The Body Shop Skin Defence Multi Protection Essence SPF50 PA++++

Part of The Body Shop Drops of Light collection, I received this last year but at the time was so inundated with SPFs that it got forgotten about. So as we head into summer, The Body Shop’s Skin Defence Multi Protection Essence SPF50 PA++++ (phew) has finally had its turn in the limelight.

In short, it’s a milk-to-water SPF50 with UVA/UVB protection. It’s great for slightly oilier skin types as, for such a high level of protection, it’s pretty lightweight.

What is PA++++?

If you’ve always wondered what the PA+ stood for, it’s a system used mainly in Asia that signifies the level of UVA protection. SPF is a rating of the UVB protection. PA ranges from PA+ to PA++++ (it used to go only up to PA+++). In a shop, ask for “P A four plus” or “P A triple plus”.

But what SPF do you need?

In the UK it’s roughly 15 minutes before you burn. Take 15 and multiply it by the SPF number, in this case 50: 15 x 50 = 750, the number of minutes of protection it provides, which is about 12.5 hours. That doesn’t mean it won’t need topping up, just that with uninterrupted coverage you’ll get essentially all-day protection without burning.

Sun protection on the face matters all year round. After that ~15 minutes of unprotected exposure, UVA and UVB damage the skin and it releases an emergency shield of brown melanin. That isn’t healthy, however ‘good’ a tan looks, and with skin cancers on the rise, an SPF like this is the sensible answer.

How it feels

It’s a genuinely unusual product, very reminiscent of a lot of Asian sun protectors. The milk-to-water effect is hard to describe. Usually a high SPF and PA rating is hard to formulate this light, but The Body Shop seem to have managed it, with only a very slight residue that reads as a glow rather than grease.

There’s a little vitamin C and red algae in here too, to calm the skin while it’s worn and provide some antioxidant protection.

This isn’t the most amazingly formulated SPF, there are a few ingredients I’d rather weren’t here, including a bit more alcohol than I’d like. But for an SPF50 PA++++ UVA/UVB lightweight protector made specifically for the face, at just £16 (and often discounted), you’d be mad not to give it a go. Plenty of more premium brands charge a lot more for a lot less.

Worn as my last-applied product it stays put well, but in bright sun or abroad, apply and re-apply regularly, as it isn’t sweat or water resistant. Avoid the eye area, my tip for eye SPF is a small amount of SPF lip balm stick, as balms sit on top rather than sinking in, so you’re less likely to react.

The Body Shop Skin Defence Multi Protection Essence SPF50 PA++++ was £16 for 40ml from The Body Shop.

Full ingredients

Aqua/Water/Eau, Alcohol Denat., Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Octocrylene, Chlorphenesin, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Cetearyl Glucoside, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Parfum/Fragrance, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Palmaria Palmata Extract, Carbomer, Linalool, Tocopherol, Limonene, Citronellol.