Five Face Sunscreens We Love, Part 3
It’s true: I have said nice things about this sunscreen before, but our site was much smaller then, and our book wasn’t even out, and I still love it, and it’s under-covered in the naturals world, so without further ado:
Vive Sana Solar to Power Ultra SPF 40
In my hunt for the perfect sunscreen, I’ve tried a lot and found only a few I really like. I am pale, I am pink, and I am pitta, so sun protection, especially in summer, is a bigee for me. I’d been hearing good thing about Vive Sana Solar to Polar Ultra sunscreen, so I was thrilled when I got my hands on a tube from Spirit Beauty Lounge last summer.
Vive Sana, which has an SPF of 40, calls itself the strongest all-natural sunscreen on earth. Bold! But does it live up to the promise?
Sure seems to. I’ve been using it on and off all year and can say that it stays put under makeup, offers great protection, hasn’t given me any problems (by which I mean zits), and is loaded with skin-friendly ingredients. My beef, if I have to pick one, is that it takes a while to sink in, which means you have to wait a little while when you’re doing your face in the morning, but that’s a concession I’m more than happy to make for a product this clean.
The actives here are zinc and titanium dioxide, it contains free-radical-eating antioxidants like green tea, soothing chamomile, beeswax and some skin-compatible oils. Here’s a complete list:
Active Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide 8.5%, Zinc Oxide 3.5%
Ingredients: Organic Soybean Oil, Organic Safflower Oil, Beeswax, Organic Olive Oil, Organic Avocado Oil, Organic Jojoba Seed Oil, Alumina (natural mineral), Stearic Acid (natural fatty acid), Organic Apricot Kernel Oil, Organic Glycerin, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Sunflower Seed Oil, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Oat Kernel Extract, Green Tea Leaf Extract, Chamomile Extract, Raspberry Seed Oil, Natural Green Tea Fragrance.
It’s sold at Nubonau, Spirit Beauty Lounge, and direct from Vive Sana (which also lists other retailers).
Have you tried this screen?
I agree! I like this sunscreen a lot. My only complaint is that it’s a little hard to get out of the metal tube– I wish it came with one of these (http://www.tubewringer.com/proddetail.php?prod=TubeWringer202)! Then it’d be perfect :)
I tried it based on all the glowing reviews, and I have to say tht I find it….meh. It’s hard to rub in, thick and my family is more on the cafe latte spectrum of the color wheel, so it leaves a noticeable whitish cast. I prefer Yes to Carrots lotion/sunscreen hybrid. I also just got some Erbaviva sunscreen from Nubonau that I’ve only used a few times, but I’m really liking it.
Hi guys!
I’m loving the “sunscreens we love” posts – I too am pale and burn after, like, 20 mins of sun exposure, so I’m always on the lookout for the perfect sunscreen.
Question: Do all of these companies offer samples of their sunscreens? If so, any chance there could be a friday deal that involves samples of these different sunscreen products (or other ones?) Or maybe, sometime this summer, a prize could be a sample pack of all 5 of these?
I am just having so much trouble deciding which one will be best, because they all seem to have redeeming qualities! I understand the question is a longshot, and probably is a lot easier to ask than to offer, but I just thought I’d ask :)
Thanks for doing what you do! I absolutely love your blog.
Unfortuntaley, titanium dioxide isn’t safe in sunscreens. It’s photosensitive and breaks down in the sun causing DNA damage. Not something you want in a sunscreen. Zinc is the only safe sunscreen.
Oh noooo! Sorry some of you didn’t love. We’ve got two to go. My favorite right now is 100% Pure’s. Some of you called in to question one of its ingredients. I weighed the information and use it daily. I’m not sure if they do samples, but I’d encourage you guys to ask and try it, especially if you wear makeup and are not whitey white like me.
I found Vive Sana to be a bit oily for my liking, as well, but it’s great for use everywhere else, too (not just on the face). I really like the 100% Pure Argan Oil sunscreen recommended in an earlier post – it’s not heavy on my skin and sinks in almost instantly. I also really like 100% Pure’s tinted moisturizer (SPF 20) – it leaves a matte finish and provides sheer coverage which is enough for me on the weekends (though I still use tinted moisturizer + foundation on the weekdays).
I’m with Kristen, this was one of the many “safe” sunscreens I’ve tried and didn’t like for the thickness and white cast. For a day at the beach with ocean breezes, it’s not so bad and I keep it around for beach walks and surf days. But for everyday use (at least for me working outside in humid beautiful Florida) its sticky, a bit slimey when you sweat into it, and the white cast on darker (and freckled) skin looks just too odd. I still havent found the “perfect sunscreen”.. and these posts are definitely helping.. but this one gets a No vote for me for subtropical outdoor work.
Hi Anne, like Siobhan, I love the 100% Pure, and if you order from them directly they have a great return policy if it doesn’t work out for you. I don’t think they have samples of that particular product though.
I LOVE the 100% Pure, too. For those of you in the NYC area, I stumbled into Elm Health Store on 7th Ave at 14th for some Evan Healy. Turns out they sell 100% Pure there (and will order the Pure products they don’t have so you don’t have to pay shipping) and they have an amazing collection which they are actually expanding, including getting Vapour cosmetics, for example. The clerk, Renee, took her collection very seriously and really seemed to know her stuff. I’m definitely going back.
@Danika, when people put whole databases of misleading information about cosmetic ingredients online I suppose it is not surprising that you might have become misinformed. Titanium dioxide certainly is photostable. It is used as a pigment in white paint precisely because it is photostable. It certainly doesn’t damage DNA and it most certainly is a safe ingredient to use in sunscreens.
I also really dislike this sunscreen. It’s very thick, oily and waxy and gave me terrible congestions. This certainly isn’t an everyday face sunscreen. And I think it would also be terrible for the beach as it is far too oily.
I am so happy to find I am not the only one obsessed with sunscreen. I have to write an article for my work’s wellness newsletter and I have been stumped for weeks mired in research and thinking, “wow, no one cares this much about sunscreen!”. But perhaps I was wrong. Thank you all!
My family all use Badger 30 (the normal one, since the non-whitening is too greasy). I am pretty pale but once I rub it in, it is nearly invisible. I like to see a residue because it’s a sunblock and so seeing it means it’s still working (as opposed to those that soak into the skin). Cheers!