This post will be reviewing the Altruist SPF 50.
I have almost run out of my staple winter sunscreen, the Bondi Sands Face SPF 50+, and I have started thinking of the next product to replace it. Obviously, I could repurchase the Bondi Sands SPF as it is honestly just brilliant for my dry, dehydrated skin. But I want to try other options to build my list of Winter Sunscreen recommendations. So, I checked my stash and noticed that I still have one tube of the Altruist SPF 50. I remember testing it out when I first purchased it, and I thought it was simply too thick for the warmer months.
Altruist is a sunscreen brand formulated by a British dermatologist and skin surgeon, Dr Andrew Birinie. Its mission is to reduce skin cancer through the increased use of quality sunscreens. Possibly, the most impressive thing about this brand is that every purchase of sunscreen supports charities that help children with albinism in Tanzania and the rest of Africa. So, if you want to support a brand with a great cause, Altruist is the one for you.
So, I tested this sunscreen out a few times, and I’m ready to share my thoughts.
First Impression of the Altruist SPF 50
According to Altruist;
High quality, broad spectrum protection with 5 star ultra UVA rating (PPD 54). Altruist suncreams have a broad range of photostable UV filters, including the world’s most advanced filter: Tinosorb A2B. This sunscreen contains spf 50 protection and is fast absorbing, non-sticky – feels like a moisturiser. And most important, it is a 5 star UVA rated sunscreen.
Sunscreen Filters
It’s a hybrid sunscreen with a mix of both physical and chemical filters. Altogether, it has eight advanced filters, which are probably one of the best you’ll get in any sunscreen. The SCCS, the European Cosmetics Safety Organisation, has also thoroughly vetted these filters. They include;
- Nano Titanium Dioxide
- Octocrylene
- Avobenzone
- Tinosorb A2B
- Tinosorb
- Uvinul T 150
It also offers broad-spectrum protection. This means that it protects your skin from both UVA and UVB rays. SPF50 blocks 98.3% of UVB rays while the UVA rating has five stars, a PPD of 54, the highest in any European sunscreen. La Roche Posay Anthelios Invisible Fluid SPF 50+, probably the best European sunscreen, has a PPD of 46.
So, if you burn easily or have a family history of skin cancer, you should get this sunscreen.
Additionally, it is vegan, cruelty-free, coral friendly and fragrance-free. It mentions that it is also water-resistant, but we’re unsure how long.
Texture & Consistency
One of the things that attracted me to this sunscreen was its texture. As I mentioned earlier, I love a two in one product; a moisturizing sunscreen. So I’m constantly on the lookout for thick greasy products. In one of the Facebook groups I joined, a few people mentioned how incredibly greasy this product is. (I honestly don’t think it is that greasy.) That was precisely my cue to purchase. For me, the greasier the sunscreen is, the better for my dry skin.
The Altruist SPF 50 sunscreen has a thick consistency that feels more like a moisturizer and less like a sunscreen. This is a good thing because many people with normal-dry skin can actually skip their moisturizers and just use them. So the texture and consistency are excellent. I honestly can’t complain.
But people with oily to combination skin might find this product too heavy. In this case, you should opt for the Altruist Dermatologist Face Fluid. This is a lightweight version of the same product.
Price & Avaliability
I’m not sure how this product can be so cheap. It will run you about $10/£8 for a pair of 100ml sunscreens. Yes, it usually comes in twos. According to the founders, the cost is kept low to encourage people to develop the habit of using sunscreen daily and prevent skin cancer. Yes, there are two founders. The other one is a Dutch economist, David Westerbeek van Eerten.
To be honest, it is cheaper for you to buy from Amazon UK and have it shipped to your location. But after comparing shipping costs, it might just be more affordable for you to buy it from Amazon in your country. Regardless of where you purchase it, you’re getting a deal for such a high-quality sunscreen.
Review of Altruist SPF 50
I used this sunscreen a few times to test how well I would enjoy using it, but unfortunately, I didn’t like it. I’ll go into details shortly.
- It’s actually non-greasy with a dewy to matte finish.
I mentioned that one of the reasons I got this product was because it was thick. I thought it would give me the same effects as my Bondi Sands sunscreen. Unfortunately, while the finish started out dewy, it dried down quickly and completely absorbed my skin. Now, I’m entirely aware that this is exactly the kind of product that some people want, but unfortunately it isn’t for me. I want a sunscreen that will keep my dry skin moisturized and dewy all day, even if I don’t reapply. It simply isn’t moisturizing enough for me.
- With Titanium Dioxide, you have to blend it in completely to prevent a white cast.
I don’t have that much time in the morning to be blending a sunscreen with Titanium Dixoide which might give my skin a possible white cast if I don’t blend completely. I just want my chemical filters which immediately disappear into my skin on application. While physical filters like Zinc and Titanium Dioxide are supposedly superior, I’m not exposed to that much sunlight whilst working from home. So, chemical filters that don’t take forever to blend in work perfectly for me.
In Conclusion,
Asides from these two personal reasons, I think the Altruist SPF 50 is a brilliant product. Most importantly, it offers a very high broad-spectrum protection that will protect your skin against any damages from the UVA and UVB rays.
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