I really like Alba Botanica Facial Sunscreen — first of all, it’s cruelty free like all Alba Botanica products. It also has avobenzone in it so it protects against skin-cancer-causing UVA rays, unlike most sunscreens (I’ve written up some information here on on why UVA blocking sunscreens are important and why most sunscreens, even those with high SPFs, don’t contain UVA-blocking ingredients, and why they are therefore worse than going out with no sunscreen whatsoever). I’ve used it for about a month now, and not only is it streak-free (yay!), but it also has a thick consistency, so it doesn’t tend to spray everywhere when I open the bottle, which I also really like. It’s also lightly moisturizing, it sinks in fairly quickly, and it’s fairly inexpensive for a facial sunscreen — $7.95 for 4 oz. It is not waterproof — but since every waterproof sunscreen I’ve ever tried has been disgustingly gooey, I do not mind. I tend to put on waterproof sunscreen only when I’m about to dive into a body of water. I’ll probably pick up a bottle of Alba Botanica waterproof sunscreen next time I’m on my way to a pool.

My only minor problem with Alba Botanica facial sunscreen so far is that it’s a little too oily for my face for daily usage (I have an oily T-zone) — if I plan to be out in the sun all day I will slather it on my face every two hours, and it does give me a slight oily sheen on my nose and forehead (but nothing like any other sunscreen I’ve tried — those make me look like an oil slick). However, on a day to day basis I don’t use it — I use Alba Botanica Sea Moss Moisturizer with Avobenzone instead, because it’s less oily. But the facial sunscreen has a great consistency for my arms and legs — it’s nicely moisturizing — I put some on every day.

Alba Botanica Facial Sunscreen is available for $9.00 at Amazon.com.

Active Ingredients: Octinoxate 7.5%, Octyl Salicylate 4%, Benzophenone-3 4.0%, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 2.0%

Inactive Ingredients: Certified Organic Infusion of Green Tea, Chamomile and Gingko Biloba, Glyceryl Stearate, Caprylic/CapricTriglyceride, Octylpalmitate, Certified Organic Calendula and Lavendar, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Xanthan Gum, Lecithin, Allantoin, Glycerin, Sorbitol, Calcium Ascorbate, Methyl/Propylparaben, Phenoxyethanol

Categories : 5/5 stars, Alba Botanica, cruelty free, cruelty free companies, sunscreen, vegetarian