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Post in Deeper Shades
Anonymous Insider

Sunscreen

 

I usually use Cera ve daily sunscreen lotion but it has ingredients known to turn ocean reef white so, my question is what is a good daily facial sunscreen for sensitive, dark skin?

Re: Sunscreen

@Queenk35 

I’d recommend my current favorite (Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen), but it contains octinoxate which is a reef-damaging ingredient. If I plan to visit coastal beaches, I’ll use this sunscreen just around my eyes instead of my entire face. (Many other sunscreens—chemical or mineral—irritate my eyes, so I can’t use them on my undereyes or eyelids. Also, Unseen Sunscreen is completely invisible on me, so I don’t have to rub my undereyes much to blend it in.) 

 

My second favorite sunscreen is COOLA - Mineral Face SPF 30 - Matte Tint. The yellow-toned tint disappears on my skin tone without too much rubbing/blending, though it does take extra rubbing to blend atop my large hyperpigmentation patches. I think the tint might appear ashy on rich dark skin tones deeper than mine. But if you can find a tester in a store that sells Coola, it’s worth testing on your hand or neck. 

 

There’s also SUPERGOOP! - 100% Mineral Smooth & Poreless Matte Screen SPF 40 which has a peachier beige tint. This one takes a lot of rubbing to blend out (for me) on all my skin tones, because it contains 17% zinc oxide vs. Coola’s 1.8%. So I apply very small amounts of it at a time per section of my face. Another tip for this one: you must shake the bottle for at least 10 seconds to get the “air whipped” texture that makes it easier to blend out. Supergoop says 5-10 seconds of shaking, but 10-15 works best for me. 

 

Here’s how both mineral sunscreens look on my skin tone before I blend them out, so you can see the difference in tint color.

 

2FBB9859-DAAD-4565-9610-101FDF8A35F7.jpeg28D44EA6-CAF3-45C7-91CB-65C3CA0238AC.jpeg

 

Oh, and here’s a mineral sunscreen I’d like if it wasn’t so heavy and greasy on me: Cotz Sensitive SPF 40 Broad Spectrum UVA-UVB. It contains 20% zinc oxide, yet blends out to an invisible finish on me (with some effort). Unfortunately it’s so thick and greasy on me, it gunks up my blush brush and makes my oily zone feel suffocated. Some folks have better luck with it though, so your mileage may vary. 

Sunscreen

Something else to consider in your sunscreen is chemical vs physical barrier. The mineral sunscreens create a physical barrier while the chemical sunscreens, like octinoxate, react with UV Ray's to create heat. Products containing chemical sunscreens are more forgiving to dark skin BUT can be damaging to the skin because the chemical process cause the creation of free radicals as a byproduct. You gotta pick your poison, sis. Sorry. 🤷🏾‍♀️

Sunscreen

I use Drunk Elephant Umbra sheer daily defense spf 30 in the blue tube. I also use Neutrogena SheerZinc face sunscreen. I use mineral sunscreens only! the key is to make sure the Zinc or titanium oxide content is at least 20% or better. I prefer the Drunk elephant because you can rub it in and it almost disappears. It plays perfectly under makeup.
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