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.
