A special sunscreen for Fall?!?!?! YES! Summer is over, my skin gets drier, and I needed another sunscreen, because – sadface – all my Korean ones stopped working. I needed something that was easy to buy in Europe, pleasant to apply and working well as a makeup base. It also should, of course, not be greasy, and have a good UVA protection. Well, I found something – kinda…
Why sunscreen in Fall?!
I use skincare with actives in it all year round. Those actives make your skin photosensitive – thus, you should always wear sunscreen when using actives. Also, photo-aging – the sun is the number one reason for skin aging. Third – skin cancer. ’nuff said.
Isdin Fusion Water Pediatrics review
Isdin is a 40-year-old Spanish brand, and its Fusion Water sunscreen popped up on more and more skincare sites I read regularly. Their cosmoceuticals are sold in pharmacies around the world (see on their site where). Sunscreen seems to be their biggest seller, and they have numerous ones. Fusion Water is the one I’ve seen mentioned the most.
Ingredients
Fotoprotector Fusion Water Pediatrics has slightly better ingredients than the regular Fusion Water, that’s why I went for it. Active (chemical) sunscreen agents are Oxtinocate, Tinosorb S and Avobenzone, and some stabilising ingredients that ‘boost’ those. Because – honestly, these aren’t the most modern ingredients. It has some nice soothing ingredients like Panthenol and Vitamin E (Tocopherol). I’d use an additional anti-oxidant serum underneath. The bad: microplastic particles. And loads of them. It also includes fragrance – one of the reasons I actually wouldn’t use it on babies.
Texture
Very nice. It’s not water-like, but a white, very runny lightweight lotion that smells a bit like sunscreen, spreads easily, feels like nothing on skin, plays nice with my foundation and doesn’t leave a white cast. Win! In fact, it doesn’t leave any trace on your skin once it sinks in – my skin feels soft and silky afterwards. Isdin advertises that you can apply it on wet skin, but I haven’t tested that. I can vouch, though, for their formula not burning when it gets near the eyes. I can also apply nearly all of the recommended amount of 1,25ml on my face.
Performance
In all posts and articles Fusion Water Pediatrics is lauded for its SPF 50 and a PPD that’s around 20. (PPD means Persistent Pigment Darkening, and is the amount of protection against UVA rays.) I always try to use a sunscreen with a higher PPD in winter when you won’t suffer from a lot of UVB rays anyways. My skin isn’t particularly prone to discolouration or hyper pigmentation, so I can’t vouch for the excellent PPD, but we live in hope.
What won me over, though, is the great unfussy application and daily wear of the Fusion Water paediatrics – as clever people have said before me, if a sunscreen is pleasant to wear, you’re more likely to actually apply the correct amount and wear it consistently. In this case, I’m willing to overlook FWP’s slight issues, because it’s just so pleasant to wear.
For whom?
I have quite dry skin at the moment, and FWP works well for me. I can imagine it working well for combo skin as well – if you’re very oily, test it at a pharmacy! I wouldn’t have thought that environmental/weather issues factor so much into the state of my skin – but I had to acknowledge that Shanghai is much, much, much more humid than Frankfurt. My HG A’Pieu started to do horrible things on my drier skin – pilling, giving me a white cast, and being generally unpleasant. (I can still wear it if I use an oil in my morning skincare regimen.)
Buy
You can either buy via Amazon or order it at pharmacies (order number (PZN) is 13713670 in Germany). You’ll get 50ml for around 20€.
Please note that this review is not sponsored in any way. We buy products ourselves, with our own money, and don’t accept exchanging goods, or money, for reviews. We are completely independent, and our reviews reflect that.
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