EltaMD UV Daily: Dermatologist Review

EltaMD UV Daily is a broad-spectrum SPF 40 facial sunscreen in a light but dewy lotion, sold in dermatology offices and online for around $37 to $45. It is a daily-wear sunscreen for normal to dry skin, not a water-resistant or sport formula.

The filters are zinc oxide at 9 percent, a mineral that sits on the surface, and octinoxate at 7.5 percent, a chemical filter. The base is what separates this from EltaMD UV Clear: petrolatum and dimethicone to seal water in, plus sodium hyaluronate to hold water at the surface. That is why it finishes dewy instead of matte.

A light lotion that spreads easily and finishes dewy rather than matte.

On dry skin it feels like a moisturizer with sunscreen in it, which is what it is meant to be. On oily skin the same finish reads as shiny within a few hours, and EltaMD UV Clear is the version built for that.

There is a slight white cast, as with any sunscreen carrying 9 percent zinc oxide. This one is untinted, so the cast shows more on deeper skin. A Deep Tinted version is sold if that matters.

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Ointment

Almost all oil, no water. Sits on top and seals.

Good for very dry, cracked or raw skin. Easiest to use at night. Too greasy for most faces during the day.

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Balm

Waxy and solid until it warms in your hands.

Good for dry patches, lips and hands. Useful in cold, windy weather. Heavy on the face.

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Cream

Thick blend of oil and water.

Good for normal to dry skin. Good in winter. May be too thick for summer.

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Oil

All oil, but spreads far thinner than an ointment.

Good layered over a moisturizer on dry skin. Sinks in faster than an ointment. Some oils clog pores on acne-prone skin.

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Lotion · this one

Mostly water. Pours and sinks in fast.

Good for normal skin and for large areas like arms and legs. Comfortable in summer. Often not enough for very dry skin.

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Gel

Water based, no oil. Cool and slippery.

Good for oily and acne-prone skin. Good in heat and humidity. The alcohol in some gels stings broken skin.

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Serum

Thin and watery. Absorbs in seconds.

Usually carries active ingredients rather than moisture. Layers under a moisturizer. Rarely enough on its own for dry skin.

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Spray

A fine mist. Barely there.

Good for the back and other spots that are hard to reach. Easy in summer. Does little for very dry skin.

Color is not made by your skin cells. It is made by a separate kind of cell that sits underneath them, the melanocyte — roughly one for every ten skin cells — with long arms reaching up between its neighbors. Everyone has about the same number of them. Skin tone is a question of how busy they are, not how many there are.

The work happens in four steps. Something switches the cell on: usually ultraviolet light, sometimes visible light, sometimes the inflammation left by a spot. Inside the cell an enzyme called tyrosinase builds the pigment. The finished pigment is packed into parcels and handed up those arms into the surrounding skin cells. Then it rides those cells to the surface and sheds.

That is why a dark mark is slow to fade and quick to come back. What you can see is pigment already delivered and waiting to shed, while the cell that made it is still getting the same message. Every ingredient below interrupts one of the four steps, and none of them interrupts the light.

Sunscreen filters do one of two things. Mineral filters such as zinc oxide sit on the surface and block ultraviolet light. Chemical filters such as octinoxate absorb that energy and release it as heat. Zinc oxide covers a wide span including UVA, the longer wavelengths that reach deeper and drive most collagen loss, while octinoxate covers UVB, which burns.

EltaMD UV Daily and EltaMD UV Clear use the same two filters at the same strengths. The difference is the base. UV Clear is oil-free and matte. UV Daily adds petrolatum, dimethicone and hyaluronic acid, so it seals, hydrates and finishes dewy. That decides who each suits: oily and acne-prone skin takes UV Clear, dry and mature skin takes UV Daily.

The SPF is 40 here against 46 in UV Clear. That gap is not clinically meaningful. Both sit well past the SPF 30 floor, and how much you apply matters far more.

This is how many ingredients are on the label. The more a product contains, the more chances one of them bothers you. That matters most if you have sensitive skin, eczema, or a known allergy. If your skin tolerates most things, a long list is not a problem by itself.

May feel too rich on oily skin: the dewy finish reads as shiny by midday if you run oily. That is what UV Clear is for.

May concern acne-prone skin: it contains petrolatum, so it is not oil-free. Fine for most people, worth knowing if you are acne-prone.

May leave a white cast: same white cast and octinoxate notes as UV Clear. There is a Deep Tinted version of UV Daily if you need it.

EltaMD UV Daily costs $24 per ounce. That is cheaper than 10 of the other 19 sunscreens priced on Dermapedia, which run from $6.33 to $233 per ounce.

You need about a quarter teaspoon on the face every morning, and more again if you reapply. Sunscreen is used up far faster than a moisturizer of the same size, so the per-ounce price understates what daily use actually costs.

These are the options if you want a matte finish, a tint, or a lower price. Within this line the base is the decision, not the SPF number.

EltaMD UV Clear

The same zinc and octinoxate filters in an oil-free, matte base with 5% niacinamide. Pick it if you run oily or break out.

About the same

EltaMD UV Daily Tinted Sunscreen

The same hydrating base with iron oxides added. They cancel the white cast and block visible light, which helps melasma.

About the same

La Roche-Posay Toleriane UV Moisturizer

A ceramide and niacinamide moisturizer with SPF 30 built in, around $26 for 3.4 oz. Same idea, lower SPF.

About the same