The Battle of the Sunblocks: Nivea SPF 30 vs.Neutrogena SPF 50+

If I'm in a hurry, I can usually forego applying mascara or drying my hair before heading off to work, but I can never ever skip my sunscreen (Hello, skin cancer anyone?!).

I've been using Neutrogena's Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock SPF 50+ for a few months now (see the past posts on the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer line here and here), and I was very satisfied with it, but ever the curious cat that I am, I eventually bought another brand, Nivea Sun Refreshing Fluid Protect SPF 30, when my Neutrogena ran out.

The following is a side by side comparison of the two sunblocks, to help everyone out there in choosing their sunblock of choice against the big bad sun. And we do this with great pleasure because we here at Kikay Exchange aim for nothing less than total public service (yesiree!).

There should be no problem looking for Neutrogena Ultra Sheer SPF 50+ and Nivea Refreshing Fluid SPF 30 because they are available at the health and beauty sections of most department stores.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer comes in an 88 ml. bottle and retails for Php485, while Nivea Refreshing Fluid comes in a smaller 50 ml. bottle and retails for around Php220.

The Neutrogena SPF 50+ is cream based but did not at all feel heavy or mask-like after I rubbed it on my face. The same also holds true with the Nivea SPF 30, which is liquid based and, true to its monicker, did feel refreshing and light (albeit a little sticky) on my skin. However, I've noticed that the Nivea SPF 30 leaves a very decided sheen on my face after application. And it's not the dewy, ethereal looking sheen mind you, but the oil-slick, "oiliness is next to ugliness" kind of sheen. Suffice to say, I absolutely needed to put on makeup on top of the Nivea SPF 30, because I really don't fancy having an oil slick on my face so early in the morning.

On the other hand, Neutrogena SPF 50+ has a matte finish so oilies are generally kept at bay. And for those who can get away with a makeup free face, the Neutrogena SPF 50+ already provides just enough coverage for a clean and polished look. But for the rest of us mortals who still need makeup, it also doubles as a great makeup base because its creamy texture provides slight coverage to hide those pesky skin imperfections.

With the Neutrogena SPF 50+, I would usually reach for my oil blotters at around lunch time. But with the Nivea SPF 30, oil would begin showing up on my face even before I could boot up my desktop upon arriving at the office :( I was honestly disappointed with how oily my skin got with the Nivea SPF 30. However, maybe it really wasn't intended for oily skin in the first place? Maybe it was really formulated for dry skin, so oily-skinned me had no business slathering it on my face to begin with? Perhaps. But for the other oily skinned gals out there, take note that Neutrogena SPF 50+ seems to be much better suited for our particular needs.

I'm happy to say that I did not have any adverse reactions to either Neutrogena SPF 50+ or Nivea SPF 30. No rashes, no bumps or itchiness. Yayers!

This one's a no-brainer because SPF 50+ beats out SPF 30 any day.

Clearly, Neutrogena SPF 50+ remains to be my sunblock of choice. It has a matte finish, helps control my over active oil glands and has a fantastic coverage. But that is not to say that Nivea SPF 30 is a poor second to Neutrogena SPF 50+, it just so happened that it was unable to meet my specific needs. I would highly recommend Nivea SPF 30 for those with dry skin and whose primary exposure to direct sunlight is from their morning commute and/or going from the office to the restaurant for lunch. However, if you are constantly exposed to the sun, then a higher SPF is definitely in order because I don't think SPF 30 will cut it when you go swimming or hiking.

Whatever brand you do end up choosing, just make sure that you religiously apply sunblock because leather may be fantastic for the season's newest It bag, but leather will never be in style when it comes to skin.

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