Devita Natural Skin Care Solar Protective Moisturizer 30

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List Price: $26.49
Sale Price: $16.79
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I had been using this product for at least a year and half, and I LOVED it. Such wonderful texture and such great protection with few and natural ingredients -it was my oily, break-out prone and sensitive skin's answered prayer. Back in August, however, I was devastated to discover that my brand new tube (and the body formula) suddenly produced this white, thick pasty crap that would eventually get flaky and roll off my skin. My attempt to get answers resulted in another disappointment, this time with DeVita's level of customer service:

When I noticed the difference in the products, I wrote to the company. The person in charge of customer relations, Barbara, was initially helpful; she told me they no longer used the same zinc supplier and asked me to send her the lot numbers of the products I bought. She even offered to send replacement tubes from a "newer" and supposedly better batch.

Well, when I received my "replacement" products, the body creams had popped open at the tube's crimped edge and the face sunscreen had the exact same lot numbers of the ones I had purchased originally. So I basically got two more of the same thing. When I told her about it, she said that the "invoice" showed the numbers were different and only offered to replace the damaged body cream. So she essentially implied I could be lying about receiving the exact same stuff, which I found offensive. I have no reason or desire to swindle a company for free sunscreen (or anything else). I had been buying their products for a very long time with my hard-earned money and had they not destroyed their best items, I'd still be spending my money on them.

So, in a nutshell, my favorite product is now just another generic cream with inferior ingredients, and the company who makes it is represented by a person who accuses a loyal customer of lying.

Good riddance, Devita!

***********************PRODUCT UPDATE 08/20/13*************************

Cosmetics Cop Paula Begoun reviewed this product (and others by this company) and she gives some excellent and well-informed opinions about why it CANNOT be trusted to protect your skin from the sun. From my own experience with Devita, I'm not surprised Paula thinks this product is shady -and not in a good way.

From the Paula's Choice website (http://www.paulaschoice.com/beautypedia-skin-care-reviews/by-brand/devita-naturals-skin-care/_/Solar-Protective-Moisturizer-SPF-30):

"Solar Protective Moisturizer SPF 30+ is marketed as having a completely natural, invisible finish, even with 19% zinc oxide. This smooth cream applies easily, then sets to a dry finish on skin (making it best for oily to combination skin types), but it does have a slight white cast. Unfortunately, while this is certainly a lighter mineral-based sunscreen than many, we have serious reservations about relying on this as your sole source of sun protection.

It is important to note that you really need to stretch the definition of "all natural" if you're going to apply that term to a sunscreen. The process to extract and stabilize the ingredients needed to formulate an effective sunscreen makes the finished product about as natural as Splenda! However, the "natural" claim isn't our most significant concern about this product.

The first oddity we noticed was the lack of any Drug Facts Label, either on the outer carton or the tube. As you may be aware, the U.S. FDA enacted new, tighter regulations requiring cosmetics companies to submit their sunscreen formulas to FDA-approved labs for broad-spectrum testing. The sunscreens that pass the test and meet the new, rigorous standard can display the claim "Broad Spectrum Protection." Also the Drug Facts Label on the box or bottle separates the formula information, listing active ingredients separately from inactive ingredients, providing usage guidelines, and providing other information, including (perhaps most important) the official expiration date. The expiration date usually is stamped on the crimp or printed on the tube, but DeVita doesn't provide an expiration date at all.

In the United States, if a company does not submit its product for FDA testing and subsequently pass the test, the product cannot display the Drug Facts Label or broad-spectrum claim, and in this case, DeVita's Solar Protective Moisturizer SPF 30+ lacks this important feature.

Simply including 19% zinc oxide in a formula isn't enough to guarantee a product's ability to function properly as a broad-spectrum sunscreen--there are other factors, such as stability, dispersion (how well it's mixed into a formula), and others that affect how well a sunscreen performs (as a whole) to protect you against UV exposure.

In their marketing messaging, DeVita uses the phrase "USFDA Monograph Sun Protection Factor Determination test level of 32" to describe the protection level of their Solar Protective Moisturizer SPF 30+. This is odd phrasing, and it deepens our concerns about the effectiveness of the product because the current UVA/UVB FDA testing requirements no longer rely solely on this SPF testing method (the classic measurement of UVB protection), but rather also include new critical wavelength tests to determine a sunscreen's true broad-spectrum capability. So, this shows that DeVita is aware of the FDA SPF testing requirements, but it does not show they are aware of the new sunscreen testing and labeling regulations.

DeVita claims grape seed extract (listed as Vitis Vinifera) is their preservative and that aloe has some added antibacterial benefit. There isn't any research to substantiate the claim that a preservative system of grape seed extract and aloe is an effective broad-spectrum preservative against bacteria and mold. Some naturally derived ingredients do provide antibacterial benefit, but that doesn't mean they are a substitute for an adequate preservative system. For example, vitamin C has antibacterial and antioxidant benefit, but are you willing to drink from a bottle of 100% orange juice that's been sitting on your kitchen counter for a month or two? There are plenty of options for effective preservatives, whether your preference is for natural skin care or not, but grape seed extract and aloe aren't among them.

Even though DeVita includes a mix of beneficial antioxidants and skin-identical ingredients, you have no idea what you're really getting. DeVita's Solar Protective Moisturizer SPF 30+ raises too many questions and concerns to earn our recommendation--we recommend skipping this and considering any of the alternatives from other brands recommended in our Best Moisturizers With Sunscreen section.

Pros:

Contains beneficial antioxidants and skin-identical ingredients.

Contains 19% zinc oxide, which in a properly labeled product, should provide broad-spectrum protection.

Cons:

No Drug Facts label, so you can't be sure if it's been FDA rated to provide broad-spectrum protection.

Questionable and inadequate preservative system.

Ingredient label doesn't comply with FDA or (global) INCI cosmetics regulations, so you really don't know what you are putting on your face."

**********************

Just thought I'd give everyone an update, especially those of us who mourned the old, "better" version of this. I guess it was never as good as we thought.

Oh, and one last thing: A few months ago, I was at Whole Foods and I saw this sunscreen with a big gold sticker on the box that said "Back and Better Than Ever!" I found it interesting, so I asked a Whole Foods associate to make me a tester of that particular batch. I put some on my hand and while at first it seemed like it was working like before, as I kept rubbing it in, the flaking and rolling-off started again. DO NOT BUY!!!

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Ok, this was my Holy Grail sunscreen: a mineral sunscreen, non-nanofied, no silicone, no Shea butter, absorbed like magic, no whitish cast. And NEVER broke me out. It used to be great.

It's true Their zinc supplier has changed and the product is not the same. Last year, my review would have been 5 stars. But this new product pales in comparison. And by pale I mean I now look like a ghost! Oh Devita, why have you forsaken me???

If you get a tube with a lot number higher than 130501, you have the newest batch per Devita. I just tried it a few days ago. It's not good, it doesn't absorb like it used to. The texture feels thicker, a little dry. I rubbed it in and before I even looked at my face, I was shocked at how white my fingertips were. Caked in white zinc. My face had the telltale white zinc cast as well. So bottom line, it doesn't apply the same, feels thick, doesn't absorb like it used to, and leaves me pastier than I already am.

I truly pray that they figure out how to get this formula back to normal. Or find a different zinc supplier. Because I'm at a loss. I'm scouring the web trying to find something natural to replace this with. And I'm not having much luck. So, so bummed. Everything breaks me out, my skin is sensitive to silicone and unfortunately, Shea butter as well. Any suggestions would be happily accepted.

Buy Devita Natural Skin Care Solar Protective Moisturizer 30 Now

one of the hardest products for me to use is sunscreen, which isn't great because I have extremely pale skin. my skin is very sensitive to silicones, mineral oil, and chemical sunscreen (even euro brands). physical blocks have their own set of problems; most are greasy and/or have a white cast and a gritty feel. This stuff is great though. the ingredients are all natural, and it uses a very good form of micronized zinc so there is no white cast or gritty feel. however, this is not a moisturizer per se. I suppose if you have oily skin you could use this as a moisturizer, but barring that you will need to layer it over a moisturizer. This is a sunscreen only for me. I have noticed a huge difference in my skin since I started wearing this every, and for once it's nice to be able to go outside for 10 minutes without getting burned! this is also a great base for mineral makeup. I'm getting ready to purchase my second jar of this and just couldn't be happier.

Read Best Reviews of Devita Natural Skin Care Solar Protective Moisturizer 30 Here

This is the first sunscreen that did not cause me to break out. It is the first natural sunscreen that did not leave my face pasty white. It feels very soothing when you put it on, leaving your skin soft and smooth. I have been using it for about a month and have not broken out once. Very good product.

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This was my go-to, wouldn't-even-think-about-looking-at-something-else moisturizer for over two years. It was light and refreshing feeling, always looked fresh, never ever broke me out, never whitened me, kept my skin nicely moisturized, and never let me get sunburned. It also smelled amazing.

A week ago, my old tube ran out and I made my pilgrimage to Whole Foods to pick up some more. The next day, I squeezed it out of the tube and... it was different. I checked the label to make sure I'd actually picked up the right product. Yep. So I put it on like usual. Except it didn't spread like usual and I had little white flakes all over my hands. I looked at my face in the mirror and I could see the zinc caught in my eyebrows and little flakes of it everywhere, not to mention a very faint white pallor. I cleaned up the excess, and went about my day. I got sweaty and... it started feeling grainy. Sooo not a pleasant feeling.

Apparently, the zinc itself changed. Some reviews say to cut it with a different moisturizer to aid absorption, but that defeats the whole purpose. I'm as devastated as one can be about a facial moisturizer (probably a little more than is healthy), and I can't seem to find anything that really replaces it. In the meantime, I feel like I'm waiting for my face to break out with this new moisturizer that makes my skin look funny.

DeVita! Find new zinc! Or go back to the old stuff. As it stands, you've lost an incredibly loyal customer.