Beauty Clinic: Looking for a natural facial SPF
Q. I am looking for a facial moisturiser with an SPF, hopefully either organic or as natural as can be. I have quite sensitive skin that burns easily. I’d like a product that would sink into my skin easily and doesn’t form a white layer on the skin.
A. Most facial SPFs are good moisturisers whereas moisturisers with SPFs may not be enough for skin that burns easily. Basically, the SPF in moisturisers is probably enough if you are just going to work indoors, go outside at lunchtime, and then home indoors in the evening. You can find the five products that gained top marks from our testers here – but we have to warn you that none of them is natural.
Although the natural formulations are much more sophisticated now, they use mineral sunscreens (titanium dioxide or zinc oxide), invariably in non-nano size molecules. These may form a very slight white ‘ghost’ layer at first, but they do sink in quickly.
For an organic product we would look at Green People. We love the brand and their philosophy. In the new-ish Age Defy+ range, Green People offer a Tinted DD Moisturiser SPF15, with lightweight coverage in two shades, Light and Medium/£37 for 30ml. (DD stands for daily defence.)
But please do bear in mind that most sunscreens last no more than a few hours at best so if you are going out in hot sun at lunchtime, it’s wise to top up with an SPF. That’s where mineral powder foundation comes in useful if you are wearing foundation, as you can layer it over the top. The best known and arguably the original is bareMinerals. For more information, read our recent Beauty Clinic column about ‘make-up for masks’ (yes, it’s good for that too).
If you use a slightly tinted sunscreen, you won’t get any ghosting. Ultrasun Face SPF50+ Tinted/£26 for 50ml, which won a Beauty Bible Bronze Award, isn’t all-natural but it is free from mineral oils, emulsifiers, silicones or preservatives – so it’s suitable for sensitive skins, they say – and it’s fortified with Ectoin, a natural enzyme that shields skin from UVA damage. Our testers liked it a lot as you can see here.
We very much like Tropic Sun Day Facial UV Defence SPF50/£24 for 40ml, from an impeccable natural brand. See our review here.
And do look at Green People again; their Scent-Free Facial Sun Cream SPF30 was developed specially for sensitive skin.
Photo by Antonino Visalli on Unsplash
