Physical Sunscreen With No White Cast? First Aid Beauty Weightless Liquid Mineral Sunscreen Review

Apparently it’s sunscreen week here, which I personally have no issues with as it’s an everyday essential (yes, even if you’re at home and it’s cloudy!) On Tuesday, I reviewed the Supergoop Glow Screen Sunscreen, which was… an experience. Thankfully, I had a lot more luck with First Aid Beauty’s new Weightless Liquid Mineral Sunscreen with SPF 30. I did receive this product as PR, but as always all thoughts are my own.

Price & Availability

$34.00 for 1.5 fl oz via Ulta, Sephora, Dermstore, First Aid Beauty, & Nordstrom

Ingredients

Active Ingredient: Zinc Oxide 16.8% Inactive Ingredients: Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Water/Aqua/Eau, Isododecane, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Tetradecane, Cetyl Diglyceryl Tris(Trimethylsiloxy)Silylethyl Dimethicone, Hydrogenated Poly-Decene, Dimethicone, Polypropylene, Silica, Sodium Chloride, Alteromonas Ferment Filtrate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Sorbitan Oleate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Chrysanthemum Parthenium (Feverfew) Extract, Tridecane, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Acrylates Copolymer, Quaternium-90 Bentonite, Dimethicone Crosspol-Ymer, Octyldodecanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Lecithin, Isostearic Acid, Propylene Carbonate, Hexadecene, Butylene Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Magnesium Oxide, Alumina, Ci 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), Ci 77491/77492/77499 (Iron Oxides)

A Little Primer on Sunscreen Filters

As you might have guessed from the name this is a physical/mineral/inorganic (in its chemical composition, not as in the sourcing of ingredients) sunscreen, with the active ingredient being Zinc Oxide. While there’s no PA rating (which isn’t required as it’s an American sunscreen), it is labeled as broad spectrum as Zinc Oxide does protect against UVA and UVB rays.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, sunscreen filters can be split into two categories— physical or inorganic sunscreens and chemical or organic sunscreens. The two physical/inorganic sunscreens are Zinc Oxide and Titanium Oxide; they’re called inorganic as they don’t contain any carbon molecules (if you have no idea what I’m talking about, just be thankful that you never tortured yourself by taking organic chemistry.)

ANYWAYS, for our purposes in this post, physical sunscreens are noteworthy because they’re often more sensitive skin friendly. But on the downside, they generally provide a lower amount of sun protection, feel heavier on the skin, and can leave a white cast. While we will tackle the latter two issues later on in the post, let’s chat sun protection. While I prefer SPF 50 sunscreens, I’m okay with SPF 30 on days where the UV index is low or I’m spending most of my time indoors.

Packaging

It’s a flat, rectangular tube with a screw on cap. The spout is pointed with a stopper to control the flow of product. It’s similar to the Krave’s or Anessa’s sunscreens.

Texture

Pretty runny and easy to spread. It also has a light brown tint to it.

Scent

It is free of synthetic fragrance and essential oils and has a really light sunscreen smell, which I only notice if I’m looking for it.

Finish & Application & White Cast & All That Jazz

As mentioned above, this has a sort of runny texture. It’s easy to spread out and absorbs pretty quickly without leaving streaks of product on my face (unlike some other susncreens *ahem* Supergoop Glow Screen.) Like I mentioned earlier, a lot of physical sunscreens also feel heavier on the skin. This has a surprisingly light finish. It doesn’t dry down completely matte, but nor does it feel oily on the skin. The best way I can describe the finish, is “soft.” I’ve worn this under makeup and over oil with 0 pilling. So far, it’s played nicely with everything I’ve layered below and above it.

The most surprising bit is that it didn’t leave me with an undead finish. It’s really rare for me to find a physical sunscreen that doesn’t leave any sort of white cast on me. I also applied the sunscreen onto my arms which are a few shades darker than my face, and it didn’t leave a white cast there. While I can’t speak to how it’ll wear on deep skin tones, if you have a tan or medium dark skin tone, I think you can safely wear this without looking like you’re out on the hunt for brains.

Overall, I am a fan of this sunscreen! It’s easy to wear and comfortable on the skin. I still prefer chemical sunscreens, but if I had to recommend a physical sunscreen that’s tan skin friendly (again, I can’t say how it’ll wear on darker skintones), this would be it!