Underrated facial sunscreen: Banana Boat Kids Lotion SPF 50+
I'm surprised more people don't talk about this sunscreen and how good it feels on the face. I picked this up on a whim in late March and was planning on using it only on my body like how I used the old version. But I got curious and decided to look up the ingredients; the new version dropped both cetearyl alcohol and cetyl alcohol, which makes the sunscreen safe to use on my face (cetearyl + cetyl break me out bad).
Who is this and who am I: I have combo-oily sensitive skin that's very acne prone, require fragrance-free products due to a fragrance allergy, and have light-medium olive skin. I stick to chemical sunscreens because mineral sunscreens leave a strong white cast on me (and they're kinda drying too). I'm not a cosmetic chemist or any kind of skin professional, just someone who, like most of y'all, has been into skincare for many years.
I've been switching between a few drugstore sunscreens the last few months. Banana Boat Kids sunscreen lotion is my current favorite.
What I like:
- Feels lightweight on my skin - it's not heavy or cloying. The sunscreen's texture seems a bit like it's whipped. It's very easy to spread!
- Stays in place when I sweat - some of the sunscreens I've tried in the past run into my eyes when I sweat and sting really, really bad
- Fragrance-free, and little to no smell otherwise - it doesn't have that classic sunscreen scent or as strong of a "raw ingredients smell" compared to other sunscreens
- Alcohol-free - I've been using prescription tretinoin gel and azelaic acid gel for my acne... I'm finding that my face just can't handle products with a high % of denatured alcohol right now, they painfully burn and sting my face
- SPF 50+ and broad spectrum - I burn easily in the sun 🥴 and my skin is prone to marks that take months (or even a year or two...) to heal
- Doesn't pill or peel, and wears well under makeup - I need to test this more, but so far, my makeup doesn't slip or slide on top of this sunscreen. This sunscreen doesn't pill or peel off my skin either, whether I'm quickly itching/rubbing my face or with the skincare products I use (see quick comparisons below)
Notes:
- I haven't met a sunscreen that hasn't stung my eyes, so it's not something I care to test. I keep a healthy distance from my lash lines
- I like that this sunscreen has glycerin and dimethicone
- This sunscreen leaves a dewy finish on my face, and a natural finish on my body. I like both, but I'm guessing it can have a different finish on different skin types
Quick comparisons:
- Ombrelle Sport Endurance SPF 60: Smells stronger, can pill with or without makeup (usually when I itch or rub my face). This one has also been the most egregious face burner/stinger because of the denatured alcohol in it
- Eucerin Age Defense Face Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50: Feels a bit greasy/heavy, smells stronger, leaves an overly dewy finish that doesn't go away. I think something in it also breaks me out (probably the cetearyl + cetyl alcohols, even though cetyl is very low on the ingredients list)
- La Roche Posay Anthelios Ultra Fluid Sunscreen SPF 50+ (both the face and body versions): I don't know if it's just me but I can't wear makeup with this sunscreen. It slips and slides and settles everywhere but where I want it to stay. Even without makeup, it can pill when I itch or rub my face (I'm starting to think it's a L'Oreal sunscreen technology thing though)
Ingredients (found here):
Banana Boat Kids Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50+, DIN 02541211
Active ingredients: Homosalate 9%, Octocrylene 7.5%, Avobenzone 3%
Inactive ingredients: Aqua, Phenethyl Benzoate, Glycerin, Dimethicone, PEG-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, Phenoxyethanol, Acrylates/C12-22 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer, Carbomer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Chlorphenesin, Sodium Hydroxide, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA.
This sunscreen is readily available in most stores in Canada (and even at Costco in a multipack), which I really appreciate - I love when a good product is easily accessible and affordable. I bought my bottle at Walmart for $11.98. I do wish there was a smaller 100 mL or less bottle for travel, though.
Thanks for reading! Please let me know if you have any questions, I'll try my best to answer them. And I'd love to hear about other underrated drugstore sunscreens y'all love!