My search for person of colour sunscreens continues. A few months ago, Glossier came out with a new sunscreen that promises to be a game changer. There were ads all over the subway and billboards in New York. The Glossier Invisible Shield Daily Sunscreen SPF 35 is touted as a broad-spectrum sunscreen that goes on invisible on all skin tones. This got my attention. As I have discussed in previous posts and videos, one of my biggest pet peeves with sunscreens available in the US is that they often leave an ashy cast on the skin. This is partially because sunscreens are regulated as drugs (by the FDA) as opposed to just cosmetics. The E.U., Asia (especially South Korea and Japan) and Australia have access to a wider variety of sun-protecting filters. So I paid another visit to the showroom on Lafayette and picked this up, crossing my fingers. And by the way, check out my other Glossier reviews.

Glossier Invisible Shield Review – Video

For those who like the visuals, here’s my video review.

Glossier Invisible Shield Review – General Product Details

The Glossier Invisible Shield is descibed as “a clear watergel formula filled with active microcapsules that instantly absorbed into the skin with no greasy residue and zero white cast”.

It is vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free and non-comedogenic and suitable for all skintypes and skintones.

The active sunscreen ingredients are: avobenzone, homosalate and octisalate. These are well known and used chemical sunscreen commonly used in the US. It does not contain octinoxate, which I *think* is the ingredient that gives me problems. These filters are contained in microspheres which bust as your rub this onto the skin to release these ingredients.

The other active ingredients are:

Water – yes. Water is a main ingredient and the formula is a thin gel. This makes it great for both dry and oily skin types. Water also helps the product to sink into the skin quickly. Also it contains no alcohol, which is a good solvent but can be drying on the skin.

Antioxidant Complex – These are Vitamin E and P, Broccoli and Aloe Leaf Extracts. These provide extra protection against free radicals and oxidants that are found in the air that we breathe and that surround us. Breaking up the effects of UV radiation also can pass that released energy to oxidants which can contribute to aging and cancers. The antioxidants counteract that.

Fermented Yeast and Vegetal Extracts – Fermented ingredients are very popular in Asian, especially Korean and Japanese, skincare routines for many years, even centuries. These fermented ingredients help form a physical barrier on the skin to block out pollutants.

This product also contains Sweet Orange Oil as a fragrance. It gives it a very fresh, citrus scent. For some people, this may cause irritation to some.

Glossier Invisible Shield Review – Packaging

This comes in an airless pump with and yellow cap. I liked this packaging for maintaining the integrity of the contents inside and protects them for air, UV rays and contamination for a long period of time. I don’t have to worry about getting the rest of the gel dirty. The downside is that because the packaging is opaque, I can’t tell when it is close to being empty :-/

Glossier Invisible Shield Review – Method of Application

Pump out a dime sized amount and applied to my face, including the back of my neck and ears and chest. It applied very smoothly and completely disappeared on my skin with minimal effort. It also dried down to a semi-matte finish that did not leave me feeling dry. Also, because of the formula, I was easily able to reapply this over foundation without changing the colour or the texture of the foundation or cheek colour.

Glossier Invisible Shield Review – Results & Conclusions

I really liked this. I have finally found another sunscreen to add to my old faithful LaRoche-Posey Mexoryl. This really does become invisible on dark skin. I never got any allergic reactions or dryness. This is a quality product and because of its super light texture, if feels good on my skin to add multiple layers.

I do have some gripes. The cost and the size. I get it. Glossier is a small start-up beauty company that does not have the extensive resources of a large multi-national company. It is $34 for 1oz. My LaRoche-Posey is about $34 for 3.4 oz. This means you are going to go through this product very quickly, especially if you use it as directed. I can see this being a barrier for regular usage or for getting the product at all. And, maybe, there could be an indicator to tell me when the product is almost done would be great.

But I really like this, I would highly recommend this and I will probably continue buying it.

Glossier Invisible Shield Review – Availability

Glossier is available at their showroom in NYC, online in the US and Canada. They are working on bringing Glossier to the UK and France soon. It costs US$34 for 1 oz.

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FTC Disclosure: Products were purchased by me, Noire Tropical Beauty.  All opinions expressed are 100% honest and my own. I have not been compensated for this review.  For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy.

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An island girl living in the Big Apple. She hails from the twin island Republic of Trinidad & Tobago but currently reside in the beauty/fashion capital of the world, New York City (Harlem to be exact!). She is passionate - well, obsessed - about beauty and in addition to blogging, she is also a corporate beauty professional and a budding web designer/developer. She loves combining her in-depth, practical knowledge with her chemist/scientific training to make your cosmetic choices fun and easy. She likes to take the guesswork out of beauty, separate the hype from what really works, to help you bring out the most beautiful you! She loves colour, and makeup, and she has been natural for years! She also loves great food, culture, sports and laid back vibes! Check out some more about me here and if you like this post, sign up to my newsletter to get updates on what I am craving right now.