I Can’t Believe It’s Not Chemical (Sunscreen)!
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I have a love-hate relationship withmineral sunscreen. While I like the benefits and itshyperpigmentation-fadingcapabilities, I dislike the white cast. Mostmineral sunscreensleave my skin with a ghoulish, purply hue or a chalky, ashy finish. It’s a problem brands have been trying to solve for years — every few months, I get an email about a mineral sunscreen that seemingly defies the odds and goes on clear. I almost always call it in and get my hopes up every time, only to be disappointed when I see a cast left behind. There’s one exception to this: the OneSkin Body sunscreen. I’ve been using it since it came out in 2024, and on a recent trip to Antigua I used it on my arms and chest and was reminded how good it is. A week after my vacation, the spots where I applied OneSkin are tanned but not burnt, while my back, which I sprayed with some cheap sunscreen from the hotel gift shop, is still peeling.
For years, this has been the only mineral sunscreen that actually rubs all the way in and disappears. Granted, it takes a little bit of rubbing, as all mineral sunscreens do, but within 15 seconds, it’s gone. What I like is that after I apply it, my skin still looks like mine. I’ve tested a bunch of mineral formulas since, and even though they all proclaim their “zero white cast,” none live up to the claims. Some apply nicely and get close, but none is as invisible as this one. It’s also cosmetically elegant; it feels like an oilylotion, which helps it to absorb a bit better.
It’s so nice I often find myself checking the ingredients to make sure it isn’t a hybrid formula like my belovedEltaMD sunscreen. But no, there’s just zinc oxide along with a host of other skin-care ingredients such as sunflower extract, a powerful antioxidant; green-tea oil, another antioxidant that also helps with hyperpigmentation; cherry, a naturally occurringvitamin C; and safflower-seed oil, which has a high concentration of linoleic acid and vitamin E. It also contains OneSkin’ssignature peptideto help prevent the expansion of senescence, a process in which cells deteriorate but don’t die. This can cause inflammation and ultimately lead to skin aging.
It’s a lot of science for a sunscreen, and that shows in the price. A 3.4-ounce bottle is $54, which is especially expensive given how much I need to use for it to be effective (about a shot-glass full), and that’s without reapplication. It’s easy to go through quickly, but I do love it. In an effort not to burn through my supply, I save it for special occasions or days when I’m exposing smaller parts of my body like my shoulders and hands. I’ve since tried lots of formulas that promise an invisible finish, but so far, nothing compares.
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