Despite being a beauty editor who waxes lyrical about the importance of sunscreen application all day long, I hate wearing the stuff just as much as everyone else does. Most facial sunscreens that I come across tend to have at least one identifiable fault. Most are too thick and greasy, while some SPFs for oily skin don’t deliver enough hydration. A huge number I encounter leave a white cast, while other clear formulas have a tendency to pill under make-up. And while there are plenty of facial SPFs that I consider good enough to use every day, I haven’t ever truly believed that the perfect formulas exists—not until I tried Mecca Cosmetica To Save Face SPF50+ Superscreen, anyway.
This is what I consider to be the Goldilocks facial sunscreen. It’s not too heavy or too light, it’s moisturising but not greasy, it delivers ample hydration but doesn’t clog the pores, it’s not overly glow-boosting nor is it mattifying—it feels, truth be told, just like a really good luxury daily face lotion.
Mecca Cosmetica To Save Face SPF50+ Superscreen
It feels so much like a luxury face lotion, in fact, that I use it as such. Every morning, after cleansing, I simply swipe some toner over my face and slather on two-fingers-length worth of this stuff. It delivers ample hydration for my slightly oily, acne-prone skin type, however if you have drier skin, a hydrating serum underneath will be more than enough to keep your skin’s moisture levels happy all day long. It doesn’t have a particularly notable scent, besides a very subtle fresh, clean-smelling aroma, and I have never experienced a single hint of eye stinging from it, either. (Although, that’s not to say you should actively rub it over your eyes—it does contain some fragrance, after all.)
And despite the fact it is a lotion formula, the chemical filters mean you don’t have to worry about any chalkiness or white cast—after just a few seconds of rubbing it in, it becomes totally transparent (as you can see below). Oh, and I wear make-up over it most days and can confirm it acts as a beautiful base, with everything that is applied on top of it melting seamlessly in.
(Image credit: Shannon Lawlor)
And now that the texture and general joy of using it is out of the way, I want to address just how effective it is as a skincare product, too. For starters, the SPF50+ broad-spectrum protection is extremely impressive. Mecca Cosmetica is a cult Australian brand, and if there is one thing I have learned about Australian skincare as a beauty editor it is that they really know how to nail a good SPF formula. Beyond that, though, it also does a stand-up job as a facial moisturiser. The formula contains vitamin E and glycerin to support the skin’s natural hydration barrier, and it also contains further antioxidant ingredients (such as pycnogenol) to help fend of free-radical damage and promote skin elasticity.
And while I truly can’t say enough great things about Mecca’s Superscreen, it is only fair that I mention a couple of things that might not make it perfect for everyone (although, I’m being really quite picky here). For starters, those with really oily skin who like a totally matte-finish sunscreen probably won’t like this—it delivers a lived-in sort of glow, much like a standard face lotion might. And, given the fact is contains some fragrance and relies on chemical UV filters, those with very sensitive skin might not get on with it and could better benefit from a fragrance-free daily sunscreen that uses physical filters. But, like I said, I’m playing devil’s advocate, here.
Because for me, personally, this product is so exceptional that, despite being a beauty editor who has every facial sunscreen under the sun at her disposal, I have finished eight tubes of the stuff, and I’m just about to crack into my ninth.
