The Body Shop Skin Defence Multi Protection Essence SPF50 is a product that I have been using on and off for the last couple of months and thought it was time to write a review!
SPF is such an important thing to have in a morning skincare routine and during the winter, if I use a foundation that contains SPF, such as my Dior Forever or Estee Lauder Double Wear then I don’t use a separate SPF. If I’m having a makeup-free day then I would apply an SPF after my moisturiser.
When choosing sun protection it is really important to check that it protects against both UVA and UVB rays. UVA rays penetrate deep into the skin are known to speed up the skin’s ageing process. UVB rays are what burn the skin and are heavily linked in the development of skin cancer so protecting yourself from exposure to both of these rays is key.
The Body Shop Skin Defence protects from UVA and UVB damage and claims to also act as an antioxidant protecting the skin from environmental damage. It also claims to provide anti-dullness benefits using Red Algae and Vitamin C to brighten the skin.
My Thoughts
When I first used this I wasn’t too impressed with the scent – as far as an initial impression goes I would link the scent of this product, albeit relatively nice and fresh, it is something I would expect with a body lotion rather than a face product. This however is purely down to personal preference. It hasn’t so far irritated my skin.
Having used it quite a lot more since then, I don’t find the scent as off putting as I first thought it might. A great thing for me in relation to the formula of this product is that it is very lightweight, quite a thin consistency. It is white, but does not leave any white casting over the skin. Some SPF lotions can look quite obvious once applied but this is more like applying another thin moisturiser. At £16 for 40ml, the price is pretty good as a little goes a long way.
SPF 50 is a lot more than I would usually wear, in part because I associate a higher factor with heavy duty creams, which having a more oilier skin type, don’t sit well on me. I love the fact that the formulation of this sits well on my skin and I know I am protecting my skin much better than I usually would!
Another great thing about this is that unless I have missed something on the ingredients list, it does not contain parabens….always a key thing for me in choosing products that are going into my skin.
Any downsides?
Possibly….I am not keen on the fact Alcohol Denat is so high up on the list of ingredients. In fact it it second on the list after water! That said, again it has not irritated my skin, nor dried it out which alcohol can do so it is a ‘so far so good’. I think I would prefer it to be a lot lower down on the list or not in it at all but I am not sure how possible that is!
Have you used this product? If so, what did you think? Have you used something similar that doesn’t contain alcohol? I’d be interested to know!
Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think in the comments box below or on my facebook page. Follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook….links below🙂
Beauty and the Ballroom 
The scent sounds concerning but I’d have to try it to see if it bothers me. I am fairly used to sunscreens and their various scents but the key factor for me would be if it lingers and how the sunscreen wears under makeup.
Alcohol is a tough one, especially with sunscreen. My limited understanding is that alcohol is such a part of sunscreen because we want that “dry touch” feeling and we don’t want sunscreen to feel like a layer of slime that takes forever to dry. Alcohol speeds that up and for most people want a quick drying sunscreen. .
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It’s not a horrible scent at all, just something I’d associate with a body lotion and personally I don’t think it lingers at all. Wears well (for me) under makeup.
Yeah that’s the trouble with the alcohol part, I want my cake and to eat it 😅😅 I want the fast drying product 😏 Overall it’s a nice product. Thanks for reading xx
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Oh thank you for this review! I’m all about sunscreen and didn’t know this one. I tend to go for mineral sunscreen only so I have to check if this one is chemical (I guess it is according to the texture etc). And you also reminded me that I should check the Body Shop more often, they actually have great products but I don’t go there very often!!
Personally I don’t reply on SPF in foundation because you use only a super thin layer of foundation so it won’t provide enough sun protection in my opinion. But as I said, I’m may too much in sunscreen (sunscreen is my life lol).
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Thanks for reading. It’s funny as I don’t go into the Body shop often either but when I do I usually find something nice 🙂
It’s only during the winter that I’d use my foundation on its own…not getting much sun at all 😂 xx
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Sounds interesting but like you, I’m not crazy about fragrance nor alcohol. I do love the Body Shop as they come out with interesting products every now and again 🙂
x Helen http://www.seaandstyle.com/blog/
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I love a few of their products, I just don’t tend to go in there often. xx
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Your page is beautiful and great post! I’ve never really thought about using such a high SPF before, normally I try and stick with SPF 35. Anything above that is super rough on my skin, I’ll have to check this out at the body shop.
Thanks!
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Ahh thank you! This is certainly the first time I’ve used factor 50…usually that’s what I would use on my children!! I would usually reach for a factor 20! This is pretty good though! xx
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I’ve never tried this, I actually don’t think I’ve tried any skincare from The Body Shop!
Billie | http://www.othersummers.com/
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They have some nice bits from their skincare range. A friend of mine loves their camomile cleansing products … personally never used them but they’re raved about! xx
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I’ve just read one of your posts but realise it doesn’t post as Beauty and the ballroom when I commented so I’m Rachel Maslin! 😛 x
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Great review. I’m very worried about alcohol being so high on the ingredients list, which is why I stopped using Alpha H Liquid Gold even though I love it!!
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Oh I didn’t even check the Alpha H list! lol I only have a small sample size bottle of it and it felt so nice on my skin! Maybe that’s one I won’t be using too often either! Haha! xx
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You had me at brighten skin! I never considered the alcohol level until you mentioned it. I’m going to have to start paying more attention to that! Thanks for sharing!
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I hadn’t paid much attention to it before I read it on someone else’s blog as they pointed out the alcohol content in Clinique’s toner part of the 3-step….I’ve since changed a lot of my skincare! Thanks for reading xx
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I have heard a lot of mixed reviews on this product so it’s good to hear how honest & open you are about your feelings towards it. That is something I really value in bloggers! Keep up the fabulous work – can’t wait for your next post.
Elley Mae | http://elleymae.com
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Thank you lovely! I kind of think it’s pointless to blog if you’re not going to be honest as it doesn’t really achieve anything! I read a lot of blogs when I’m checking a product out and honest reviews are key for me. xx
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Completely agree! Honesty is key when it comes to being a successful blogger. People can see straight through it when a post isn’t sincere.
Elley Mae | http://elleymae.com
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Scent is so important to me – if a product smells bad, weird or simply too strong, it can put me right off. So glad you were 100% honest about the product, that’s very honorable. x
Lots of love,
Marina Rosie xx
https://marinawriteslife.blogspot.fr/
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Thanks for reading 🙂 It’s quite a nice scent, just not what I’d expect for a face product. I’ll still use it but I think some people would be put off by it. xx
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