The Sunscreen Project, Part 16

Still going at sunscreens!

I was fortunate to receive a nice sample of Murad's Essential-C Day Moisture SPF 30 from Sephora recently. I thought, why not? It's a nice sunscreen, and Murad is known to be a good brand, so it might be a good try.

What did I think? Pretty nice actually.

According to Sephora's website, this product is formulated "without parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals, phthalates, GMOs, and triclosan". Now, personally, I don't understand why triclosan would be in a sunscreen in the first place, because it is a detergent, which is definitely not something that sunscreen is supposed to do, but I think the other claims are relatively relevant. Pertaining to sunscreen, at least.

Ingredients:

Ensulizole 2.0%, Octinoxate 7.5%, Octocrylene 6.0%, Titanium Dioxide 3.0%, Water (Aqua), Butylene Glycol, Stearic Acid, Cocoglycerides, Diisopropyl Sebacate, Glyceryl Stearate, Lauryl Lactate, PEG-100 Stearate, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Dimethicone, Cetyl Alcohol, Aminomethyl Propanol, Pelvetia Canaliculata Extract, Ectoin, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract, Passiflora Incarnata Extract, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Sodium PCA, Panthenol, Tripleurospermum Maritima Extract, Sodium Myristoyl Sarcosinate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phospholipids, Retinyl Palmitate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Chitosan Ascorbate, Betaine, Sorbitol, Glycine, Alanine, Proline, Serine, Threonine, Arginine, Lysine, Glutamic Acid, Zinc Gluconate, Ethyl Linoleate, Cetyl Phosphate, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Eugenol, Limonene, Linalool, Fragrance (Parfum), Yellow 6 (CI 15985), Red 33 (CI 17200).

Note: I noticed that one of the ingredients listed on this sunscreen is retinyl palmitate. There is a lot of contention about the use of retinyl palmitate in sunscreens - a study from the National Toxicology Program (NTP) suggested that retinyl palmitate-based sunscreens helped accelerate skin cancer. However, a review published in the Aug 2011 edition of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology disproved this. (Here's an article from FutureDerm about the contention)

Pros:
-Not greasy
-Spread on really easily
-Felt like it covered my face well without feeling super overly emollient
-Has a vitamin C serum, which helps the sunscreen (see forum comment from John Su at TheTripleHelixian)
-Has SPF 30 - FDA minimum recommendations for good protection against UVB rays
-Has titanium dioxide, which protects against UVA and UVB

Neutrals:
-Contention with retinyl palmitate

Cons:
-Titanium dioxide isn't as good at blocking rays as zinc oxide
-SUPER expensive - $60 for 1.7 oz

Bottom line, did I like this sunscreen? Yes. Will I purchase the full-sized version? As of now, no.

Sources: 1 / 2

Past posts

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: Vanicream SPF 30

Part 3: Solbar Avo SPF 32

Part 4: Pur~lisse Essential Daily Moisturizer SPF 30

Part 5: Coppertone Sport SPF 30

Part 6: Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer SPF 15

Part 7: Shiseido Sun Protection Eye Cream SPF 32
Part 8: Clean & Clear Finishes Oil-Free Pore Perfecting Moisturizer w/ SPF 15