My view
I really like this sunscreen. It is expensive, but let’s face it – its the price of a few visits to Starbucks in New Delhi. I would happily forgo those and buy this instead.
Filters
As always, it is just about the filters. Good sunscreens should contain effective and photostable “filters,” that protect against both UVA and UVB damage.
I am here to make sure that this product has sufficient UVA and UVB filters – and without doubt it does.
UVA and UVB filters
- UVB filters: Octocrylene. Its a decent UVB filter and is most effective at photostabiliing Avobenzone
- UVB/UVA filters: BEMT. This provides protection against UVA and UVB. It is a new style filter that 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. It’s also notoriously photounstable. 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.
INCI names (which is what appears on the label) in Notes
Closing remarks
That’s it. This is one of my last sunscreen reviews for a while. It really should be this simple.
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
- Octocrylene: Octocrylene