In this post I’ll update you on the sunscreens I’ve been testing out in the past few months.
Disclosure – If I’ve linked any products, they might be affiliate links which means I may make a small % fee if you decide to click on them and buy something.
Perioral dermatitis struggles
This year has been a difficult one for my skin in all honesty, because of peri oral dermatitis. If you haven’t been keeping up or need a reminder, PD is basically a rash that appears around the mouth.
It has a lot of triggers and a lot of treatments, but it’s still quite widely misunderstood and no-one totally understands it (even dermatologists will say that).
I’m not sure, but I think my initial trigger was at the dentist in December 2022 – I woke up the next day with a rash on the side of my face that the dentist was rubbing their suction tube on (gross!). Ever since then, it’s popped up randomly.
Anyway, this isn’t a PD update so I will just say this: it’s been f*cking hard to manage it, and has forced me to change up my routine a lot.
Finding a new SPF
The final straw for me was when my previous favourite SPF was discontinued in February time (it was the Boots Soltan for Face). They did reformulate it but the new ones are awful and break me out.
Since then I’ve had to find an SPF that works with both my clog-prone, acne-prone skin, and also my perioral dermatitis. One of the biggest triggers for perioral dermatitis is sunscreen filters = f*ck. It’s been hard and I haven’t enjoyed it but I’ve come to learn how to manage my PD better.
Still, I’ve had to stop using SPF for maybe 2 months so far, simply because I don’t have any that don’t irritate my PD or break me out. I am not worried about the long term consequences of not wearing sunscreen for 8 weeks, because skin health is about long term habits. 8 weeks isn’t much when you’ve been using SPF for >10 years. However, I do want to find one quite quickly now, ideally before the end of winter.
What I was using before
Up until February 2023 I was used Boots Soltan (Face). It was gorgeous, I still miss her to this day.
From February I experimented with some until I found Ultra Violette Clean Screen. This didn’t break me out and I used it a lot over the summer, but I realised it was keeping my perioral dermatitis around, so I had to quit it. This was supposed to be a mineral SPF, but it actually also contains some sneaky chemical filters (as 99% of mineral sunscreens do), so I think that may be why.
It was also quite matte, drying and it just kinda made my skin look… meh. It made me feel a bit self conscious to wear so I’m not too sad to have it out of my life.
What I’ve tried since
Since then I discovered Odacité sheer mineral drops. I was excited for these but really hated how they looked on my skin. I think I developed some teeny tiny spots using this, so I stopped, but to be honest I didn’t like how it looked anyway. The formula felt greasy (not in the way I like), clung to any dry spots and the white cast was huge.
In this photo I used the sheer version, the tints are very dark and orangey so weren’t an option for me.
During Black Friday, I did some digging and I found Florence by Mills ‘Sunny Skies’ SPF that is 100% mineral. I took a chance and ordered it. It didn’t even make it on my face once because it is so gritty and awful. So that’s out of the picture!
I don’t know if it’s just a bad batch or been sitting in a warehouse too long, but I was shocked. I tried rubbing it in some more and it remained the same, so I’m not convinced about putting it on my face.
What I’m trying now
Even since cutting out chemical sunscreen filters, my PD has flared every now and then. This made me realise that it is not only due to the SPF, for example it might be my retinoid sometimes.
I decided I would give some “mineral” sunscreens a go that still contain the sneaky chemical filters. Mostly because, by this point, I’ve realised it’s very unlikely I will find an 100% mineral sunscreen that isn’t awful on the skin.
I’m currently patch testing the One Thing Centella Sunscreen that I got in my YesStyle haul. We’ll see how it goes. So far it seems promising.
If that doesn’t work, next up might be the the Colorscience Sunforgettable sunscreen that I was recommended by my dermatologist. I didn’t use this first because I realised it also contained the sneaky chemical filter (butyloctyl salicylate) AND because it has a lot of silicones. I might be wrong, but i’m 99% sure my skin hates silicones. It always seems to react badly. Also, I prefer non tinted sunscreens.
What SPF you should use
Well, I still recommend all of the SPFs for clog prone skin that I recommended before! If I didn’t have PD I would just use these!
If you suspect you have PD, I’d consider cutting sunscreen out first. I wish I had done that in the first place, and I think I have paid the price as a consequence if I’m being honest. When you feel ready to add SPF back in, consider a mineral sunscreen (100% or otherwise) to put less strain on the skin.
If you’re looking for other product recommendations you can check them out here:
