Roche-Posay Anthelios Invisible Fluid (Shaka Fluid)
La Roche-Posay Anthelios Invisible Fluid (Lookfantastic, Amazon AU) is the reformulated version of their old Ultra Light Fluid. Note: This is the version you get in Europe and Australia (labelled SPF 50+) – not the US version (labelled SPF 60), which is completely different. I really wanted to like the old formula because the filters were great and La Roche-Posay have a reputation for really high protection sunscreens. But I have oily skin, and a lot of very runny sunscreens tend to stay on my skin like an oil puddle. They never dry down and shift around all day, making my foundation bunch up and go patchy, and coming off onto my fingers all day. This happened with the old Fluid, Krave Beauty, Ultra Violette Queen Screen, Anessa Mild Milk – these formulas tend to do quite well if your skin is dry, but I hate them. So I was pretty skeptical about this new version, because when it comes out of the bottle it looks a lot like the old version. But on my skin it’s completely different! It’s lightweight and dries down nicely, giving a slightly dewy finish that isn’t too greasy or sticky. It also has no white cast and is fragrance free. It also doesn’t sting my eyes. With eye sting, I think it really varies a lot for different people – I’ve heard people blame octocrylene and avobenzone and ethylhexylglycerin. But for my eyes, it seems like it’s more complicated than just looking at the filters. I’ve tried analysing the sunscreens that have and haven’t stung my eyes, and I can’t seem to find any sort of pattern. It might have something to do with the concentrations, or the overall formula of the sunscreen and how it travels with my level of face oil and sweat. Mecca Cosmetica To Save Face Superscreen
Mecca Cosmetica To Save Face Superscreen (Mecca) is the recently(ish) reformulated version of their super popular sunscreen, which was one of my honourable mentions last time. Whenever a favourite gets reformulated we all get really nervous, but it turns out the new version’s great. It feels and smells and is pretty much indistinguishable from the old version – it’s lightweight and moisturising, with a texture that sinks in easily. It has the same moderate floral scent, and clogs my pores a tiny bit (my pores are super prone to clogging with sunscreens). The inactive ingredients in the old and new versions look the same. The big change sunscreen filters that’ve been changed, and it’s an upgrade! The new version sells itself on being oxybenzone-free. I don’t personally have an issue with oxybenzone, but if I had to avoid a sunscreen filter it would probably be oxybenzone. So many sunscreens in Australia have stopped using it already, so I get the decision. But the thing that REALLY excited me was that they added BEMT, a really nice photostable UVA filter – hence why the new formula has now been bumped up to holy grail status. Bioré Aqua Rich Watery Essence (2019)
Bioré Aqua Rich Watery Essence 2019 (Stylevana, YesStyle) was a sunscreen I tried out for my video on cult favourite Asian products. This is really nice and light, with a mild floral scent and a generous sploosh of alcohol. It doesn’t dry out my skin, and doesn’t sting my eyes. Related post: How Bad Is Alcohol in Skincare, Really? The Science (video with KindofStephen) It claims to be 80 min water resistant. From what I can tell, water resistance claims aren’t officially regulated in Japan, and there are a bunch of different water resistance requirements around the world, so it’s hard to work out how water resistant it is. For example, for Australian and US sunscreens, “water resistant” means that after dunking in water they have to have at least the labelled SPF. However, in Europe, they just need to get back to half the SPF. So a water resistant sunscreen that’s SPF 50 in Europe might get downgraded to SPF 25 in Australia and the US. But regardless, this is one of the best water-resistant sunscreens I’ve tried texture-wise. Pilling is usually the main issue, and this only pills up a little when I put foundation on top. The biggest downside to Japanese sunscreens is that they tend to reformulate them every year or two. This is great from a technology point of view, but sometimes it’s hard to work out which one you’re buying, and which one people are talking about. Based on their pattern they should reformulate this soon. Anessa Perfect UV Sunscreen Skincare Milk
Anessa Perfect UV Sunscreen Skincare Milk (Stylevana, YesStyle) is another sunscreen I talked about in my cult Asian products video. It took me the longest time to try this. It’s a bit difficult to get, and it’s expensive compared to the other Asian sunscreens. I’ve actually had friends raving to me about it since… probably 2012 (yeah I’m a next level procrastinator). But I’ve finally tried it and it definitely lives up to the hype! Again, it’s 80 minutes water resistant, but I’m not sure to which standard. It also claims to be rub, sweat and heat resistant. It feels a bit heavier than the Biore sunscreen, but there’s no pilling and no eye sting for me, and it looks nice under makeup. All-Time Greatest HitsHere are my favourites from last year I still love and haven’t been discontinued – check out the original posts for full reviews. Ultraceuticals Ultra UV Protective Daily Moisturiser Mattifying
Ultraceuticals Ultra UV Protective Daily Moisturiser Mattifying (Ultraceuticals) is still my absolute go-to sunscreen. This was actually the sunscreen that got me wearing sunscreen daily! I never have any problems with it on my skin. The only issue is that it’s slightly lower SPF than a lot of the other sunscreens I’m talking about, but for everyday wear, I don’t really mind using SPF 30. Higher SPFs tend to break me out and feel heavier, so this is a compromise I’m willing to make. I can also put this on at the right amount without any issues, so the drop in protection probably doesn’t end up being that much. Original review here. Ultra Violette Supreme Screen
Ultra Violette Supreme Screen (Space NK) is a really lovely lightweight sunscreen that works as a moisturiser and primer as well, and it hydrates without being shiny and sticky like a lot of other hydrating sunscreens. I love that Ultra Violette’s sunscreens were developed by women who have a lot of experience in developing products for women. Some brands seem not to properly take into account the fact that women often wear makeup over sunscreen. Their sunscreens have been tested to work well with lots of foundations with no balling. The pump top is really handy, it has a light scent, and it’s also recently been released in a larger 75 mL tube for just an extra $2, which is awesome. Original review here. Azclear Action Day Moisturiser
Azclear Action Day Moisturiser (Chemist Warehouse) is the sunscreen I recommend to people in person in Australia who want to start wearing sunscreen every day. A lot of the time they’re hesitant thanks to their bad experiences with heavy, greasy, smelly sunscreens… and Azclear kind of blows their minds. I think it’s really good to have a nice gateway sunscreen like this. It’s cheap, light, doesn’t have much of a scent, and has no white cast. Most importantly, it’s available in Chemist Warehouse which is everywhere in Sydney, so they don’t have to wait for it to ship and they’re not tempted to start using the chemical exfoliant I just gave them without wearing sunscreen. It’s a little bit tacky on my skin but it doesn’t seem to be an issue for most people. The SPF isn’t the highest but as a sunscreen for when you’re not exposed to too much sun it’s fine, and most of the people I’m recommending it to aren’t wearing any sunscreen most of the time, so even SPF 15 would be a win. Unfortunately from digging around the TGA registry, it looks like a reformulated version was approved a couple of weeks ago – apparently this is just the sort of thing that happens to every sunscreen I recommend. The new version doesn’t have octinoxate. My (rather wild) guess would be that it’s been removed due to the whole reef-safe marketing hoo-ha. I’m hoping the new version lives up to how great this one was, but the ingredient list looks very different, and there’s MBBT which tends to give a bit of a white cast. I guess we’ll find out soon. Original review here. Gone from my favouritesCanmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV has been reformulated – apparently the new version has worse white cast, seems to be a curse (although there’s apparently a version that doesn’t have a white cast, which I hope to review soon!). Klairs Soft Airy UV Essence and Purito Centella Green Level Sun have been discontinued because they tested at lower SPF – this post discusses that and some of the reasons why so many sunscreens test lower than expected in post-market testing. I also recommend watching Odile Monod’s video about a loophole in Korean regulations that seems to have been exploited by one of the contract manufacturers for some brands. Honourable mentionsThese are the sunscreens that didn’t quite make it to my personal favourites since they didn’t tick some of my criteria. But I still really like them, and I think they’d be great for a lot of people – they might end up being one of your favourites! Cancer Council Face Day Wear Moisturiser Matte
Cancer Council Face Day Wear Moisturiser Matte (Amazon) is probably my top honourable mention. Texture-wise this is very similar to Mecca and Ultra Violette, but it’s a lot cheaper and unfortunately it doesn’t have any of the newer UVA filters. The biggest issue though is that it makes my eyes water but again, eye sting is pretty subjective, so it might still work for you. Natio Daily Defence Face Moisturiser
Natio Daily Defence Face Moisturiser (Amazon) and Ombra Daily Defence (from Aldi) seem to be very similar formulas to the Cancer Council sunscreen. They all have the same filters at the same percentages. The Cancer Council and Natio sunscreens have the same inactive ingredients, but the Ombra sunscreen isn’t listed on the TGA register anymore, so I can’t check. It seems like maybe Aldi aren’t planning on bringing it back anytime soon, and even when it was around it would appear for about 2 weeks every year. Cancer Council Face Day Wear BB Cream
Cancer Council Face Day Wear BB Cream in Light (Amazon) isn’t technically a sunscreen, so this is a bit of a controversial inclusion, but I wanted to shout it out anyway because I love it and it’s pretty close. It’s not a primary sunscreen, so it’s regulated as a cosmetic which isn’t as strict as Australian sunscreens which are drugs (therapeutic products). But sunscreens in a lot of other countries are regulated as cosmetics anyway, so I feel like it’s valid here. This seems to be a very similar formula as the Matte Moisturiser but it’s tinted, and it’s light enough that you can apply a full sunscreen sized amount but still look normal. And this actually makes my skin look really nice, and still very natural. But it stings my eyes – and I actually liked it so much I kept trying it for a full week, in full denial mode while weeping gently the whole time (but with very nice looking skin). So for sunscreens like this, using a different product around the eyes might work – my favourite for this is… Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Sunscreen Stick
Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Sunscreen Stick (Amazon) uses zinc oxide as its sole UV filter, and most people don’t find that this stings their eyes. I generally don’t love sunscreen sticks for the rest of my face, since they tend to feel a bit heavy and clog my pores, plus it’s difficult to work out the right amount to apply. I mostly use this one just around my eyes. It’s water resistant, and sticks are so waxy that they tend to stay in place and not get sweated off and into your eyes, so it’s not likely to sting much for anyone (I actually rubbed it in my eye right before filming (for science), and it was fine). This stick also applies smoothly without chunks breaking off (always a risk with sunscreen sticks and lip balms), and it works under eyeshadow for me. US sunscreensOne of the biggest questions I get asked is: what about US sunscreens? Well, you lot don’t have the better filters, so my holy grail sunscreens obviously aren’t approved in the US, but there are a couple of sunscreens that I quite like! (And of course, you can always import sunscreens.) Both of these are Australian, but unlike a lot of other “Australian” sunscreens, they’re actually approved in Australia! The biggest difference between Australian and US approval that really matters (apart from the newer filters) is the “broad spectrum” label, which tells you about UVA protection. In the US “broad spectrum” only means that it passes the critical wavelength test, so at least 10% of the area under the UV absorbance curve needs to be 370 nm or longer. But in Australia it’s stricter – on top of this, there’s the requirement that UVA protection is at least ⅓ of the SPF. A lot of sunscreens that are broad spectrum in the US aren’t broad spectrum in Australia. (In the EU they use the same standard as Australia, but they show this with a UVA circle logo.) I should also point out here that a lot of international sunscreens are also approved in Australia so they pass Australian standards too – I think we sometimes forget this! This includes a lot of sunscreens from Neutrogena, Banana Boat, La Roche-Posay, Avene, Cetaphil and Nivea (I’m sure I’ve forgotten some brands too). So you might already be overlooking some “higher quality sunscreens” that meet Australian standards. Bondi Sands Sunscreen Lotion
Bondi Sands Sunscreen Lotion Fragrance-Free (Amazon) is super popular on social media at the moment. It has no white cast, and while it’s a little sticky for my skin, it’s fine once I put powder on. It’s pretty light as far as US sunscreens go, which is why I have it here. It’s also 4 hours water resistant, which is a big bonus. There’s a Face and a Body version, and from the active percentages and the inactive ingredient lists they look like they’re probably the same formula – I haven’t actually tried the Face one yet though for comparison. Bondi Sands also have a few other sunscreens that I’m excited to try. Everyday Humans Resting Beach Face
Everyday Humans Resting Beach Face (Ulta Beauty) has a slightly lower SPF of 30, which is fine for an everyday sunscreen. The formula is really nice and light, and it comes in a handy pump top tube. Zinc sunscreens I don’t hateI don’t think this is a surprise to anyone, but zinc oxide and I don’t get along. I can always feel zinc oxide sunscreens on my skin, they’re usually quite thick and clog my pores and mess up my fringe. Sometimes they dehydrate my skin and make it go flaky while still feeling greasy (Top 10 Skincare Betrayals territory), and there’s usually white cast. They just don’t spark joy. But I’ve found a few that I actually kind of like, which is a new and exciting experience for me! Paula’s Choice Super-Light Daily Wrinkle Defense
I think a lot of brands have caught on to the fact that if you put a bit of tint into a zinc oxide sunscreen, it hides the white cast pretty well, even if the tint doesn’t quite match your skin tone. All three of these are invisible on my skin even though they look like very different shades out of the tube. I’ve seen people with darker skin complain about white cast from both Ultra Violette Lean Screen (Space NK) and Paula’s Choice Super-Light Daily Wrinkle Defense (Paula’s Choice) before, I’d expect Naked Sundays Collagen Glow Mineral Sunscreen (Naked Sundays) will also give white cast since the tint is even lighter. Paula’s Choice Super-Light Daily Wrinkle Defense isn’t actually approved in Australia as a proper (primary) sunscreen. It’s also SPF 30. But the texture is really nice, especially for a zinc oxide sunscreen. Ultra Violette Lean Screen and Naked Sundays Mineral Sunscreen are SPF 50+, which means that they’re more than double the SPF of the Paula’s Choice product (yeah, SPF 50+ means 60 or higher in Australia – things just work differently here, there was an emu war). The two SPF 50+ sunscreens are a fair bit thicker and have a more paste-like texture. I have to powder thickly on top so they don’t stick down my hair, but if I had to wear a high protection zinc oxide sunscreen it’d be one of these two. Evy Daily UV Face Mousse
Evy Daily UV Face Mousse (Space NK) is a Swedish sunscreen. Evy sunscreens use a technology that gets the sunscreen into the top layers of the skin so it doesn’t rub off easily and lasts through immersion in different types of water, sweat, towelling etc. It’s very cool, and I’ve talked about it and the data that backs up their claims before. Related post: Do They Work? Evy 6-Hour Sunscreen, Dermablend Drops in SPF But this sunscreen felt quite sticky and uncomfortable on my face. Apparently with Swedish customers it’s considered very light and comfortable. It might be because I’m spoilt with light Asian and Australian sunscreens, or because it’s more humid in Australia. I use Evy on my body a lot though with no issues. Have you tried any of these sunscreens? What other great sunscreens do I need to try? Many of these products were provided for review, which did not affect my opinion. This post also contains affiliate links – if you decide to click through and support Lab Muffin financially (at no extra cost to you), thank you! For more information, see Disclosure Policy. |
