FARMACY | GREEN DEFENSE DAILY MINERAL SUNSCREEN

This review was originally part of my blog article titled, New Sunscreens I'm Crushing on for Fall - Best Mineral Sunscreens for Face from Farmacy, Purito and More! You can still catch the full piece here.

—

I’ve had a secret crush on Farmacy Beauty for years. Every winter, one of my favorite dry skin treats is the Farmacy Honey Potion Renewing Antioxidant Hydration Mask. If you haven’t experienced Honey Potion, you’re really missing out. It’s super gooey, super soothing and superbly nourishing on the skin. When my skin is dry, irritated, uncomfortable — and looking like it — Honey Potion works its magic to ease my complexion back to a healthy vibrancy.

Get yourself a pot here before the cold sets in!

I recently reviewed Farmacy’s Deep Sweep 2% BHA Pore Cleaning Toner in my article about the best exfoliating toners titled, Acid Toners – Some of the Best BHA / AHA Toners for Face from Paula's Choice, Farmacy and More. (You can catch the full piece here.)

It’s a terrific, clean formulation with an ideal pH level — right in the range for its beneficial acids to exfoliate the skin. That’s not something I can say about many treatments formulated with Glycolic Acid and Salicylic Acid — including two of them that I reviewed in the article. Boo on them! All too often, they’re way off the mark, minimally effective — and bordering on nonsensical skin care. There’s certainly a lot of that out there.

But not from Farmacy! The Deep Sweep formula effectively exfoliates the skin and deep cleans (make that sweeps!) pores, clearing them of any build-up that can stretch them out and make them appear more visible.

Farmacy just gets it. It’s a cool name, but what’s the brand about? Well, that pure ingredients matter; that clean formulas matter. When these things are prioritized by a brand, skin care can truly benefit the skin. Farmacy locally sources and cultivates pure, natural ingredients for its clean skin care. And I’m consistently wowed by the brand’s products.

“Farmacy explores local farms around the world in pursuit of unique ingredients that deliver unparalleled freshness and potency.

Knowing the source of its key ingredients means that Farmacy can vouch for the quality of its clean ingredients. Farmacy has partnered with organic farms in New York, Pennsylvania, and, most recently, with a farm in Northeast Brazil.”

So, of course, I was excited when Farmacy recently came out with a new, clean mineral sunscreen — the Green Defense Daily Mineral Sunscreen.

To start, Green Defense is thicker than I was expecting. Surprisingly so — and the precise reason it’s perfect for a collection of seasonal sunscreens.

The first time I slathered it on, I worried that it would leave a white cast. How could it not; it’s kinda thick and has a glowy iridescence to it. But, it blended right in and left me with a nice, healthy radiance.

It’s an interesting formula. With a combination of the two common mineral filters, Zinc Oxide (5.82%) and Titanium Dioxide (2.4%), it offers broad-spectrum SPF 30 protection — which will defend skin against 97% of UV rays. But it’s so much more than just its mineral sunscreen filters.

Green Defense is a wonderful melange of beneficial botanical extracts and nourishing oils. Some are expected, like the Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil and Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil. But, there are several natural extracts that I’ve rarely, if ever, seen in a skincare INCI! These include: Echinacea Purpurea Root Extract, Aronia Melanocarpa Fruit Extract, and Hydrolyzed Verbascum Thapsus Flower.

What’s the difference between mineral and chemical sunscreens?

For some real insights, there’s an excellent article by the Paula’s Choice Research Team titled, Mineral vs. Synthetic Sunscreen Ingredients available here. In the piece, the experts explain the differences and benefits between mineral and chemical sunscreens — and even dispel a myth or two:

“The two types of sunscreen ingredients are mineral and synthetic [chemical], and both are equally protective. Further reassuring is that each can be included in formulas created for every skin type. For example, if you have normal to oily skin, there are weightless, non-greasy options; if you have normal to dry skin, it’s possible to find skin-smoothing, hydrating SPF products.
What’s the Difference Between Mineral and Synthetic Sunscreen Ingredients?
The differences aren’t about which type is more effective; rather, it comes down to personal preference and how sensitive your skin is—mineral sunscreens are considered the most gentle options.
Mineral sunscreens: There are only two mineral sunscreen ingredients: titanium dioxideand zinc oxide. They work in skin's uppermost layers to both absorb and, to a lesser extent, deflect and scatter the sun’s harmful rays. These mineral ingredients are sometimes referred to as physical sunscreens or physical blockers, although that’s not a factual representation of how they work.
Synthetic sunscreens: There are over 30 synthetic sunscreen ingredients, all of which absorb into the top layers of skin, where they work similar to mineral sunscreens: by scattering and deflecting the sun’s harmful rays, and by converting UV rays into heat and “deactivating” them. (Don’t worry, you won’t feel a thing.) Common synthetic sunscreen ingredients include oxybenzone, octinoxate, octisalate, and avobenzone. These are sometimes labeled “chemical sunscreens,” which is both misleading and false. All skin care ingredients, even water, are chemicals.

Echinacea, of course, is a natural treatment for the common cold. I’ll assume it has some sort of detoxifying effect in addition to offering antioxidant protection. Verbascum Thapsus Flower, commonly known as mullein, is able to “harvest UV radiation and transform it into new visible light to appear brighter, becoming more visible in the meadow and therefore, having a greater chance to attract insects.” Wild, right?

But the Aronia Melanocarpa Fruit Extract, or Black Chokeberry, is most intriguing to me. I knew I’d seen it once before and recalled that I came across it in the COSRX Triple C Lightning Liquid. It’s a terrific antioxidant, and more.

What is black chokeberry?

Black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) fruits are among the richest sources of polyphenols and anthocyanins in plant kingdom and suitable raw material for production of functional foods. The popularity of chokeberries is not only due to their nutritional value but also to the constantly emerging evidence for their health-promoting effects.
The current study presents detailed information about the content and composition of sugars, organic acids, and polyphenols in 23 aronia samples…Organic acids were represented by substantial amounts of quinic acid, malic acid, and ascorbic acid.

All this to say that while Farmacy’s Green Defense Daily Mineral Sunscreen is defending skin against environmental damage with effective UV filters and antioxidants, it’s restoring and promoting skin health with nourishing natural substances.

Green Defense is everything you want in a mineral sunscreen — and more. It’s perfect for slathering on in the morning and hitting the ground running. Seriously, unless your skin is super dry, it’s all you need in a moisturizer, too!

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Farmacy Green Defense Daily Mineral Sunscreen for $36 here.

BUY FARMACY GREEN DEFENSE DAILY MINERAL SUNSCREEN