As the sun has finally started to show itself here in the UK, we have been taking the time to enjoy these long summer days and hot summer nights. One of our most favourite things about summer is getting out to the beach, salty wind in our hair and sand between our toes. What about you? What’s your favourite thing about summer? Tell us below in the comments.
However, we can tell you one thing we actually don’t like about summer and that’s sunburn, sun damage and those harsh UV Rays, all of which are contributing to the premature ageing and damage of our skin, whilst increasing our risk of skin cancer. We don’t want to sound like an agony aunt when it comes to your skin and the sun because it’s something that we all know, talk and hear about so often. But, we as Dr Skincare, and all the dermatologically developed brands we discuss will tell you that daily use of an SPF (at least SPF 30) is one of the most important steps in any skin care routine. So… we tried the Dr Dennis Gross SPF 50 Dark Spot Sun Defense Sunscreen and wanted to give you the rundown! But not before some interesting facts about SPF…
When looking for an effective and safe SPF product you should be looking for a physical SPF rather than a chemical SPF, this is because physical SPF uses natural ingredients such as Titanium Dioxide (TO) and Zinc Oxide (ZO); minerals which act like reflectors on the skin rather than chemicals which can penetrate the skin and can result in irritation. Therefore, we advise looking for Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide in all SPF products you use, whether that be combined or separate.
So… if you haven’t already, you absolutely must add an SPF to your skin care routine, not just for summer but all year round. Dr Skincare advises purchasing a separate SPF product for your skin care routine, rather than a combined product. We believe the many dermatologists who argue that moisturisers and SPFs should be separate products within a skin care routine. This is because many combined SPF/Moisturiser products do not have enough sunscreen in them to be effective, in other words, the main concern is getting the correct concentration of UVA/UVB on your skin. Getting the correct concentration of UVA/UVB on your skin with a combined product would often result in having to use copious amounts of the product on one area to be properly protected.
There you have it, that’s why we believe it’s important to invest in a separate sunscreen product, specifically for the face. But let’s get into our review! We tried out the Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Dark Spot Sun Defense Sunscreen SPF 50 (1.7oz/50ml) and here are our thoughts…
Dr Dennis Gross SPF 50 – Dr Skincare’s Sentiments
DR Dennis Gross SPF 50 – Product & Packaging
The product and packaging are very sunny, we love the orange branding from Dr Dennis anyway, but the yellow product packaging tube is really giving us summer vibes. Perfect size to take with you on the go, whether that be in a makeup bag or handbag; you can keep it close to you all summer! The 50ml size is big enough that it will last a while, depending on usage, of course. We found we needed around three pea-sized amounts of the product to cover the whole face, so using this every day at this amount we would suggest the product could last between 4-6 months.
The great thing about this is when these products are ordered via our site on behalf of Amazon which means speedy next day delivery using your Prime Account and easy returns (should you need to). Another great feature of ordering via Dr Skincare and Amazon is that you can use the Subscribe and Save function if you love the product… Getting your skin care Must Haves at a discounted price!
Formula & Feel
The formula is rich and creamy, with no specifically strong SPF odour which is a nice change! Often SPFs have overpowering scents but not this one. Using on fair skin, we were left with no white cast after properly massaging over the face. Tapping the product into the skin after massaging the cream over the face also helped the formula to absorb. As discussed above, three pea sized amounts across the face should be enough to cover the face completely – a moderate amount goes a long way. And yes we applied it at least 20 minutes prior to heading out in the sun (that’s the amount of time you should wait after applying an SPF, give your skin time to absorb the product!)
After 20-30 minutes, the sunscreen had fully absorbed and was no longer tacky but our skin felt and looked dewy. We applied the product around 11am, headed out to the beach for around three hours and then came home, with no sunburn, no redness and a truly moisturised face. It absolutely does what it says on the tin! Daily use over a longer period of time would help to tell us if the product truly does protect against dark spots, however, we believe that any high-quality SPF product will protect your skin against sun damage in the form of dark spots.
Price
The Dr Dennis Gross Skincare Dark Spot Sun Defense SPF 50 in terms of price is very reasonable. Any high-quality, dermatologically-developed SPF will not be budget priced, but the price range for this size and quality of product is fair in Dr Skincare’s opinion. Purchasing budget SPFs is often not a good idea, especially when it’s a sun protection product – put your trust in the experts and invest in a high-quality derma-developed brand such as Dr Dennis Gross when buying sun protection products.
In fact, we liked this product so much that we made a whole TikTok on it – see below, and follow us on there for more skin care content! Overall, Dr Skincare Approves the Dr Dennis Gross Skincare Dark Spot Sun Defense Broad Spectrum SPF 50.
