Shiseido Urban Environment Sun Dual Care SPF 42

I’ve been on the hunt for what I thought was a clear, mineral sunscreen from Dr. Brandt. I wanted to try it before I bought it. I tried Ulta, Macy’s, Nordstrom, and Sephora. Macy’s carries Dr. Brandt’s products online but not in the store. Not helpful. In the meantime, I learned that the dropper used in Dr. Brandt’s Liquid Mineral Shield is terrible, inadequate for the thick liquid. Also, the thick-ish white liquid doesn’t sound very appealing after all.

Like with foundation (although I am very happy with Cover FX Total Coverage Cream Foundation), I am constantly looking for a sunscreen that ticks off all my boxes: lightweight, not greasy, no white cast, no “radiant glow” which is another word for a shiny coating, with a matte or velvet finish.

I have a couple of sunscreens that I like the feel of on my skin – Coola Sun Silk Drops, Innisfree Daily UV Defense – but they are chemical sunscreens and contain some ingredients I would like to avoid. As a result, I was searching for a lightweight mineral sunscreen.

Shiseido Urban Collection Sunscreens

I ended up at Sephora during their sale. I tried on lots of sunscreens and, not surprisingly, I got confused about which was which. Somehow, I ended up at the Shiseido shelves, and the brand had about a million similar sunscreens. Shiseido has a collection called Urban Environment with sunscreens that are also touted as “dual care”, meaning skincare ingredients are added to the formula. I wasn’t interested in the Vita-Clear Sunscreen with vitamin C and some of the sunscreen chemicals I wish to avoid. The collection includes two other oil-free sunscreens that contain hyaluronic acid to attract moisture to the skin. Sounds good so far. Unfortunately, Sephora was out of stock of the Sun Dual Care Mineral Sunscreen, but they had the other product with a combination of mineral Zinc Oxide and chemical ingredients that did not include the ingredients I was trying to avoid.

Here’s the description:

“More than a sunscreen, it’s sun-powered skincare. Our lightweight, daily sunscreen blocks Broad Spectrum UV, pollutants and blue light while boosting the skin barrier with Hyaluronic Acid. Controls oil and primes skin with a soft matte finish. Non-comedogenic. Dermatologist-tested.”

Shiseido Urban Collection Sun Dual Care Oil-Free Hyaluronic Acid SPF 42 is a lightweight, slightly tinted sunscreen “milk”. In the photo above, the little bubble shows you how liquidy it really is.

The sunscreen comes in an attractive squeeze bottle. The sunscreen must be shaken before it’s squeezed out. It dries matte with a soft, silky feel most likely due to the dimethicone in the formula.

It ticks off the following boxes for me: lightweight, not greasy, no white cast, no shiny coating, matte finish with a silky feeling. Although it isn’t 100% mineral sunscreen, it has a zinc oxide coupled with chemical ingredients that are so far OK to use.

Shiseido says to apply it as the last step before makeup. I’m sort of on the fence about it. Because of the combination of mineral and chemical ingredients, it seems like it could be applied as a first step after cleansing, or as Shiseido recommends, as the final step before foundation. I have tried it both ways, and it seems to work either way. To be honest, applied as a first step after cleansing, it really feels lightweight, almost invisible. As a last step, I would already have so many other things on my face that I can’t appreciate its lightweight benefit. Oh, what to do!

Actually, I think the best way to take advantage of its multipurpose benefits is to cleanse, tone, and just apply the Shiseido sunscreen. It is supposed to hydrate and even double as a primer. Perhaps in the summer, I’ll just go with the sunscreen and a little Cover FX used as a concealer.

Here’s the list of its benefits:

• HYALURONIC ACID: Delivers, attracts, and retains moisture.
• SPIRULINA ENERGY ESSENCE: Converts sunlight to target factors that lead to dryness.
• Protects against harmful UVA/UVB rays and pollution
• Deeply hydrates
• Controls oil and mattifies skin
• Water-resistant for 40 minutes
• Doubles as a face primer
• Free of oxybenzone & octinoxate
• Paraben-free
• Non-comedogenic
• Dermatologist-tested. Ophthalmologist-tested

Shiseido Sun Dual Care SPF 42 does have added fragrance, a light floral scent. I do not smell it when it is on my face. However, if I apply some to my hand, I can smell it if I sniff my hand.

Sun Dual Care comes in 30 ml, 50 ml, and the jumbo 143 ml sizes. I bought the 50 ml size at Sephora during the recent sale. It is sold on the Shiseido website, Ulta, Macy’s, Amazon, and Target.

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: Sunscreens: ENSULIZOLE 1.0%; HOMOSALATE 15.0%; OCTISALATE 5.0%; ZINC OXIDE 15.5%

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