My view: Give it a miss
I promise this is the penultimate VLCC sunscreen that I review. This product is very similar to VLCC’s SPF 30 and SPF 40 sunscreens. (You can read the SPF 40 and SPF 30 blogs).
Has anything changed from SPF 40 to SPF 50?
The UV filters are no longer the same. Benzophenone-3 or Oxybenzone is notable in its absence.
The UV filters are now: Octinoxate (a UVB filter), Avobenzone (a UVA filter) and Titanium Dioxide (a UVA/UVB filter).
I am sure that the SPF 50 rating is justified as Octinoxate has been promoted to the 3rd most abundant ingredient. But as always, it is the UVA filter that is this product’s Achilles heel.
The only UVA filter is Avobenzone, which is a gold standard UVA filter, EXCEPT when its not present in sufficient quantities – like here – honestly its the 9th ingredient????
Why so much vitriol I hear you ask?
Well, Avobenzone is photounstable – in fact it is the most photounstable UV absorber. In the US where it is used in about 70% of sunscreens (my own finding), its combined with a host of stabilisers, such as Octocrylene, Oxybenzone, Butyloctyl Salicylate etc. etc.
Here its combined with Octinoxate – this makes both Octinoxate and Avobenzone unstable. Of course, it gets better, because there is also Titanium Dioxide, which USA sunscreen regulation DOES NOT permit with Avobenzone, because guess what? Yes, you guessed it – it makes Avobenzone unstable.
Click on LINK for more information.
The elephant in the room: the PA+++ rating
VLCC have labelled this product as “PA+++.”
If I run a sunscreen simulation, where I include the maximum amount of permissible ingredients:
- Octinoxate at 10%
- Avobenzone at 5%
- Titanium Dioxide at 4% (has to be less than Avobenzone)
I still come up with a “PA++” rating and not a “PA+++” rating as VLCC claim. If India even had basic sunscreen regulation, it would be impossible for VLCC to get away with such labelling.
Closing remarks
Sunscreen formulation 101 rules include ingredients should not make each other less effective OR unstable.
I guess VLCC missed that memo.
In summary, please don’t waste your money on this non-starter of a product.
Drop me a line if you have any queries at email@happyskindays.com
P.S. see also: Top 5 sunscreen recommendations, Do You Understand The Gibberish On Sunscreen Labels? Myths About Sun-Protection
Sources and uses:
Product label details: Batch no: B18021, Mfd date: 05-18, Use before date: 05-21 Use before: Manufacturing Licence No: 9/C/UA/2009