Kiehl’s SPF Review
On a recent trip to Spain the other week, I found that I had run out of sunscreen. Let me tell you, the Sun was intense and merciless. On my quest to find a new sunscreen, I stumbled upon a Kiehl’s counter at a local department store. Kiehl’s is a brand I have frequently seen but have not tried an extensive number of products from. As I was browsing, it came to my attention that the brand carries a number of sunscreens in their range. And they all seemed rather promising. I am constantly on the hunt for the best facial sunscreens. This post is a Kiehl’s SPF Review for their Ultra Light Daily UV Defense sunscreen.
As context for this Kiehl’s SPF review and other upcoming skincare posts, I would recommend you check out these articles:
All about UV radiation, sun damage and SPF
Should you be using a Vitamin C serum?
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Face vs Body Sunscreen
Kiehl’s has a pretty good selection of SPF products to choose from. All of them have nice textures and blend into skin without a white cast. I had been using a body sunscreen on my face since I had run out of my favourite facial sunscreen. While it did the job, it would give me a white pallour and cause makeup to cake throughout the day. I was resolved to finish the entire tube though, as I was determined not to shell out the pennies to purchase a new SPF until I had finished the one I was using.
Now that I have switched back, the marked differences between a designated facial sunscreen and a body sunscreen are worlds apart. When applied to the face, a body sunscreen tends to feel heavy, greasy and occlusive. Makeup does not seem to adhere and instead slips off the face. It almost gives a slightly ‘sweaty’ feeling to skin. A well formulated facial sunscreen on the other hand, is a different story. They tend to be formulated to play well with makeup and have elegant textures that lay on the skin beautifully.
On to the review of the day.
Keihl’s SPF 50+ Ingredients
Sunscreen Actives
Kiehl’s Super Fluid (or Ultra Light) UV Mineral Defense SPF 50+ is a mineral based sunscreen. The sunscreen active used in the formula is titanium dioxide. This is an ingredient commonly used in skincare and cosmetic products as a sunscreen active, pigment and thickener. For maximum protection from all spectrums of UV light, many sunscreens will incorporate several sunscreen actives. Other Kiehl’s sunscreens do contain both chemical and physical blockers.
This formula contains only titanium dioxide. This is great if you find that like me, you have an allergy to a particular other type of sunscreen active, as titanium dioxide is a very gentle active ingredient. Titanium dioxide provides broad spectrum UV protection, although some may say it is somewhat inferior to its mineral counterpart zinc oxide. This is up for debate as the difference is relatively miniscule and titanium dioxide is still a perfectly adept source of SPF.
Typically, I have mainly used SPF 30 on my face. This is mainly due to the fact that this SPF parameter seems to give the best result under makeup. There is also not an incredibly significant difference in protection between SPF 30 and SPF 50 as there is between SPF 15 and SPF 30 for instance. I cover all the details in a previous post so you can read that SPF post to understand what I mean. In that article about UV radiation sun damage, I explain what SPF is, what is does, and I also go in depth about the difference between UVA and UVB, and what broad spectrum actually means.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is the chosen antioxidant in this sunscreen. I appreciate the inclusion of an antioxidant in such products because I do not tend to use a separate antioxidant skincare product most mornings. I am just being honest. Sometimes you value a few extra minutes of sleep and just want to slap on your SPF and get going for the day. For this reason, including antioxidants into one product can be valuable. If you read my article all about antioxidants, you know why adding antioxidants into an SPF can be so useful.
The vitamin E in this formula helps to neutralise free radicals. Because UV radiation causes free radicals, as you would know from my Sun Damage article, the inclusion of vitamin E in this formula is important. The soothing and healing properties of vitamin E, which I praise in this avocado oil blog post, are another plus of the ingredient. Ideally, I would have liked to see the incorporation of a few more antioxidants such as vitamin C and resveratrol in the formulation, especially given the high price point. For more on why vitamin C is great with SPF, read this vitamin C article.
Fragrance free
This product is free of synthetic fragrance, so it will not irritate skin that is particularly sensitive to fragrance. I found it interesting to note that the bottle specifically says that the sunscreen should not be used around the eye area. Typically, I apply all my sunscreens around the eye area because I would not want a darker eye region in comparison to the rest of my body. The eye area is also a region susceptible to sun damage, so it is curious that Kiehl’s would say this. That being said, it is not the most moisturising formula so could be a little drying around the eyes. If you wear eye makeup, there is titanium dioxide in that so I suppose it would give some amount of protection, and wearing sunglasses always helps.
Other ingredients
It does contain silicones and talc in order to achieve a silky, mattifying finish. This may be something you wish to keep in mind if you are opposed to such ingredients. I have no issue using these ingredients in my products. They are inert ingredients and enhance the finish of the products. There are individuals that may feel otherwise but this is just my two cents. In cosmetic chemistry, it would be incredibly difficult to formulate a pleasant-feeling, effective SPF for the face that also works nicely under makeup, without the presence of certain non “clean” ingredients.
The titanium dioxide in this sunscreen is nanosized, which I know may be of concern to certain individuals. Again, I do not find an issue with the inclusion of nano particles in products. Oftentimes these nano particles are coated which improves any safety concerns. They also make the product much more aesthetically pleasing. No one wants to be working in a thick gloop of zinc oxide to their skin; it is uncomfortable, and you would probably never wear sunscreen. If you are using a physical sunscreen and it has a pleasant texture, it is likely that they have used nano sized sunscreen actives.
Texture
As the name would suggest, this sunscreen is “super fluid”. It is a liquid formula that you must shake before application in order to emulsify the contents. The bottle has a needle-nose type spout to discharge the liquid. I am not the biggest fan of liquid SPF formulas, but I do find it works nicely under makeup. You will see that the product has a slight beige tint. I was drawn to the tint of the product as it offsets the potential white cast of a sunscreen, and I was done with looking pale as a result of the body sunscreens I had been applying to my face.
The tint leans a little grey and somewhat reminds me of many grey-leaning BB creams from Asian brands. On my skin tone, the tint is not enough to make a noticeable colour difference on the face. It is extremely sheer and provides no coverage. However, I could see how people with much darker skin tones or who are particularly fair, would struggle with this. For reference, I am around a MAC NC30 in foundation shade and am pretty medium to light in skin tone. If you are much fairer or darker than me, I would suggest trying the other variety of Kiehl’s sunscreen that is completely colourless with no tint.
Matte Finish
I love that the product has a silky feel on the skin and has a mattifying effect. This makes it a great choice for people with oily or acne-prone skin. If you are particularly dry I would not recommend a formula like this. Mineral sunscreen actives are relatively drying too. This means that it might be better for your skin type to opt for a chemical blocker-based sunscreen. Or, at least, a more emollient SPF formula. For my skin type, however, this sunscreen works great as a makeup primer and leaves the skin pretty mattified all day. It should be noted that while I do not have dry skin, I am not overly oily either so very oily skin types may not find they are kept as matte.
Final verdict
I enjoy this sunscreen. It works well under makeup, has a matte finish, and is gentle on my skin. It has a high SPF 50+ that provides broad spectrum protection. I do wish that, for the price, they had done a little more to spruce up the formula. In this day and age, we are seeing emerging formulas protecting from blue light, pollution, and all sorts of environmental aggressors. So, this formula misses the mark a little in terms of what it could include.
However, I do think that it was one of the better choices I could have found at a pinch. It is not the best facial sunscreen I have tried but it does wear well. Overall, it has a nice finish, wears comfortably throughout the day and does not cause irritation. I would give it the thumbs up.
Where to Find Kiehl’s SPF 50+
Below are links to the exact product I am talking about and where you can find them in your country. Kiehl’s has a few SPF products so the links will direct you to the exact one I am talking about. Find Kiehl’s Super Fluid SPF50+ here:
Still on the hunt for the Ultimate Facial SPF
I hope that this Kiehl’s SPF Review was helpful and that you had a little insight into the way I judge products. I am constantly on the look for new and innovative formulas and have a number of incredibly interesting products coming your way. This product missed the mark a little in terms of the exciting SPF products being released but is still a solid choice. There is a lot of new and innovative skincare technology I will be reviewing soon, so stay tuned.
This is the first dedicated review to one product I have done so far. These single review posts go far more in depth than usual. However I want you to feel like you are making the most informed choice when I recommend a product. In posts reviewing multiple I am not able to go as in depth about the formula, what certain ingredients mean, and so on. Going forward, I’d like to reserve these dedicated, one product only reviews to products that truly blow me away and warrant their own review.
I do think that it is important for skincare reviews to be a little more comprehensive. This is not the case with other products such as makeup as you are judging the product based mainly on its colour and texture. Skincare is significantly more intricate than that.
The active ingredients of a formula carry a lot more weight in skincare than in makeup. So, I just wanted to make sure with this Kiehl’s SPF Review – or any other skincare review I do for that matter – that I am as thorough as possible. If you don’t like reading long reviews, no worries, I have a series of short, to-the-point reviews coming your way too. 😉
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Wishing you boundless love, endless light, and life without limit,
Shannon xo
Disclaimer
This post is not sponsored. I purchased this product with my own money. Kiehl’s do not know I am creating this blog post nor do I have any affiliation with the Kiehl’s brand. I have never been compensated to create a review and only give my authentic opinions based on my own views and experiences.
I take a considerable amount of time and care to link each exact product, so that my reader can conveniently locate each recommendation with ease. Some links may be referral links. This means I can potentially earn a very small commission for referral should you choose to make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. Keeping me in mind and using my links next time you shop at beauty retailers like Sephora really helps to support this blog, so that I can continue to deliver free, quality information to you. I strive to create valuable content and put a great deal of effort in to every post. Any show of support is greatly appreciated and will enable me to continue putting out consistent, informative articles that are continuously being improved and updated.
2 Comments
That’s a great article.
That’s a great article.