Mineral Bronzing Sunscreen SPF 30

1 Review

1. 

   hushedBagels9

   Reply

   I have this in Blood Orange and Pineapple Flower. Like so many of us, I am a huge fan of nearly everything from the Pacifica brand, so I was happy to buy these sunscreens. The number 1 priority for me is that Pacifica’s sunscreens have Zinc. I’m allergic to chemical sunscreens, which is a pretty serious problem when you live in AZ and SoCal. My other serious problem is I love to be outdoors, so sunscreen is vital – otherwise I would surely look like old shoe leather. Both Blood Orange and Pineapple Flower smell delightful. The smell is noticeable upon spraying, but this is NOT perfuming. Chemical sunscreens smells WAY stronger (and block my breathing). SPF 30 is good for me, I guess, because I use sunscreen to keep from tanning, but people who burn may not find this effective enough for outdoors. I assume that SPF 50 cannot avoid leaving a white cast on skin, so this is SPF 30 for cosmetic reasons. Also for cosmetic reasons is the “bronzing” claim, which is the marketable way to say this is tinted to mask the whiteness. As all Zinc sunscreens do, this goes on in a very thick layer that feels just like body makeup. It leaves a cast on top of skin that’s a light, rosy beige color. On my skin there’s no mistaking that it’s a gray-white Zinc cast. I don’t mind because my skin is naturally olive enough that it’s really not noticeable (other than all my skin looks remarkably matte and even-toned). I would like to worn those of you with fair or darker skin tones…this does not blend in with your skin when it’s sprayed. Be prepared to rub it on your skin like it’s self tanner. After application you will likely be horrified at the color for a few minutes (unless your skin is naturally pinkish-tan). But – the good news is it “settles down”. When it dries, it sets, which is exactly what you want if you’re going to be swimming or sweating. I am very bad, because I tend to ignore using sunscreen on my body because of my avobenzone allergy. Since I tan well, it’s far too easy to lie to myself about the damage I do to my skin. (I use my allergy and need for vitamin D as rationalization). I own plenty of Zinc sunscreens that I force myself to wear when there’s absolutely no excuse. But, they make me look ridiculous because of their white cast, and they tend to stay sticky. Pacifica’s sunscreen is far less sticky, and far more comfortable than other zinc sprays, and a million times better than zinc lotions. If you don’t take care to apply it evenly, it can look like body foundation gone wrong. Also, if you’re skin is dry, it kind of magnifies the dryness. It also does no favors for cellulite. But Pinky-tan, cellulite-inflicted lizard skin is inarguably better than skin cancer, so this is an important consumer product. Those of us with avobenzone allergies, those who want to stop polluting ocean life with sunscreen chemicals, and those who are tired of our health being at risk because of Neutrogena’s and L’Oreal’s inferior sunscreen monopoly of US markets, can appreciate Pacifica’s decent, fairly-priced non-chemical sunscreens.