It took courage for me to buy this sunscreen after a friend’s recommendation as I had a bad experience with an extremely greasy sunscreen from Avène that left a white cast on my face and in my eyebrows about six years ago. I bought that old sunscreen at a hospital pharmacy after reading a review that it offered good sun protection as it was chemically stable. I am the sort of person who has to finish up a product no matter how unsuitable it is. Using that sunscreen was a torture.
Nonetheless, I gave it another chance and bought the Avène Very High Protection Emulsion SPF 50+ sunscreen after she assured me that it has a matte finish. She purchases it repeatedly. I hesitated for a while before making the purchase as it does not state the level of protection from UV A rays. But it did say “broad spectrum”. I took the risk.
I like its packaging. It comes in a hygienic tube with a pump dispenser at the opening to prevent air exposure. Getting the product out was easy enough. If I have to nitpick, it would be that there tends to be a bit of product left at the tip of the pump that I have to make an effort to swipe off. Still, the packaging beats the ordinary squeeze tube.
As I applied the sunscreen on my face, I immediately noticed that it has a chemical smell. It is not a bad thing as it is better than a perfumed product. Plus the smell didn’t linger. I was also relieved that it did not make my skin feel extremely greasy. And the white cast disappeared into my skin after a few seconds. Promising enough.
After applying, I went to pick my outfit and accessories for the day and packed my bag to give the product a few minutes to settle before applying my makeup. I use a cushion foundation as it allows me to pat on the product instead of spreading it like I would apply a liquid foundation and dislodging my sun protection in the process. As I patted on my foundation, the sunscreen started to pill, giving my foundation a bit of a cakey look. That’s a deal breaker.
To be fair, in the subsequent days I used the sunscreen, I gave it a further 5 minutes to settle onto my skin and before applying my foundation with an extremely light touch. It did solve the pilling problem at the point of application. The problem reappeared at around mid-day. My foundation looked slightly grainy but stayed on throughout the day.
Another thing I think I should mention about this sunscreen is that it does not sting my sensitive eyes. I was able to keep my eyes open without tearing throughout the day, which makes it better than the more expensive sunscreens from La Mer and Heliocare. I wonder how I had the perseverance to finish up both sunscreens to their last drop.
I will probably finish up the tube without feeling that it is a torture to use. Would I buy it again? I would say 50-50. Like all sunscreens, it feels greasy against my skin and I have to use loose powder to blot that greasiness. On days when I go without makeup, the shine can be kept away for around 8 hours with my mattifier from Paula’s Choice. I have yet to find a waterproof, alcohol-free sunscreen that does not irritate my eyes and is “cosmetically elegant” enough to be used under makeup. My hunt for the perfect sunscreen continues.
TLDR; the Avène Very High Protection Emulsion SPF 50 sunscreen is gentle enough to be used around the eyes, has great packaging, and does not contain perfume or alcohol. It makes the foundation look a bit uneven. It will be a great product for you if you can get around the problem. It does not state its level of UV A protection. Use it at your own risk.
Ingredients: AVENE THERMAL SPRING WATER (AVENE AQUA). C12-15 ALKYL BENZOATE. METHYLENE BISBENZOTRIAZOLYL TETRAMETHYLBUTYLPHENOL (NANO). WATER (AQUA). CETEARYL ISONONANOATE. DIISOPROPYL ADIPATE. ISODECYL NEOPENTANOATE. BIS-ETHYLHEXYLOXYPHENOL METHOXYPHENYL TRIAZINE. DIETHYLHEXYL BUTAMIDO TRIAZONE. ALUMINUM STARCH OCTENYLSUCCINATE. BUTYL METHOXYDIBENZOYLMETHANE. POTASSIUM CETYL PHOSPHATE. DECYL GLUCOSIDE. ACRYLATES/C10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER. BENZOIC ACID. CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE. CAPRYLYL GLYCOL. DISODIUM EDTA. GLYCERYL BEHENATE. GLYCERYL DIBEHENATE. GLYCERYL LAURATE. HYDROGENATED PALM GLYCERIDES. HYDROGENATED PALM KERNEL GLYCERIDES. PROPYLENE GLYCOL. SILICA. SODIUM HYDROXIDE. TOCOPHERYL GLUCOSIDE. TRIBEHENIN. XANTHANGUM.
Note: Avène has a version of this product that contains fragrance (parfum). I used the fragrance-free version.
Usual price: $49.90 SGD, sale price: $39.90 SGD.