Application:
- Every morning after moisturizing, and before makeup.
- Face, neck and chest, as needed.
Best for:
- UVA/UVB protection.
- Protection from infrared radiation, blue HEV light, pollution.
The ultra-popular, dermatologist-recommended face sunscreen by Colorescience® is finally available in Canada. This sunscreen is like no other; it spreads on in a cosmetically wonderful way. But, it’s also made of superior quality in terms of its protective ingredients.
Instead of only providing broad-spectrum, UVA and UVB sunblock coverage, this formulation considers very real, modern stressors on our skin: environmental pollutants and blue (HEV) light. It brings together highly-studied, backed-by-science ingredients in a product that is also safe for all skin types – including sensitive skin.
It is:
- Reef-safe
- Non-nano
- Non-comedogenic
- Hypoallergenic
- Paraben-free
- Cruelty-free (vegan)
- Sulfate-free
- Phthalate-free
- Oil-free
- Gluten-free
- Fragrance-free
- ‘White cast free’
Plus it is moisturizing, and offers skin-supporting benefits such as antioxidants and anti-irritants.
For those who follow sunscreen regiments religiously, this product also has a PA+++ rating for UVA protection, and is EU compliant.
Now, it’s not just one product, but three; Colorescience® has released a ‘Glow’ shade and a ‘Bronze’ shade. Glow is tinted slightly more on the ‘olive’ side, and has more of a ‘shine’ to it. Bronze is meant for darker skin tones.
A few helpful things to know about this product:
Remember to shake the bottle before applying it on your skin! It is normal for sunscreens to separate.
In terms of consistency, these are ‘liquid lotion’ facial sunscreens. These facial sunscreens are also much thinner than the All Calm™ Clinical Redness Corrector SPF 50 by Colorescience® or the Even Up® Clinical Pigment Perfector® SPF 50, also by Colorescience®.
While the ‘Original’ and ‘Glow’ shades are tinted, they provide a very sheer, translucent colour on the skin. In other words, they do not ‘cover’ in the way that a foundation would (men can also use them). They can blend into darker skin tones too!
Sunscreen typically goes on after moisturizing (especially for dry skin), but before foundation and makeup. It should, ideally, be followed up with the powder-based, Sunforgettable® Total Protection™ Brush-on Shield throughout the day (every 2 hours), for proper sun protection.
Use at least a nickel-sized amount of sunscreen to cover the entire face. Use more to cover the neck and décollaté (i.e. chest area).
These sunscreens can also be layered or mixed with moisturizers and treatments. However, it is not recommended to dilute them with other products, since doing so can affect the level of sun protection you receive. Alone, they can provide some hydration to the skin.
Sunforgettable® Total Protection™ Face Shield sunscreens can replace, or be used in combination with the above-mentioned Colorescience® treatments. If using them together, apply the Face Shield underneath.
The ‘Glow’ sunscreen shade can be used similarly to a makeup highlighter. For example, it can add a bit of shine to your nose, cheekbones and other areas where light normally hits.
Although their ingredients use non-nano particles, these mineral sunscreens are specially formulated so as not to leave a white cast on the skin. This is thanks to a patented type of zinc oxide within the EnviroScreen™ Technology, which is contained in these products.
Notable skin care ingredients:
This face sunscreen offers many skin-boosting benefits within a single bottle. It is packed with value. It includes the EnviroScreen® Technology, which protects from more than just UVA and UVB rays. This formula defends against multiple, environmental, skin stressors. Learn more about its ingredients below:
Iron oxides – these are colourizing pigments frequently included in makeup products. They are an important component of protecting skin from aging due to blue light (HEV light). Blue light can come from our modern-day device screens.
Titanium Dioxide (in the ‘Glow’ shade) – a mineral-based, UVA and UVB filter, also acting as a whitening, pigment brightener. While this ingredient can sometimes be listed in ‘active ingredients’ due to its sun blocking properties, in this case it is not (likely because too little is included in this specific formula).
Niacinamide – also known as vitamin B3, this ingredient is popular for its multi-functional ability on the skin. It’s an antioxidant, sebum (oil) regulator, skin brightener and cell rebuilding agent.
Bisabolol – an ingredient extracted from chamomile oil for the purpose of moisturizing and calming the skin, as well as protecting against UV damage. It can also keep ‘bad’ bacteria away, by acting as an antimicrobial ingredient.
Phytomoist – this is a plant-based hyaluronic acid and betaine blend, used for hydrating the skin.
Vital ET™ – a bioavailable form of vitamin E, acting as skin calmer. It can be thought of as a ‘pre sun’ and ‘after sun’ ingredient. However, it also helps to reduce redness from bacterial or physical irritants that come in contact with the skin (such as acne or shaving).
Lipochroman® – a powerful antioxidant that not only fights oxygen free radicals (ROS), but also nitrogen free radicals (RNS) and carbon free radicals (RCS), which come from air pollution. It was shown to be 173% more effective as a cell preserver when stacked against vitamin E, resveratrol, and ferulic acid (plus other common antioxidants, in varying degrees). It also demonstrated an ability to prevent 99.3% of DNA damage from a common air pollutant. After 4-weeks of usage in a clinical study, skin showed a 36.7% improvement in being able to defend against free radicals. Moreover, this ingredient has been shown to slightly decrease pigmentation.
Allantoin – a comfrey plant extract used to keep skin soft, moisturized and calmed. It can also support skin cell regeneration.
Infraguard – this is a blend of tara tannins and organic sunflower sprouts used as antioxidants to fight the aging effects of infrared radiation (IR) and blue (HEV) light. This ingredient is designed to work inside the cell, within the mitochondria (the part that controls skin function). It demonstrated an ability to protect the skin’s collagen, resulting in firmer, denser skin on study participants. That is, compared to those who used sunscreen without this ingredient.
Active ingredients:
Zinc Oxide 12% – providing broad spectrum SPF protection against UV rays and sun damage.
Note: iron oxides and other beneficial components of this product, noted above, are considered ‘inactive’ ingredients. These are drug terms to describe the activity of ingredients in the way they operate on our bodies.
Learn from our blog:
Rose –
Amazing sunscreen for face. It is very lightweight, smooth and a subtle colour-it doesn’t go on white. I have very sensitive skin and break out with some sunscreens. I was using Elta MD sunscreen but will add this one to my collection. The customer service was outstanding-incredibly helpful and really quick delivery. Thank you Chantal!
Hanna Kotsopey (verified owner) –
It’s a very good product. I like how it feels on my skin and a glow it gives. Use it without foundation and it works great!