Step 7 Daytime:
Aveeno Ultra-Calming Daily Moisturizer SPF 30
I bought this moisturizer recently because it has mineral sunscreen in it, which is (note: much) better for sensitive skin than chemical sunscreen. This one’s also actively marketed towards sensitive skin, which I have, and in my experience it’s a gentle moisturizer considering it has sunscreen in it. It’s also relatively affordable and easily accessible and can be found in all kinds of places like CVS, Walgreens, Target, Ulta, etc.
I needed a product with SPF 30 or higher because of my recent usage of a skincare product with retinol, which as an active ingredient requires SPF 30 or higher to prevent damage to your skin from the sensitizing effects to your skin barrier. This was an easy way to get my skin both moisturized and protected from the sun at the same time.
Because it has mineral sunscreen in it, it is a tiny little bit thick/goopy and does leave a very noticeable/serious whitecast, which requires you to rub it in more/longer to eliminate. Moreover they don’t really give you that much product, and the bottle is pretty small (supposedly it has 2.3 oz, but Starbucks also continues to claim on its menu that its drink sizes are still 12 oz for a tall, 16 oz for a grande and 21 oz for a venti and we all know that’s bullshit).
Due to its thick texture the product may get stuck in the pump when you get towards the bottom of the bottle and you may need to unscrew the top and awkwardly rub/dispense the tiny bit remaining lotion/sunscreen from around/inside the skinny straw onto your hands, which can be painstaking and honestly annoying.
However with its relative affordability at $18.99 at Ulta, and with their standard frequently-available $3.50 coupon bringing the price down to $15.49 before tax, it’s a relatively fairly priced moisturizer nowadays and also one of the only best affordable options that include mineral sunscreen that are easily accessible. It is also pretty moisturizing, which is a plus.
My Mineral vs. Chemical Sunscreen Spiel:
Products with mineral sunscreen include the gentler active ingredients Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide to protect your skin from the sun. The higher the percentage of Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide in the product, the more effective the sunscreen is supposed to be at protecting you from UV rays. Mineral sunscreens are much safer for your skin than products with chemical sunscreen which protect you with chemical filters which can (supposedly) get absorbed through your skin into your bloodstream.
The US does not have as strict regulations for what chemical filters can be included in sunscreen as other countries such as European countries, and we all know the FDA doesn’t really do the best job of making sure our products are safe for consumers (/does a shitty job obvi because they get paid off by big corporations to allow them to use cheap and dangerous chemicals and ingredients).
At any rate whether or not the chemicals really get absorbed into your skin, in my personal experience what they say is true and mineral sunscreen is definitely better for those with sensitive acne-prone skin; for me, all other products with chemical sunscreens broke me out.
Recommendation: In general, I recommend mineral sunscreen to all people over chemical sunscreen, not just people with sensitive skin, except for POC with darker skin for whom it is imperative that the product does not leave a whitecast, due to the fact that the US does not have as strict regulations for what chemical filters can be included in sunscreen as other countries such as European countries (because as we all know our government sucks), and you probably don’t want to be putting that shit on your skin.
Furthermore if you believe what some people say, the chemicals in chemical sunscreen are said to supposedly enter through your skin into the bloodstream (whether that’s true or not, I sorta doubt/am not rly sure but just in case it’s true, better to be safe than sorry!).
My Affordability Grade: Pretty Affordable For a Moisturizer Nowadays
Where to get it: Target (online it’s $14.99), CVS (online for $19.49), Walgreens (online for $18.99), Ulta (online for $18.99 but wait for that $3.50 off $15 coupon!), Walmart (online it’s $13.97)
The Queen of Skincare Addiction’s Diary 