Marie-Veronique Organics sun protection range

If you’re a regular at Viva Woman, you might have noticed a reduction in my posts about sunscreens. Well, that’s because I’m pretty happy using the Marie-Veronique Organics Creme de Soleil and I’m less motivated to look for new products.  Anyway, I recently ordered the Creme de Soleil Tinted and received their Sun Serum, SPF 20 as a sample so I thought I’ll run a summary post regarding the Marie-Veronique Organics sun protection range now that I’ve tried them all.

Lightweight formulas with 20% non-micronized zinc oxide
Marie-Veronique Organics offer five products under their sun protection series and they are all lightweight zinc oxide formula with broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection.   I love the fact that all their products are free of harmful chemicals and nanoparticles, plus the zinc oxide content is 20%.   Contrary to what some think, although the Creme de Jour and Creme de Soleil contain a number of carrier oils, they are not greasy at all.  In fact, I actually found the Creme de Jour to be a tad dry.  But because they’re non-greasy, I can use them over my eyes without any worries of growing milia seeds.

Creme de Soleil Tinted ideal as light makeup base
Some readers have complained that the Creme de Jour and Creme de Soleil make their skin looks dull.  I think the Creme de Jour might have this effect because it does leave a stronger whitecast.  Personally, I found that my skin looks fine with Creme de Soleil but my favorite is the Creme de Soleil Tinted which I use as a light makeup base.  My only gripe is that the texture is slightly powdery.

Creme de Jour drier and leaves whitecast
Creme de Jour on the other hand, is a tad dry for me as I’ve reviewed, and may not be suitable for those with dry skin.  This is why I’m currently using this on my hands.  However, I don’t really find it ideal as a body sunscreen because it’s not that easy to blend.

Sun Serum difficult to blend
I was quite surprised with the texture of the Sun Serum though. I had expected it to be a more diluted than it already is but when I tried it, I found the texture quite close to the other two but not as thick. I was also equally surprised to find that it is white and when applied on the skin, does leave quite a visible whitecast. Despite the various oils in the formulation, I did not find this serum very emollient and it was a tad difficult to blend into the skin at times. Personally, I think US$80 is too expensive and I’ll rather purchase the Creme de Soleil anytime.

Suggestion to improve packaging
Because the Marie-Veronique Organics sun protection range are of natural formulations, I’ll need to use them up quickly – preferably within 6 months. I was initially worried as creme started to look different after awhile but upon checking with the store, they are said to be normal separation – common with products that use a natural emulsifier. But I do wish they’ll improve the packaging, to include a dropper to make dispensing easier and more convenient.

Comments

  1. emily says:

    hey.. where is this bought?? ? can share?

    anyway.. can share any scar removing creams or solutions left by pimples? i have horrible acne markings… ?

  2. CT says:

    I would love to try the tinted version as I do not normally apply foundation, this might has at least some coverage. However, I feel the products are kind of expensive.

  3. pf1123 says:

    Yes. And its a hassle to get.

    I am hesitent to get because I never finish anything before 8 or 12mths.

    Nowadays, I even try not to get anything with Vitamin C in it as the product turns yellow upon oxidation which renders the product ineffective already anyway.

    Oh btw, anybody knows what happened to the Yes to Tomatoes, Cucumber and Carrots range of products in Watsons? I don’t see them anymore.

  4. Kaith says:

    Oh, it’s the first time I’ve heard of an organic sunscreen. Where have I been? Anyway, if they do come in bottles, they should indeed include a dropper as it is difficult to dispense. I have dry skin so I might just shy away from this one.
    – Kaith

  5. sesame says:

    Bought from http://www.marieveronique.com.

    For acne markings, try these
    – 100% unrefined shea butter
    – aloe vera
    – nutmeg plus honey spot treatment

  6. sesame says:

    Well, it’s a moisturizer with high SPF – the price is high if you factor in all the shipping.

  7. sesame says:

    If it’s L-Ascorbic, then it’s likely to change color and become less stable. Usually, these products need to be refrigerated no? Vitamin C powder maybe an alternative to consider.

    No idea about the Yes to Tomatoes and Cucumber range. Haven’t taken noticed…

  8. sesame says:

    The Creme de Jour causes drying but not the Creme de Soliel…at least for me.

  9. Suz says:

    wow…a lil expensive for me at this moment….I really haven’t taken notice to “organic” products don’t know why but the only thing I look for in almost every product especially sunscreen is non-comedogenic and or oil free. But the good thing is now…major brand names are opting for more organic and less chemicalized products…well in the USA anyways…I wish Asia would follow suit and state whether their facial products and makeup’s were organic/oil free/and or non-comedogenic…since the last two are the most important to me when looking at products.

    p.s. maybe I should start a blog..hahah maybe I’ll get free products *grin*

  10. sesame says:

    Products in Asia are mostly imported and the labeling are no different from what you get in States. Only thing is the selection is not as wide since they don’t bring in everything.

    Oh, I bought the Marie-Veronique in case you think I got them free. It’s the Sun Serum I got as free because I requested the sample with my purchase.

  11. Raelynn says:

    Thank you for the review on the sun serum! It is indeed very expensive and hence i was thinking if it’s really worth the money. how much is the MV sunscreens after shipping and approximate exchange rate? Is 20% ZnO really sufficient to provide good UVA protection?

  12. Joanna says:

    I find Creme de soleil powdery as well – i thought it was only my bottom cos it was a sample!

    I also find Creme de Jour very drying and often left my skin looking “unevenly powdered” if you know what i mean – i still have 1/3 of a bottom at home, but i don’t use it on my face anymore…

    I do think the tinted version looks better on the skin,especially creme de soleil – but it contains lavender!
    I guess nothing is perfect ?

  13. Joanna says:

    Oops I meant “bottle” not “bottom”

  14. Suz says:

    sesame- oh i see. no offense am sure you do buy a lot of your products with your own money. I just see a lot of like youtube guru’s and bloggers getting stuff from companies to review and try out their products.

    off topic: btw is me or do I notice that a lot of bloggers from asian countries especially Singapore and Malaysia…the guru’s are able to spend so much money on products…they seem to be very rich or they must not have many bills to pay..lucky them

  15. Teri says:

    Okay, after trying this product I definitely have to say that it is awesome and probably the best physiacl sunscreen formula I’ve come across. I’ve only tried the tinted one so far and use it pretty much everyday where I’m going somewhere that I HAVE to be presentable at. If I’m just doing yard work or staying at home then I will just wear the Mexitan which leaves white streaks on my face and makes me look ghoulish lol.

    The de soliel and de jour both make my skin glow and look very natural. However, my only concerns are…

    …if it is really 20% zinc oxide. I guess because the formula is just THAT elegant that I am a bit doubtful. I mean seriously. I mean seriously, if it really is 20% zinc oxide protection then other natural sunscreen companies need to step up their game because nothing compares.

    My second gripe is, while it looks AMAZING on my face, I notice that it doesn’t blend too well onto my nose. After about a few hours or so, it looks really chalky and powdery on my nose, so that it loosk like I’m actually wearing makeup. I think it might be because the pores are bigger there and some sweat will affect the smooth appearance of the sunscreen.

    Third complaint is, I find it hard to use the recommend 1/4 tsp of sunscreen everyday. Reason is that it looks a bit too cakey on the face. Only using about 1/8 of the tinted version on my face already gives me a beautiful glow. Anymore than that usually makes it look like I’m wearing some type of makeup.

    Tell me what you think about the issues I’ve brought up.

    Otherwise, this is an amazing sunscreen and I am so glad you brought this to my attention!

  16. pf1123 says:

    If Teri don’t count the fact that, Diorsnow has a UV Shield which is close to 20% zinc oxide, is a non organic kind of sun protection, then this one doesn’t seem to have much competition. Hahhaa…

    Yes, sesame, I didn’t refrigerate the Vitamin C product that turns yellow on me coz it didn’t say it needs to. Anyway, its an eye cream which doesn’t really work. I’ll just bin it.

    Now I got the Paul & Joe whitening serum and found that it too has Vitamin C in it. I guess I better try very hard to finish it up.

  17. sesame says:

    After shipping over, the total cost for me is about S$86+ for Creme de Soleil. This includes the shipping within US and shipping from US to Singapore. Their products are available at puresha.com which provides int’l shipping but upon calculation, I find it more expensive.

    20% is very good for physical sunscreen as zinc oxide provides full UVB and UVA coverage. But, compared with the chemical sunscreens which includes a variety of chemical sunscreen and physical blockers, the PPD is not as high – from my understanding, could be about 8 or 10 at most.

    For me, I use this because I don’t head out to the sun. Plus, I’m taking Heliocare and a moisturizer with which provide 50% UVA protection. If I do go for outdoor sports or travel, then I’ll switch to chemical sunscreens temporary.

  18. sesame says:

    I actually sent them an email to ask but I haven’t received a reply. My guess is the iron oxide cos otherwise, everything is the same as the non-tinted version.

    Don’t worry about the lavender – it’s at the bottom of the list and wouldn’t cause any harm. They need some of these essential oils and vit E to hold the sunscreen together since they do not use preservatives.

  19. sesame says:

    Don’t worry…I’m not offended but I just wanted to highlight cos I’ve done a few posts about MV sunscreens and don’t want others to have the wrong perception that I’m promoting them. I just like them. ?

    It’s true that bloggers will receive requests for reviews. You see it on my blog as I do state that the products were sent to me complimentary. However, it can be tiresome and one can only use so much. I have rejected a number of requests but some products seem good to recommend so these days, I have more guest reviews.

  20. sesame says:

    I can’t answer if the content is really what it states. I have thrown this question to an aesthetic doctor before and I was told that it’s better to go for established brands which have been around for awhile because of this reason.

    I have seen reviews on Makeupalley about MV’s sunscreen and one particular one was from a lady who burns easily and found the MV sunscreen effective. Personally, I don’t deliberately head out to the sun with this sunscreen so I can’t say. I can only say my skin isn’t having more pigmentation but of course, it could be due to my facial and skin care products too. Another thing is zinc oxide is drying in high % and I guess that’s why the Creme de Jour is such.

    There are other companies I’ve come across with higher zinc oxide content but personally, I’ll stop at 20% cos anything higher, the formulation is usually drying and can cause problems for my skin.

    I use about 1/4 tsp I think…but I also take sun protection oral pills so I have this “safety net” and I’m less worried about the portion I use.

    Not sure why it doesn’t blend well for your nose. I found it okay for me – but I usually use mineral makeup on top. You’re probably right about the perspiration affecting it. In fact, I found Creme de Jour a bit streaky for my forehead after a few hours.

  21. sesame says:

    Teri is probably only referring to those natural/organic formulations. Diorsnow not only contains 20% zinc oxide but some other chemical sunscreen ingredients if I remember correctly.

    I used to use the vit C product under John Master Organics and the color was okay but I finished it up within 6 months I think. I was prescribed another one with L-Ascorbic sometime ago and that one needed to be refrigerated.

  22. pf1123 says:

    I finished using my Eucerin White Solutions Extra Treament (finally!). I think 1 bottle has indeed made my skin tone more even. It has SPF and also not using Vitamin C, hence I can put it on in the morning. Then, I got the P&J one to try.

    The Vitamin C DIY serum is kind of troublesome to use. Just being lazy to fetch it from the fridge nightly. hehehe…

    Oh yeah, someone asked about acne markings in the comments above. I found that twice a week’s work with a peeling gel (like givera marvel gel, although I’m not using that) is great. Sometimes I just do a topical peeling. Gets rid of the top dead cells in a gentle manner which contribute to the dark acne marks.

  23. sesame says:

    Yeah, I got lazy with the DIY formulation too and so now using products instead.

  24. Joanna says:

    I don’t think the powdery texture of Creme De Soleil tinted version is due to the iron oxide, as i’ve tried Creme De Jour’s tinted version, it doesn’t have the same powdery texture.

    If MV reply to you, please to let me know:)

  25. sesame says:

    Oh the Creme de Jour tinted is powdery too? I had no idea. Then you’re right that there’s more than meet the eye than just the iron oxide. I still haven’t heard from them. Must be the hols. I’ll find sometime to send them another email next week.

  26. Teri says:

    I think a good way to avoid the powderiness and cakiness is to mix 50/50 of the tinted and non tinted versions together. Perhaps that will provide a more natural coverage.

    One other peeve is the packaging. I really really really hate the bottle….

  27. sesame says:

    I think they should use a dropper instead of leaving the opening as such since this is a natural product.

  28. Tamara says:

    Sun serum, will I tan if I use it?

    I’m brown so I tan easily…

    Thanks.
    Tamara

  29. sesame says:

    It has UVB protection but if you deliberately head out to the sun, then the protection would be compromised. You would need to reapply every 2 hours at least then.

  30. sharon says:

    Hi,
    I was wondering if you reviewed any daily wear body sunscreen. I go outdoors with my boys and am looking for a good protective screen that is easy to wear and doesnt bust my wallet. thanks, sharon

  31. sesame says:

    I don’t use one specifically for the body as those for my face double up for my hands. Let me check out and come back to you again.

  32. sesame says:

    Hi Sharon:

    I forgot to mention that when I go outdoors, I actually use a chemical sunscreen – La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL SPF50 for face and body. If you don’t mind a chemical sunscreen, that’s one I’ve tried and worked well.

    If you want something natural and to use for the children too, you may want to try this:

    http://bellygoods.com/item_4/Baby-Sweet-Kisses-SunnFun-Organic-Baby-Sunscreen-SPF-30-with-Antioxidants-Marshmallow-and-Chocolate-3.5oz.htm

    I’ve tried the other version costing S$68 and actually quite like it. The baby version cost S$34.

    But do note that the LRP chemical one will offer better protection against the hot sun because it has lots of sun protection ingredients.

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