Dr. Dennis Gross Dark Spot Sun Defense SPF 50

I really wanted to love this product. Vitamin C, sunscreen, hydrating ... and by Dennis Gross, sign me up! Unfortunately this didn't really work for me.

Late 40's with fair skin, on the drier side, but not at all sensitive ... I can't recall ever having a 'reaction' to any product, even harsh ones.

This product has a nice smooth texture. As Marta mentioned, it does require a bit more massaging than a regular moisturizer, but I was prepared ... and make up went on smoothly over this lotion.

My first observation was that this really isn't hydrating enough (for me) to skip a moisturizer and I was really hoping this would help streamline the morning. My next observation was a patch of bumps on my cheek ... not red or inflamed, didn't seem like acne, just bumps. I stopped using this product and they went away.

A few months later I gave this a second try while on vacation in a sunny location. This time I used it alone, no make up, serums or creams. AND, bumpy patch in the same place. This time the patch was a bit red and itchy. Again, I stopped using it and the bumps went away.

I am a big fan of Dr. Dennis Gross products and have used many others without issue. It bears repeating that I do not have sensitive skin ... so why the patch of bumps???

I'm always trying out mineral sunscreens, hoping to find something to replace my typical chemical one that I use daily. So far I'm pretty much batting zero, but I think that this one might just be the one, finally!

Granted, it's not perfect. I do find it a tad drying, which is too bad because my usual chemical sunscreen is moisturizing enough so that I can skip the face cream in the morning, so I'm a little bummed that I add that step back into my regimen. Like most (well, probably all) mineral sunscreens the finish is a bit sticky but dull. I just want it to feel like a regular cream or moisturizer, but I realize that due to the nature of a mineral sunscreen's ingredients that's asking a lot. The moisturizing ingredients in the sunscreen don't seem to do enough to fix these issues.

So while those are all nit picks, the main reason why I'll keep using this (apart from the absence of the usual sunscreen chemicals) is that the white cast is almost non-existent, and for me that is a BIG DEAL. My skin is naturally tan (my father is a dark-skinned hispanic, my mom is white), and so far this is the ONLY mineral sunscreen that comes close to working with my skin tone. Yes, I have to massage it in for a couple of minutes, but that does the trick, and I can leave the house without feeling self-conscious about my face! I am so pleased by this that I don't even care if this actually reduces dark spots. I can only hope that mineral sunscreen formulations continue to improve. Until they do, this will be my go-to.

I am now wondering whether the serum or moisturizer we layer a sunscreen over makes a difference to whether the cast will be tolerable and/or fade. I am testing a new sunscreen by a different brand and when I tried it on Saturday (over the DDG Medi-Spa serum) it was vividly white and unwearable. I almost abandoned my test altogether, but then this morning tried it again on top of MitoQ and it was totally fine: a teensy bit lighter than m y normal skin tone and invisible under makeup.

I don't have a porcelain complexion by any stretch of the imagination. Ruddy would be an accurate description. I find this sunscreen very wearable, the cast goes away with gentle rubbing in and a five minute wait. Works well with all moisturizers, including the reformulated I Pekar that I am wearing today. FYI, the Dr Dennis Gross Sun Spray is completely sheer.

I was really excited to try this sunscreen but it was obvious I was wearing sunscreen even with the smallest amount - the telltale white sheen was pretty obvious and it pilled with both my moisturisers even in far too small quantities for it to effectively screen the sun. I'm not keen on how it sits on top of my skin either so it's an all round no-go for me. Maybe people with dry porcelain-toned skin might do okay with it, but it's sadly not for me. Not really sure what to do with the bottle - I may use it on my fairer skinned little one when we're away but I can't use it.

This is a nice sunscreen product, that I think is better on drier skin types than my oily/normal. Initially it left a white cast, like most physical sunscreens, but seemed to go away after a while. It played well with my foundation and concealer, but it left a tacky feeling on my face that I didn't like.