Customer Reviews

Desert Essence - Organic Pom Spf 30 Facial Mineral Sunscreen, 3 oz cream

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I I found this face block on the Environmental Working Group's list of safest sunscreens. It is very thick - a little goes a long way. It leaves the skin slightly whitened, but since I use it under makeup, it doesn't show. I was at the beach for 4 hours and never had to re-apply. I would buy this product again.

Many of the "natural" sunscreens still have the chemical sunscreens in them that are carcinogenic. This one does not and is rated quite well at the environmental working group website for safety. I've tried 4 or 5 truly natural sunscreens that use titanium or zinc oxide. Some were horrific, this is not my favorite but decent. For full on body sunblocks that are truly natural I prefer Carribean Solutions first, Alba Botanical Mineral Sunscreen second, and this third. It's not necessarily intended as a body block but it will work. Just a warning the Burt's Bees Sunscreen was the worse if you're looking around at options, it went on so dry you couldn't spread it, it clumped, sweated off almost immediately, and it didn't work, I burned terribly. So, finding one that works for you is important.

But, I regress.... Any natural sunscreen with zinc oxide or titanium oxide will go on white. This one is no exception but it's pretty good if you don't put it on too thick.

The truly natural sunscreens like this are not overly water proof. I'd recommend this one for a facial sunscreen, not as much for an overall body sunscreen though as it's not as water proof as my top choices. Of course that makes it good for a facial option as you don't want to greasy of a formula on your face.

Over all, it worked well... I did not burn, it goes on reasonably well for a truly natural sunscreen, it's not very water resistant, not overly greasy so a decent option for your face, and I did not burn while using it. I will likely buy this again when I run out.

This is an SPF30 sunscreen. In summary:

Good:
-SPF30
-it's on EWF's recommended sunscreen list (see EWF[dot]org)
-faint, mild aroma

Bad:
-tends to be expensive

Your call:
-Rather thick

This sunscreen has the consistency of cream cheese, which I prefer because it is easy to apply without running. I know people who think it is too thick (one tube burst at the seam when I squeezed it to get the sunscreen to come out), but I find that a little bit at a time may be applied, and spread evenly.

Okay, I bought this product back in November of 2010. I used it once and filed it away in the OH HELL NO cabinet. Why? Because it was somewhat difficult to apply and it left my face with a whitish/light blue tinge. I looked like a mime. No Bueno!

Fast forward to July 2011, my "other" organic sunscreen was way to greasy and by the end of the day I looked like candle wax: hot, oily, and melted.

I pulled this suncreen out of the Oh Hell No cabinet and once again the whitish/blue tinge returned. I covered it with my mineral makeup and VOILA... problem solved.

I didn't look like a geisha, the dryness of the sunscreen served as a primer/oil controller, it lasted through sweaty days and my makeup stays put from morning to night. Also my pores are not exaggerated and I have the perfect matte finish.

This sunscreen will remain in my arsenal for eternity and I am glad I gave it a second chance.

When it comes to safe sunscreens, it stinks that the good ones ARE going to turn you white. But I'm also not willing to risk it with chemical sunscreens. I use this on my face daily after I have applied my day cream. Yes, it turns me a terrible ghostly pale. To compensate, I got my usual mineral makeup powder in a darker shade. It returns my skin to a normal color. Actually, the white cast that the sunscreen leaves creates a pretty good base for the makeup, and actually helps create a more even looking skin tone once my makeup is applied. I don't find it to be greasy either. I also use this for my son.

After shopping for several of the brands recommended by the Environmental Working Group, I bought this and some others. This brand was slightly cheaper per ounce than some of the other high rated brands, and works just as well. It's fairly thick, not greasy, and has no strong smell. Perfect for myself and my young son.

I wanted to like this because it is inexpensive and it isn't full of toxins. But the white cast doesn't go away - left my fair skin looking whitish pink and it is really thick. This would be fine for being at the beach, hiking, or otherwise being outdoors all day but an every day spf for your face it is not.

This product is very thick and even hard to get out of the tube. Once on your skin you have to really massage it in; I almost feel like I'm doing as much harm pulling and pushing on my cheeks and forehead to get this in as the sun damage would do to my face.

Yes, it makes my skin turn white, but so do all mineral sunscreens I've tried. I just cover it with my mineral makeup up and then I look normal. It's not very water resistant, but I mostly just use on my face anyway and rarely get my face wet. This lasts all day under my makeup in the sun, and I never have to reapply or burn. (I'm very fair skinned.) I like this because it doesn't have shea nut butter (allergen) in it like several other natural sunscreens. Will continue to buy this. Good price here too!