REVIEW: MD Solar Sciences Mineral Creme SPF 50

MD Solar Sciences Mineral Creme SPF 50 is a sunscreen designed by dermatologists with skins prone to acne and rosacea in mind. Which is pretty much why I bought this.

It is a completely mineral sunscreen, with 17% Zinc Oxide and 2% Titanium Dioxide. It is very difficult to get a pure mineral sunscreen at this level of protection unless you go for the Australian brands, which are difficult to get in the Northern Hemisphere. So this was a real win.

The ingredients list is quite short - mainly silicones of one form or another and right at the bottom green tea, pomegranate and cranberry extract. It sounds on paper like a good make up primer with high sun protection. Exactly what I was after!

Except... despite applying well the first couple of times I tried it, as the days went on, this just wouldn't sink into my skin, instead sitting as a plasticky layer on top of my moisturiser. I did leave it an hour one day and it eventually sank in, and that was the only day my make up lasted really well on top of it. The other days it would just break up in a few hours, leaving me with patchy coverage on my chin and around my nose.

The worst part was the breakout. Despite being marketed as suitable for acne prone skins, this broke me out. Not all over my face thankfully, but along and under my jawline, and on my neck. I haven't had spots on my neck since I stopped taking the biotin supplements! They really hurt too.

Since I stopped using this my skin has calmed down quite a lot. Sadly, this does not work for me. I think it is probably the high level of silicones present in the sunscreen - I don't care how many experts say that silicones do not clog pores because the particles are too large to get in them. To me, applying that amount of silicone to my face is akin to using cling film (saran wrap) on my face. It is like a layer of plastic that disrupts my skins ability to do something (I am not a dermatologist) and it makes me break out.

My foundation contains silicones, but different ones to this, and they don't cause any problems. It is obviously a sensitivity to certain ones. But to me, this makes this sunscreen a big fat fail.