SkincareAddiction Favorite: EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46

I swear, finding a Holy Grail sunscreen will be the death of me.

I’m super picky because I have quite high maintenance skin. I’m oily and acne prone and suffer from hyper-pigmentation so ideally prefer SPF50+. And of course the sunscreen has to be cosmetically elegant in order to work with my skincare and makeup routine. And finally it has to contain little to no white cast. I mean, is all that so hard to ask?! ;p

With each sunscreen I buy and use, I feel like I’m getting closer and closer to finding the HG. Previously, I thought I found my Holy Grail SPF but recently learned that Zinc offers better sun protection than Titanium dioxide! So my search continued and has led me to this cult favorite:

EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46

Claims:

Helps calm & protect sensitive skin prone to breakouts, rosacea and discoloration.
Contains niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and lactic acid to promote healthy skin.
Lightweight and silky, may be worn with makeup or alone.
0% transparent zinc oxide. UVA/UVB sun protection. Leaves no residue.
Fragrance-free, oil-free, paraben-free, sensitivity-free and noncomedogenic

EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46 ingredients

Active: Zinc Oxide 9.0%, Octinoxate 7.5%. Inactive: Purified Water, Cyclomethicone, Niacinamide, Octyldodecyl Neopentanoate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polyisobutene, PEG-7 Trimethylolpropane Coconut Ether, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Lactic Acid, Oleth-3 Phosphate, Phenoxyethanol, Butylene Glycol, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane.

Application

I’ve read SO many rave reviews on this sunscreen and was thrilled to finally get my hands on a bottle. But honestly, when I first wore it I was SO unimpressed! I wore it over bare skin and felt the formula was quite shiny (but not greasy) and I didn’t really like how it looked on my skin. BUT when paired over a light mattifying moisturizer, this EltaMD UV46 dries into a pretty natural skin matte finish and looks great.

The creamy lotion formula spreads on easily and feels very lightweight. There’s a hint of white cast on my NC35 skin. And I feel no irritation even though it contains a chemical sunscreen, which can be irritating for some.

EltaMD UV46 review

Results

I give it 5-10mins to dry before applying makeup (or else makeup will pill over it). Although, even my favorite Foundation can look a bit patchy so I don’t like wearing foundation with this sunscreen. But it works great under concealer and powder ; thank God because that’s what I wear to work everyday. Sometimes I skip foundation.

Although it’s not great with liquid foundation, this isn’t a deal breaker because I don’t wear much foundation these days. As a sunscreen though, this EltaMD UV46 is everything; non-greasy, non-irritating, doesn’t break me out, and has little white cast.

Pros: