This summer I was looking or a good sunscreen (SPF30 or higher) that could double as a daytime moisturizer for my super-oily skin. As those with oily skin know, the less layers the better in summertime and, after extensive research, I decided to order this product from drugstore.com (apologies for the horrible photo of this tube, but the bright orange + teal freaked out my camera and made everything look blurry):
Kiss My Face - Face Factor SPF 30 For Face & Neck
(retail: $12.95, 2.0 oz)
From kissmyface.com:
Face Factor is the ultimate in natural sun protection for your face. Now enriched with Hydresia for ultra-moisturizing. Face Factor is rich in antioxidant Green Tea and Licorice extracts to help fight damaging free radicals. Anti-aging peptides help reduce wrinkles and a remarkably effective Linoleic Acid helps decrease sensitivity to sunscreens, naturally. Natural Hyaluronic acid, Hydresia oleosomes, Aloe and Cucumber extract hydrate and soothe for beautiful skin every day. This fragrance free formula is water resistant and works great as a base under make-up.
Attributes:
biodegradable
gluten free
paraben free
phthalate free
sls free
vegan friendly
no animal testing
no artificial fragrances
Active Ingredients: Octinoxate 7.50% Zinc Oxide 3.00% Octisalate 3.00% Other ingredients: Aqua, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Acrylates Copolymer, Polysorbate-20, Stearyl Alcohol, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower Oil) Seed Oil, Dimethicone, Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Oleosomes, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Cetyl Alcohol, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, a-Lipoic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate (Hyaluronic Acid), Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Glycrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Extract, Ascorbyl Palmitate (Vitamin-C), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin-E), Sodium Chloride, Linoleic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin
My full review, after the jump...
On paper, this looks like a dream product. Natural, hydrating ingredients, SPF30 and it "works great as a base under make-up."
Not only does this product have great reviews from users on retail sites, message boards, etc., but Paula Begoun also loves it (a huge plus for me personally). From her Beautypedia website:
Face Factor Face + Neck SPF 30 is a truly outstanding product in the Kiss My Face line! This in-part zinc oxide sunscreen for normal to dry skin contains a very good array of antioxidants, soothing agents, emollients, and the cell-communicating ingredients. Well done, and it’s fragrance-free, too! That is a great change of pace! This formula should be suitable for those struggling with dry skin and occasional breakouts; however, as with any skin-care product, it takes experimentation to discover what works best for you.With all of these great things working in its favor, I chose to "ignore" the part about this being for "normal to dry skin". I figured, since KMF said this product works well as a base under makeup, maybe...just maybe...I could get it work for me. Worth a shot, right?
So here's the deal: this product is wonderful, but it's too heavy for me. My skin is just far too oily for this to function as a sunscreen + moisturizer in the summertime. I tested this product for six weeks and every time I used it, I waited a minimum of ten minutes to allow this product to sink into my skin before applying my makeup. No matter what I did, I just couldn't stop this product from making my makeup slide around my face after a few hours, and my face always had a lot of break-though shine an hour or two after makeup application. By the end of the day, I felt like my makeup was melting off my face.
You may be wondering why I started the above paragraph with "this product is wonderful". Well, that's because the one thing I absolutely, without a doubt, LOVE about this product is that it is extremely moisturizing. And when I say moisturizing, I don't just mean that my skin feels soft to the touch when I wear this product. I mean, my skin continues to feel smooth and hydrated, long after this product has faded away (or after I've cleansed my face). I love its hydrating properties so much that when my skin starts to feel a little parched (which it's prone to do when the season change) I find myself wearing this product at nighttime (which is a little weird considering it has SPF but I don't care!). If I apply it at night, my skin feels so hydrated in the morning--it's a like a great shot of moisturizer whenever I need it.
I've also found another use for this product since it didn't work for my face: I apply it to the tops of my hands when I know I'm going to be out in the sun for any period of time. If you're under 40, you probably don't have this concern (yet!) but as we age, the tops of our hands can start to look "mature". The best way to combat this is with a good sunscreen, and why not make it a hydrating one to boot? This stuff is perfect for that.
FINAL VERDICT: Too heavy for my oily skin, but I can completely understand why Paula Begoun and others gives this product rave reviews. It hydrates the skin beautifully, contains some great ingredients and it's also SPF30. If you have normal to dry skin, this might be an ideal sunscreen for you, or even a moisturizer/sunscreen hybrid. For my fellow oily-skinned readers out there, this might be worth a shot for cooler months (the weather here in San Diego is still pretty warm as of the time of this post, so I haven't had a chance to try it in cooler weather yet). I love it for the tops of my hands, which is a nice alternative if this doesn't work for your face.
You can find this product on the Kiss My Face website, drugstore.com, iherb.com, vitacost.com and other online retailers.
Do you own any Kiss My Face products? Have you tried this sunscreen? I'd love to hear from you!
geez wish i was in san diego where is warm. here in piedmont triad its cold. I'm def. going to try this my skin is normal to dry, but gets very dry in the winter.
ReplyDeleteI would love to know what you think of it if you try it! :)
Deletei love it! it works perfect for my skin. my skin is soft and smooth, and feels moisturized. most products i use i can still feel the cream on my face when i touch my skin, but this stuff really absorbs into my skin. Definitely something for normal to dry, but it doesn't feel heavy for me.
DeleteHi G. I have always been curious about the kiss my face sunscreen but after your review I'm certain that this would be horrible on my oily skin :( I'm really curious if it would be a great body sunscreen though. In curious about the smell, I know it says no fragrance. Though from experience (because my son has eczema) I have come across some very unpleasant smelling "no fragrance products". They can have a sort of paste like awful smell. Just wondering if that is the case for this one, did you detect any smell when you used it on your hands?
ReplyDeleteI don't get a bad smell from this one, but there IS a scent. To me, it has that pretty standard ”sunscreen” fragrance to it, but it's not very strong. When I use it on my hands, I can smell it for a few minutes and then it fades.
DeleteThe one thing that makes me think it might not be a great fit for the body is that it's kind of heavy since it's made for hydrating the face. So it might feel a little sticky on the body. I hope that helps! :)
My favorite sunscreen is from The Naked Bee. It's a nice moisturizing one, works well for my moderately oily skin. But then I'm only moderately oily. :/
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried anything by Kiss my Face since one lotion gave me a sunburn-like reaction.
ReplyDeleteI like Alba Botanica Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30. (in the green tube) it is moisturizing and dry at the same time. I don't know how they do that. I use about a pea sized amount for my whole face, that little 4oz tube has lasted all summer long.
I'm curious if the lotion you tried was the peach one that contains alpha Hydroxy? I've heard that one can sting a bit when you first start using it.
DeleteThanks for the tip about AB sunscreen!
Have you looked at Paula's site for moisturizers with SPF? They are excellent. This summer I actually used her hand cream withbspf 30 as my moisturizer. I tried it this way after reading reviews on about it and the fact that people with oily combo skin were using it this way and was working wonderfully. I did and it is great! It sinks in and it doesn't leave a sheen and most importantly, no breakouts! I highly recommend it. She has it on her site for 50% off and you can always get a sample.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the great tip! I've used some of her moisturizers in the past and I've loved them, but I've never tried any with SPF. I'll definitely have to try that one! :)
DeleteThis review is much appreciated! The temp has dropped and my skin is getting dry and flakey. I'm on the market for a moisturizing day lotion and this sounds perfect.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad this helped! And I would love to know what you think if you try it! :)
DeleteDude! i have the exact.same.problem. when it comes to finding a moisturizer!(oily/combination skin, prone to breakouts, etc...) Last friday I ordered a sample of Paula's Choice "Skin Balancing Daily Mattifying Lotion SPF 15 & Antioxidants" and have used it for the past couple days. IT IS AWESOME. it totally soaks in and is a perfect primer for a moisturizing foundation or bbcream. I also got a sample of Paula's Barely There tinted moisturizer and i found that the two lotions are a perfect combo for my skin. SO EXCITED - had to share :) Love your blog, rarely comment but i've been reading it forever!
ReplyDelete