Sunblock Showddown

The three  contestants are: Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion Broad Spectrum SPF 50+ WetForce for Sensitive Skin & Children (what a wordy name), Josie Maran Argan Daily Moisturizer SPF 47 Protect + Perfect, and Paula’s Choice RESIST Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50. All of these products have extremely long names, so I’m just going to refer to them by brand name.

Before we get into the details, you should know a little bit about my skin and what I expect in a sunscreen. I have extreme combination skin, an oil slick on my t-zone which extends to the area around my nostrils, and normal to flakey skin on my cheeks and parts of chin. This definitely makes finding the holy grail in any category a challenge.

The sunscreen shouldn’t feel greasy, should sink into my skin nicely, not make my face have an obvious white cast, pill up under my makeup, last on my skin, and shouldn’t exacerbate my acne. I think that these are some pretty fair expectations. Let’s see how the sunscreens have held up to my expectations.

            Shouldn’t feel greasy:
            Shiseido spreads easily and dries to a soft powder finish. It’s the exact opposite of what I’d label as greasy. Josie Maran has a moisturizing feel to it, but not what I’d call greasy. The moisturizing effect does backfire, because I feel like I can’t apply too much without feeling like I stuck on too much moisturizer. Paula’s Choice is capitol of greasy town, after applying I look like I’ve stuck my face in a vat of grease.

            Sink into my skin:

            Shiseido feels invisible once I’ve applied it to my skin. It’s perfect in that regard, but acts horrible when I try to place makeup on top of it. It doesn’t allow any of the products to actually stick onto my face, which makes my makeup look way cakier than normal. Josie Maran does not sink into my skin, at all. If I apply it, I need to make sure that I have at least an hour extra to start my base makeup. I think this is because of how moisturizing it is, I can feel it even after my usual fifteen-minute wait time. Paula’s Choice doesn’t sink into the skin, but it isn’t as noticeable as Josie Maran. I still need to wait a little bit more than 15 minutes to sink in, but not an hour. Although, the grease factor doesn’t go away after it sinks in.

            White cast:

            There is only one offender to this, and its Shiseido. If I apply the correct amount of sunscreen, I look ghostly. This isn’t a passable white tint; I look like I’ve applied white paint all over my face. This makes the sunscreen basically unwearable.

            Pill up on my face:

             Shiseido and Josie Maran don’t pill up under my makeup at all, Paula’s Choice on the other hand…. Paula’s Choice doesn’t pill up usually, but it has had its days where it does badly. My friends will ask me if I’m shedding, and then I have to blame it on my sunscreen. The odd thing is that I don’t change my skincare routine, so I have no clue why it occasionally pills.

            Last on my skin:

            Shiseido lasts the longest on my skin, but I can only say that because I can still see the white cast on my skin when removing. It is also a real pain to remove, which makes me happy because I know that it’s going to be doing its job (even though I reapply every two hours anyway). Josie Maran is hard to tell when it fades, so I assume that it lasts as well as an average sunscreen. The Paula’s Choice fades the fastest, and I say this because when I start to get oily I can feel it sliding around my face.

Exacerbate my acne:

            From all of my testing, I’m surprised to say that none of these break me out. This is a huge surprise to me, because when I was using other sunscreens, they all broke me out. Those offenders were the sunscreens in the Neutrogena line.

            And the winner is: I’m not really sure. This must be the ultimate cop out, but the one that I think is the most suited for me (Shiseido), has the unforgivable flaw. So I guess it goes to Josie Maran by default (Paula’s Choice has way too many problems), but I wouldn’t actually repurchase it. It has definitely sparked an interest in Asian sunscreens though, so I’ll be reviewing the Kao Biore UV PERFECT Milk SPF50+ PA++++ when it comes in the mail next.

For those of you curious on the ingredients and COSDNA ratings on the sunscreen:

Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion Broad Spectrum SPF 50+ WetForce for Sensitive Skin & Children	Josie Maran Argan Daily Moisturizer SPF 47 Protect + Perfect	Paula’s Choice RESIST Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50:
Active Ingredients: Octinoxate 7.4%, Octocrylene 3%, Titanium Dioxide 1.4%, and Zinc Oxide 16.4%. Inactive Ingredients: Water, Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Isopropyl Myristate, Isohexadecane, SD Alcohol 40-B, Isododecane, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Polybutylene Glycol/PPG-9/1 Copolymer, Xylitol, Glycerin, Methyl Gluceth-10, PEG/PPG-14/7 Dimethyl Ether, Saxifraga Sarmentosa Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Ectoin, Sophora Angustifolia Root Extract, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Hydrogen Dimethicone, Isostearic Acid, Dextrin Palmitate, Aluminum Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Silica, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Talc, Alcohol, Trisodium EDTA, BHT, Syzygium Jambos Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Fragrance.	Zinc Oxide 9.4% and Titanium Dioxide 5.9% Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Titanium Dioxide, Cyclopentasiloxane, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate, Mica, Nylon-12, Glycerin, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Polyglyceryl-2 Isostearate, Methicone, Alumina, Phenoxyethanol, Isononyl Isononanoate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Tocopheryl Acetate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Polysilicone-11, Sodium Chloride, Iron Oxide (CI 77492), Magnesium Stearate, Isopropyl Myristate, Fragrance, Bisabolol, Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate, Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Stearalkonium Hectorite, Propylene Carbonate, Laureth-12, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate.	Active Ingredients: Avobenzone 2.0%, Octinoxate 7.50%, Octisalate 5.0%, Octocrylene 2.0%. Other Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Silica, Dimethicone, Tocopherol ,Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Peucedanum Graveolens Extract, Sambucus Nigra Fruit Extract, Avena Sativa Bran Extract, Punica Granatum Extract, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Titanium Dioxide,  Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Carbomer, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol.

Shiseido 

Josie Maran

Paula's Choice