3 Sunscreens I Used This Week: La Roche-Posay SPF 100, Altruist SPF 50, Cetaphil Sheer Mineral Face Liquid Sunscreen SPF 50

Here are my thoughts on 3 sunscreens I’ve been using. They are La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Face & Body Sunscreen Lotion SPF 100, Altruist Sunscreen SPF 50, and Cetaphil Sheer Mineral Face Liquid Sunscreen SPF 50.

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Face & Body Sunscreen Lotion SPF 100:

I used La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Face & Body Sunscreen Lotion SPF 100 twice this week. With this sunscreen, I love the texture of this sunscreen. It’s soft, melts into the skin, absorbs nicely, moisturizes, and leaves my skin feeling so supple afterward. If LRP made a moisturizer like this (without the SPF), I would buy it. Moisturizers never work on my skin, but this product works when I experience dry skin from my acne products. I always enjoy applying this product to my skin. As for the SPF, I still wish it wasn’t a chemical sunscreen. It stung my eyes. I wish it was mineral-based instead. But it would have a white cast. Oh well, I wouldn’t mind. I didn’t have any issues besides stinging of the eyes. I still won’t purchase it again after I finish it because I’m trying to move away from chemical-based sunscreens. I can’t use it daily. I develop headaches and other health issues because of it. I can’t wait to be done with it. At the rate I’m going, it’s going to take a while.

Altruist Sunscreen SPF 50:

I was going to stick to the Altruist Sunscreen SPF 50 at first, but it started to feel very sticky and greasy on my skin. It also didn’t leave my skin feeling moisturized either. So do I have to put up with the stickiness and greasiness of this sunscreen? Also, it doesn’t provide any moisture when it’s sitting on my skin, and when I remove it? Nah. I love the high SPF (UVB and UVA), but it’s not working for me. It burns my eyes as well. It makes my skin appear extremely shiny and awful. I’m going to use the rest of this sunscreen on my body. Just not my face. I developed a few pimples from it too. Pus-filled ones. sigh I tried to make it work. Maybe I’ll bring it back when I think it could work for me again, lol.

Cetaphil Sheer Mineral Face Liquid Sunscreen SPF 50:

I currently don’t have a to-go-to mineral sunscreen. I thought I would give Cetaphil Sheer Mineral Face Liquid Sunscreen SPF 50 a try. Yes, again. It’s not a 100% mineral sunscreen but a hybrid. But whatever. It could work, haha. I really don’t know what to use anymore. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. The sunscreen feels silky and smooth. Hmmm, silicones! My skin loved it! It made the texture of my skin appear smoother and so glassy. My skin was glowing! Ha! I really liked the final result of it besides the white cast. I was able to put up with the white cast since I’m pretty pale anyway. That didn’t bother me much. I used this sunscreen 3 days in a row due to being outdoors for a bit. It seems like I can’t use it that often. I noticed some tiny blemishes. Ugh! Yeah, if you are acne-prone, this might cause some clogged pores. At least they weren’t cystic acne or a cluster of pimples. The pimples vanished the next day. I guess I can use this sunscreen on and off like my other sunscreens. My skin doesn’t like any sunscreens. I’ll use whatever I have for the time being.

And I’m still in search of the perfect sunscreen (which doesn’t exist), haha.

Review: Altruist Sunscreen SPF 50

I’ve been itching to try this sunscreen due to good reviews and the fact that it has a 5 star ultra UVA rating of PPD 54! Someone, anyone, please take this sunscreen to a lab and see if the SPF and UVA rating is accurate. I really want to know! This sunscreen contains photostable UV filters including the world’s most advanced filter Tinosorb A2B. It claims to be fast absorbing, non-sticky, hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, fragrance-free, paraben-free, water-resistant, cruelty-free, coral-friendly, vegan, and feels like a moisturizer! I’ve been using it for 1 month. Here are my thoughts on this sunscreen after a month of using it!

My Experience with Altruist Sunscreen SPF 50:

Texture & Application

This product is a cream. It’s soft and blends into the skin easily. It just vanishes into the skin and leaves the skin feeling very moisturized. It’s a hybrid sunscreen and doesn’t leave a white cast behind. This is an alcohol-free sunscreen. Yes! I’ve been searching for a sunscreen that’s high UVB and UVA and is alcohol-free! This one meets that criteria. I didn’t have any issues applying this product to the skin. I used it on my bare skin, and it went on just fine. It didn’t pill or ball up. The application was good. I love that it’s moisturizing. It moisturizes the eye area very well too. But be careful not to get the product into the eyes. It’ll burn. It’s fragrance free, but it has a smell to it. It has a chemical smell that lingers on for a while but doesn’t last all day. Thank goodness! The sunscreen is water resistant and stays in place.

Non-sticky. Is it?

This was an issue that I had with this sunscreen. I thought it felt sticky on my skin with reapplication. The first application is OK (not the best, just OK), but as I continue to reapply, my skin starts to feel sticky, shiny, and oily. It feels like I have product sitting on top of my skin. Technically, yes, I have product sitting on top of my skin, but it would be nice if it was a little less tacky and sticky. My hair tends to stick to my face while using this sunscreen too. I prefer to use it once (due to the stickiness) and reapply with my other sunscreens instead to avoid this problem. I can’t see myself reapplying with this sunscreen throughout the day. It’s way too much trouble and feels awful on the skin. My eyes would burn with reapplication.

Did it clog my pores??

I didn’t get any breakouts from this product, but it is on the moisturizing side. Too much moisture leads to an increase in sebaceous filaments for me. I’ll report back if I see any breakouts with continued use.

Final Thoughts

I love that this product is high UVB and UVA. What a dream come true! I feel like I’ve been using inferior sunscreen products compared to this one by looking at the stats. SPF 50 and PPD of 54? ALCOHOL FREE?? Yes!! Sign me up! I didn’t have major issues with this sunscreen besides the product being sticky and some eye burning (if it gets into the eyes). Otherwise, my experience with this sunscreen went pretty well. It’s moisturizing. No moisturizer is needed when using this sunscreen. It’s moisturizing enough. It also comes in a 100 mL bottle. It was super affordable too. How is this possible? There’s so many sunscreen options nowadays. I really despise sunscreens that come in tiny little bottles with high price tags. Using sunscreen properly is very important to get the protection specified on the bottle. A small bottle of sunscreen isn’t going to last too long, and it’s just a waste of money, in my opinion. I tend to go through bottles of sunscreen rather quickly. This sunscreen seems to fit almost all bullet points that are important to me. It’s alcohol-free, water-resistant, fragrance-free, larger bottle for the face (100 mL), moisturizing, hasn’t clogged my pores (as I know of yet), and it’s SPF 50 with PPD of 54. I’ve decided to keep using it since it’s working on my skin. I’m still on my first bottle. Trying my best to use it as often as possible and when I’m exposed to prolong periods of sun exposure. I’m glad I stumbled upon it. I just hope my skin doesn’t start reacting negatively to it. So far, so good. 👍🏻

The product was not sealed upon opening. It comes in a flip cap bottle.

This is what the sunscreen looks like.

Review: Vanicream Mineral Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30

I picked up a new sunscreen for the face. It’s the Vanicream Mineral Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30! This sunscreen is supposed to be a lightweight mineral sunscreen formulated with ceramides and non-nano zinc oxide to provide broad spectrum SPF 30 protection from UVA/UVB rays. It says it’s non-comedogenic (won’t clog pores) and non-greasy. It’s free of dyes, fragrance, lanolin, parabens, formaldehyde, gluten, and botanical extracts. I was very excited about this sunscreen since I’m searching for a more moisturizing sunscreen for the winter. Here are my thoughts and experience on this product!

Texture & Application

This product is a moisturizer with sunscreen. It was way heavier and thicker than I expected. It claims to be a lightweight mineral sunscreen. It’s a mineral sunscreen (19.5% Zinc Oxide) alright, but it’s nowhere near being lightweight. I used the recommended amount of sunscreen, and it was so difficult to blend into the skin due to the thickness of the product. The product is a cream that melts into the skin. It feels super soft, and I was super ecstatic about using it, but the finish was awful. It left my skin looking super oily, shiny, and greasy. My face looked like it was smeared with oil. There was a subtle white cast. I didn’t think was too bad. I could tolerate the white cast, but I couldn’t tolerate the greasiness of the sunscreen. It just wasn’t a good look. My skin is already oily. Using this sunscreen made my skin look even more oily. It took so long for the product to absorb into the skin. It just sat on my skin. I really don’t have the time for a sunscreen to take hours to set in the morning. 5 minutes? 10 minutes is OK. 30 minutes to 1 hour? No. I don’t have the time for that. I have other responsibilities and obligations to take care of. It feels like the sunscreen shifts around on the face too, so I’m not sure if I’m getting an even coverage or protection. Applying this sunscreen was a pain in the butt.

It’s very moisturizing.

Since it’s a moisturizer with SPF, it moisturizes the skin very well. It helped with dry patches and flaky skin. Reapplying the recommended amount is not ideal with this product, lol. I can’t walk around with a glistening, greasy face + letting the sunscreen absorb into the skin takes too much time. Don’t even bother reapplying with this product with makeup on. It’s not going to work. It’ll smear your makeup. But this product is really good for touch-ups on dry areas. For example, the skin around my eyes get really dry sometimes. This sunscreen works to keep them moisturized. It kept my skin moisturized throughout the day and didn’t irritate my skin. It soothed my dry skin. It makes an amazing moisturizer that contains SPF. Yeah, it only contains SPF 30, but it’s better than using a plain moisturizer. It’s a moisturizer and sunscreen in one, which makes it a better choice for mornings when the sun’s out. The ingredients in this product aren’t too bad either. It contains ceramides and squalane. I’m not a huge fan of squalane, but I like my ceramides. I can’t get over how moisturizing this sunscreen is. 🥰

Breakouts??

Sadly, after 3 days of using this sunscreen, my skin started to get clogged. I noticed hard sebum within my pores. There were lots of them. I noticed some other breakouts too on my nose, forehead, and chin. I’m glad I stopped using it on time before it made my skin worse. Once I stopped using it, my skin started to look better, clearer. So, it looks like this sunscreen wasn’t made for acne-prone skin. It claims to be non-comedogenic (won’t clog pores), but it’s too heavy and greasy. Even though it’s a moisturizer with SPF, it’s very easy to tell that it’s a sunscreen. The texture of the product is thicker. It sits on the skin like other sunscreens I’ve used. It’s just more moisturizing. It’s a no-go if your pores get clogged easily. Maybe it’s just me, lol. My pores get clogged veryyyyy easily, and I have skin that’s very acnegenic. It didn’t work for me.

Final Thoughts

I was hoping that Vanicream Mineral Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 would work. I was looking for a moisturizing sunscreen. It’s very disappointing that I can’t use this on my face due to it being greasy, oily plus breakouts. But, I can use it as a moisturizing SPF for the eye area and neck. I really enjoyed using it around my eyes since it’s super moisturizing and doesn’t irritate or burn my eyes. My skin is getting a little more dry and this product could help lessen the dryness on that part of my face. The skin around my eyes is one of the first areas that dry out too. It would be nice if it was at least SPF 50, so I’m not sure if I’m going to purchase it again for this purpose. I’ll have to keep using the product to see if I like it enough to keep it. Another sunscreen I have — Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 makes a good moisturizing sunscreen for the eye area too. It just doesn’t contain ingredients like ceramides. Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 smells kinda revolting, while Vanicream has no fragrance or smell to it. So it’s not going to hurt to use Vanicream just for the moisture, ceramides, and SPF. 😀 I didn’t mention this yet, but Vanicream is not sweat or water-resistant. All in all, I don’t think it’s a terrible product. I just can’t use it on my face.

What Vanicream Mineral Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 looks like:

This is what Vanicream Mineral Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 looks like. It’s not as lightweight as advertised. It feels thicker, and it’s very moisturizing on the skin (love!!). The product came sealed. I’m really loving Vanicream products, since the ones I have were all sealed. 👌🏻👍🏻

Update on La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Face & Body Sunscreen Lotion SPF 100

I tried La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Face & Body Sunscreen Lotion SPF 100 again. I stopped using my moisturizer (Vanicream Daily Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin), and my skin became so dry and flaky. I needed a product that would moisturize my skin. The only product that came to mind was La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Face & Body Sunscreen Lotion SPF 100 (that I have). My experience using it last time was very bad. You can read more about it right here. I’m still using a mineral sunscreen, and it’s been an unpleasant experience. It’s not the worst mineral sunscreen I’ve used, but it still leaves a white cast and dries my skin out like crazy (even though it’s a tad moisturizing, just not enough). With La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Face & Body Sunscreen Lotion SPF 100, at least it’s moisturizing and has a SPF of 100. Here’s my experience with La Roche-Posay SPF 100 sunscreen again this time around!

My experience…

I was very hesitant about trying this sunscreen again. I could just go out and purchase a new sunscreen, but I wanted to see if this sunscreen would work first without using a moisturizer underneath. From what I remember, it’s moisturizing enough by itself. Also, I loved the way it felt on my skin. It’s so moisturizing with a high SPF of 100. So my last experience with this sunscreen was not good. I experienced burning eyes, a non-stop migraine, and clogged pores by the second day. It was one of those experiences where I thought I would never touch this sunscreen ever again. But, here I am, trying it out again just because I have it and don’t want to buy another sunscreen at the moment. Also, my skin is feeling extremely dry. I thought the sunscreen would help with the dryness in the meantime.

The first day of using this sunscreen went well, but I didn’t use it from morning to night. I only used it once in the evening. It was my last SPF application of the day. I didn’t experience any redness, itchiness, or any other skin irritations. My eyes burned a little bit but not by much. The burning sensation disappeared after a few minutes. I was able to wear the sunscreen.

The sunscreen felt soft in texture and smoothed over my facial skin easily. It feels very nice on the skin. Possibly one of the most softest and soothing sunscreens I’ve used so far. I really liked the texture and consistency of this sunscreen. It was perfect for me. Even though it’s super moisturizing on the skin, it does lean towards the greasy side, but I could deal with it because the sunscreen didn’t stick to my hairline or leak into my eyes. It melted into my skin when applied and stayed in place. The lotion isn’t messy to use. It feels like a quality sunscreen. I didn’t breakout the first time I used it either. It simply just left my skin feeling moisturized when applied and after rinsing it off. I was happy with the results.

I tried using the sunscreen again the next day. This time I was able to use it from morning until night. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. I started to have issues. My eyes started to burn. They became red and watery. I couldn’t open them. I tried applying the sunscreen just on my face (avoiding the eye area), my eyes still burned. The smell of the sunscreen started to get to me. I also noticed my face warming up when using this sunscreen. Is this normal? Probably not. Seems like it’s not compatible with my skin. I stopped using it when I realized this sunscreen was giving me issues. That’s too bad. It works very well on my body but not my face. I tried it the second time, and it failed on my again. I can’t recommend this product as a face sunscreen. It may work for someone else, but it didn’t for me.

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Face & Body Sunscreen Lotion SPF 100

My Thoughts on La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Face & Body Sunscreen Lotion SPF 100!

I have a new sunscreen! 😎 I picked up another La Roche-Posay sunscreen. It’s the La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Face & Body Sunscreen Lotion SPF 100. I decided to go for SPF 100 instead of 50. Also, I decided to try a chemical sunscreen instead. I’m getting tired of the dryness and white cast from mineral sunscreens (in general). I love my zinc sunscreens, but the white cast is getting annoying for daily use, especially when my skin is dry and peeling. Everything gets magnified 10x more with mineral sunscreens. I can’t use a sunscreen that gives off a white cast when I’m in a professional setting. It just looks awful and embarrassing. But it’s a good choice if I’m at home lounging or going on hikes with friends. I don’t care if I have a white cast at that point. haha.

So this sunscreen is a broad spectrum sunscreen for the face and body. It helps to protect skin that burns easily and is oxybenzone-free. It contains Cell-Ox Shield with UVA/UVB protection and antioxidants. Fragrance-free. Water-resistant (80 minutes). The filters in this sunscreen are Avobenzone 3%, Homosalate 15%, Octisalate 5%, and Octocrylene 10%.

I haven’t used a 100% chemical sunscreen on my face for a while. I’ve been using a hybrid sunscreen and mineral sunscreen this whole year (so far). I had good results with La Roche-Posay Anthelios Body & Face Mineral Sunscreen Gentle Lotion. My skin didn’t burn at all. It’s the first time that I noticed that my freckles are fading and my skin just looks super amazing. Way better when I was using Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV SPF 50+ PA++++ by itself. But then, I’ve been reapplying sunscreen diligently and religiously. The fact that Canmake is not sweat or water-resistant may play a part too. I still like Canmake. It leaves my skin feeling silky, and I’m still using it because I can’t seem to let it go! lol. The texture of the sunscreen is like no other! It’ll work for winters but not for summers. It just doesn’t hold up in hot, humid, sweaty weather. It just doesn’t stick to the skin. So I hope to get good results with La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Face & Body Sunscreen Lotion SPF 100! Hopefully no breakouts like the La Roche-Posay mineral sunscreen. Now on to my experience with La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Face & Body Sunscreen Lotion SPF 100!

My Experience with La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Face & Body Sunscreen Lotion SPF 100:

Texture & Application

This is a lotion (as it states on the bottle). The sunscreen feels thick when dispensed from the bottle. When applied to the facial skin, it feels soft and blends into the skin very easily. It just melts into the skin. They’re not lying when they called this sunscreen ‘melt-in milk’. It really does melt into the skin. The texture and consistency of the sunscreen makes it very easy to smooth the product across the facial skin. No tugging or pulling at the skin involved. Just smooth it over and blend it into the skin. I thought it was very easy to use. Even though the application is simple, the sunscreen doesn’t seem to absorb into the skin quickly. It didn’t on my skin, lol. It felt like some of the sunscreen absorbed and the rest just sat on top of my skin. Since this is a chemical sunscreen, there isn’t a white cast, obviously. That’s not something to worry about when it comes to chemical sunscreens. It wasn’t streaky either. As I said earlier, it just melts into the skin when applied.

Moisturizing & Alcohol-Free

It’s a moisturizing sunscreen. I was in awe how much it moisturized my skin, but my skin felt a little dry to begin with. It helped with dry patches and dry skin in general. Even though it felt moisturizing, I thought this sunscreen felt greasy on the skin. It’s moisturizing, but it made my skin look more shiny, greasy, and oily. Keep in mind that I do have oily skin (can get dry sometimes), but my skin is naturally oily. I think this sunscreen would work much better for someone with naturally dry skin or normal skin.

I was looking through La Roche-Posay sunscreens and most of them had alcohol in them. This one in particular is alcohol-free. I prefer sunscreens that don’t contain drying alcohols. My skin gets itchy, red, and super dry when I use skin care products that contain drying alcohols. Alcohol in skin care tends to accentuate every line on my face too. That’s why I don’t use skin care products with alcohol. I’m glad this one doesn’t have it. The other sunscreen that use from La Roche-Posay doesn’t have it either (La Roche-Posay Anthelios Body & Face Mineral Sunscreen Gentle Lotion).

Breakouts? Other issues?

I didn’t notice any breakouts the first day, but I noticed breakouts on the second day. I developed one cyst, clogged pores, and a few more bumps. I didn’t doubt the breakouts. Once I saw the acne, I rinsed the sunscreen off ASAP. I think this sunscreen is way too heavy and greasy for my skin type, which is oily and acne-prone. It just sits on top of my skin and suffocates it. 😭 I also noticed that this chemical sunscreen felt warmer on my skin compared to what I usually use (mineral sunscreen). It’s just an observation. I could feel my face warming up after application. Maybe I’m not used to chemical sunscreens yet. I’ve been off of them for a while now (or my skin can’t handle them, who knows). With this sunscreen, there were some other issues besides acne I should touch up on like my eyes burning and headaches. This sunscreen burned my eyes. I could barely keep my eyes open. I tried avoiding the eye area when applying and my eyes were still watery. It must be the fumes from this sunscreen. It just seeps into the eyes. I also noticed headaches. I started developing a migraine out of nowhere. I didn’t link it to the sunscreen until I stopped using it. That’s when my eyes stopped becoming watery and headaches disappeared. Seems like I just can’t use this sunscreen on my face. I have no issues using it from the neck down or even on my ears. Just not my face.

Final Thoughts

I really liked the idea of this sunscreen. The texture of the product is soft and smooth. It’s has a very nice consistency that just blends into the skin with little effort. It moisturized my skin and didn’t accentuate dry skin or acne. SPF 100 is nice to have. But it’s unfortunate that it caused acne, burning eyes, and headaches. The days using this sunscreen was pure torture. I couldn’t take it anymore. It’s just so irritating. I went back to my hybrid and mineral sunscreens. All of these issues just went away once I returned to my usual sunscreens. I really wished this one worked out for me, but it is what it is. I’m not going to keep using a product that irritates my eyes, skin, and gives me migraines. I’ll be on the search for another chemical sunscreen that’s more suitable for me. For now, I’ll stick to what works (minerals).

If you missed out on my acne journey, be sure to check it out! 🙂

My Acne Journey: 1 Week In…

My Acne Journey: 2 WEEKS!! 

My Acne Journey: 3 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 4 Weeks Results!

My Acne Journey: 5 WEEKS IN!

My Acne Journey: 6 Weeks Results…

My Acne Journey: 7 Weeks Results

My Acne Journey: 2 MONTHS!! 

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 1 Week Results!

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 2 Weeks!

My Acne Journey: 2 Months + 3 Weeks Results!