Quality product

Use Vanicream products everyday. You have to let the sunscrean sink in becasue after application you look like a clown. But great stuff!More detail ...

best all around value

This is the second year I've used this sunscreen since it was rated in the top ten in EWG testing last year. I see it's down to #20 this year (out of 469 tested!) but the competition has really heated up for nontoxic effective sunscreens. I burn easily and have never gotten a burn while using it and on occasion that has meant going out in direct summer sun all day long.

I'm giving it 4 stars rather than 5 because it does take a bit of effort to apply. I find it's important to squeeze out just enough to coat. If I get it on too thickly it can be tricky to spread or remove some so there's not a thick white coating. That being said it's not really not that difficult.

Considering that the price is about half of the comparable highly rated sunscreens it's a great value and it's the only sunscreen I use.More detail ...

Strengths and weaknesses

I was looking for a safe effective sunsreen for my trip to Southeast Asia this summer. Here are what I think are the strengths and weaknesses for this product

Strengths:

1 Many non-chemical sunscreens actually fail to live up to their SPF but I do think it successfully protected my skin in the worst UV environment. (But I also used hats and such)

2 It is relatively safe for my skin. It didn't make my skin break out.



Weaknesses:

1 THE greasiest sunscreen I ever experienced. It's ok when you're out hiking or at the beach but when I went out to see friends they often commented on how much I was "sweating." When I really did sweat it made the cream turn white and visible (dotty on my face).

2 As it's noted on Skin Deep Cosmetic safety database it's not perfectly safe. While I didn't have any breakouts my face (not my body) got itchy wearing this. But I was able to get around it by putting on a moisturizer before applying this.

3 It's pretty tough to wash off. Though it's not waterproof after I washed my body I could still smell it and see it on my skin (showing up white especially in wrinkly area).



Despite the problems I think I might use it again next summer (at least on my body) because I haven't been able to find a better safe high SPF sunscreen. Other ones don't make my face shiny but make my face look all white.

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