I have just received and tested this product, this review is a 'first thoughts' review. I have male skin, I don’t wear makeup. I reapply SPF every two hours roughly. I am looking for a 100% mineral sunscreen, I do not putting chemicals on my skin at all.
- Packaging -
The packaging is elegant. The cap is not a soft cap, it is hard. The screw cap clicks into place in a satisfying way. Simple, minimal packaging with a beautiful aesthetic shape. Nozzle is a small tube, not as anti bacterial as a pump but it is manageable, just don’t let the nozzle touch your skin.
- Product -
Firstly, spreadability. This is a zinc based sunscreen, so spreadability of a chemical based SPF will always trump. This one is not bad, it sits in the middle of the pack. It is definitely on the firmer side than a watery chemical sunscreen like the Neutrogena Sheer liquid. It spreads similar to the 'Ultraviolet Queen Screen Lumonising SPF' - I found this interesting as that uses a chemical base. When placed on the face in a dribble, it will very slowly fall down the face, it barely moves at all. That should show the type of viscosity. It spreads easily once rubbed under the finger on the face, I had no problem getting a full coverage - but this will not provide a great base under makeup if you like a liquid/glowy base. It does not spread as well as a product like Elta MD's.
The white cast is of course apparent, as it always is for a physical sunscreen. It remained for around 10 - 15 minutes after application before it began to fade. It is a reasonably strong cast, noticeable by the user as you will be very aware of your natural tone. I personally can handle this as a male with no makeup, especially for this price point. It has a noticeable weight on the skin, but significantly less weight than a lot of other physical screens. If you scrunch your face you feel an almost 'face mask' feeling, but a lot more mild than having an actual face mask on (a lot more mild). It is actually quite light for a physical sunscreen which sits on top of the skin like this. It was a matte look, it almost smoothes the skin out in a film. It provides a slight sheen/glow, so I would not place it on the 'completely matte' side. However for someone with oily skin I still believe you will find this to be too 'heavy', it will be another noticeable layer on top of the oil.
For me personally as a male I love the weight, it feels like a nice protective layer on top of my skin, helping keep out pollutants and of course the sun. It is also a nice level of matte for me, it does not look glowy like makeup. The cast is certainly within the bounds of bearable, especially after the first 15 minutes. The weight has remained after around 45 minutes of wearing, so I don’t think it settles into a moisturiser like consistency, it remains much like a heavier makeup look would.
The smell is very light. From what I can see it is not a chemical added fragrance, it arises from the use of the green ingredients. The smell can be described as 'earthy' - certainly green, but almost mixed with a light clay/classic sunscreen scent. This is very very mild and I find it very refreshing. I understand that any kind of smell can be irritating for sensitive skin, but this doesn't compare to the added fragrance of other products for anyone with normal skin, it is simply the byproduct of some of the green ingredients - easily bearable.
- Conclusion -
For my particular requirements, which is a clean product list, no fragrance, completely mineral/no chemicals, light and without a light cast, this is definitely doable. The price point, green ingredients, 100% mineral base, low fragrance and medium cast is enough to make this an everyday user for me (off of a first test).
