My view
I will be honest with you – this is a complicated sunscreen, but it is worth buying.
Filters
Good sunscreens should contain effective and photostable “filters,” that protect against both UVA and UVB damage.
As always I am here to make sure that this product has sufficient UVA and UVB filters.
UVA and UVB filters
- UVB filters are:
- OCR (or Octocrylene) – which is a decent UVB filter. Its also one of the most effective photostabilisers for Avobenzone
- Uvinul HEB – this is a very effective UVB filter. Its also photostable.
- UVB/UVA filters are:
- Titanium Dioxide (nano) – this is a broadspectrum filter, but it is a more effective UVB filter. It makes Avobenzone unstable and therefore, its not commonly found in formulations with Avobenzone
- BEMT – this is a broadspectrum new filter, that is effective at low concentrations and is very photostable. Along with OCR, its one of the most effective photostabilisers for Avobenzone.
- UVA filter
- Avobenzone – this is the primary UVA filter here. It is an important filter. It provides coverage in UVA1 region, which is the bulk of UV radiation.
- Therefore stabilising Avobenzone is critical to how good a sunscreen is. This sunscreen uses the best stabilisers for this purpose – Octocrylene and BEMT – which enables Avobenzone to do its job. It also adds DHHB for good measure! These combined counter the photo “un”stabilising effect of Titanium Dioxide….
- DHHB – this is a new UVA filter which is photostable and like BEMT, is very effective even at low concentrations.
If you are a certified geek you may be interested in how the filters interact with each other as follows:
INCI names of all filters in notes below
Closing remarks
That’s it from me (for today). Please let me know if you have any queries or I’d love to hear your suggestions so please write to me. Click on “EMAIL ME” for my address. I look forward to hearing from you!
See also: no 1 sunscreen: Avene, Top 5 Sunscreen Recommendations, What to look for on sunscreen labels, What damage is sunscreen preventing? Myths about sun protection
Notes: INCI names
- Avobenzone: Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
- BEMT: Bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine
- DHHB: Diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl hexyl Benzoate
- OCR: Octocrylene
- TiO2: Titanium Dioxide
- Uvinul HEB: Diethylhexyl Butamidotriazone