Review: Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock

So I've been so busy with work that I have not been updating my blog as much as I'd want to. As I am a big fan of sunscreen, I still make it a point to reapply sunscreen several times in a day, depending on whether I should take my lunch out, go to a job site, or if I'm lucky enough to get an early time off work. So as not to waste the experience of a new sunscreen, I decided to quickly share my thoughts on Neutrogena's Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock.

Availability and Price: From what I can still remember, I bought this from the drugstore for less than 400 php. This product is readily available for anyone, especially those who would not have that much monies for better performing Asian sunscreens.

Packaging: Along from how the product is packed and prepared to dispense (which to be short, is good enough, with complete labels as per the FDA guide in one of my posts), I would also be adding now the claims/description of a product usually found at the back. The product claims the following:

 - waterproof, sweatproof and can resist rub-off

 - non-comedogenic

 - oil free and PABA free

So it may be waterproof, sweatproof and hard to remove by accident, but the instructions still advise re-application. Be it physical or chemical sunscreen, it is strongly advised to reapply as some filters may degrade as they combat UV rays, so props to Neutrogena for putting such in the directions!

Texture and scent: Per product description, it is ultra light and has a non-shiny finish. We'll get back to the finish later on. I've had a lot of experience with Korean and some Japanese sunscreen, and I must say, this product when compared to those that I've used (even to those which are not my favorites), is way too thick. It would be very hard to apply the correct amount of sunscreen (which I also discussed in one of my blog posts) and patting all of it in may take a while.

It has a mild scent which I like solely because of nostalgia - it smells like one of those cheap stationery we Filipino girls used to purchase during our childhood.

Ingredients: Here's the ingredient list which is also on cosdna.com. The main filters are the following: Homosalate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Benzophenone-3 (or Oxybenzone), Octocrylene, and Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane (or Avobenzone).

Avobenzone and oxybenzone are two filters which are not photostable and may appreciably degrade on sunlight exposure, damaging the skin. The avobenzone component is stabilized by octocrylene, but I'd stay away from this should I want to use makeup with SPF - there are studies which say that Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide can degrade avobenzone, and makeup with SPF usually have these physical filters.

Yep. It is an all chemical sunscreen so those with sensitive skin should use this with reservation - test it on a small portion of  your face first.

For reasons that I have sensitive skin and I use BB creams, I did not use this product on my face. Anyway, I bought this for my body because of the price.

Finish: Ultra sheer? Yes. This is a sunscreen with chemical filters only, so there is no white cast at all. Dry-touch? To be blunt, NO. It made my skin a bit shiny after application, and the sticky feeling does not dissipate as fast as one of the Hawaiian Tropics sunscreen I used.

Rating: Cheap and easy to purchase, this sunscreen is good enough to be used on the body. Due to the filters, one should be cautious in using this product for the face. I like this sunscreen over the Hawaiian Tropics sunscreen in one of my reviews (with a somewhat similar formulation), but similarly, I might be inclined to try other brands which have safer, photostable filters. 3/5