Here are some new sunscreens I’ve been trying. They’re available in stores in Australia which is very exciting, because Australia hasn’t had many “cosmetically elegant” (non-greasy, non-clumpy) sunscreens that you can use under your makeup without it all turning into a big greasy mess.
Banana Boat has released two sunscreens in their Everyday range – Everyday Sensitive ($17.49 for 200 g) and Everyday Faces ($12.49 for 100 g). The two sunscreens are very similar. Both are:
- SPF50
- Broad spectrum
- 4hours water resistant
- Oil-free
- Free of added fragrance
The active ingredients are the same in both as well: Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 5.00%, 4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor 4.00%, Octocrylene 2.00%, Bemotrizinol 1.00%; Preservatives: Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxybenzoates.
I really liked the light, non-greasy feel of Banana Boat’s Everyday sunscreen, so I was looking forward to trying these out. They do feel quite light on the skin, but leave a sticky, shiny film. Covering the sunscreen with powder helps kill the stickiness, but it reemerges after a few hours. I think Everyday Faces is a tad less sticky than Everyday Sensitive, but they’re almost indistinguishable on my face.
Unfortunately Banana Boat sunscreens are Australia-only, which means that they don’t have to include full ingredients since they’re classified as therapeutic goods. As well as not knowing whether they contain any ingredients that commonly trigger sensitivities, I also can’t check how similar the two formulas are. Some Australian sunscreens do voluntarily provide ingredient info – I’m hoping this becomes normal as consumers get increasingly ingredient-savvy. Everyday Sensitive comes in a bigger tube than Everyday Faces, which makes it a bit cheaper too.
Nivea Sun Protect & Light Feel Daily Face Veil SPF 30 ($12.99 for 50 mL) is another sunscreen designed for the face. Again, the ingredients aren’t on the packaging but a user on Makeupalley reports them as:
Aqua, Alcohol Denat., Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate + BHT (7.5%), Homosalate (6%), Tapioca Starch, Ethylhexyl Salicylate (5%), Glycerin, Ethylhexyl Triazone (3%), Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane (3%), Benzophenone-3 (3%), Cyclomethicone, Trisodium EDTA (20%), Methylparaben, Parfum, C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide.
These match the active ingredients on the back of the bottle, so I’m pretty convinced it’s the same. Light Feel Daily Face Veil doesn’t lie, it really is very light. It glides onto the face smoothly and sinks in quickly, and there’s close to no shine – it reminds me a lot of Biore Watery Essence. The high alcohol content might be a bit troublesome if you have dry skin, but for my oily face it was a relief to not have to deal with stickiness and shine. It’s lightly fragranced with a sort of fresh scent.