skincare reviews
28 February 2023
Sunscreen fans can rejoice. Cult favourite Australian sunscreen brand, Ultra Violette, is now available in Singapore at Sephora! While the need to wear sunscreen to protect our skin from UV damage is well understood by many; the struggle to find a sunscreen that offers both adequate broad spectrum protection and a texture that suits one’s skin type is real. Some sunscreens can feel tacky, sticky or even worse- cause comedones. And if wearing sunscreens feels uncomfortable or acne inducing, very likely, the user will be using the sunscreen sparingly, if at all, resulting in adequate UV protection.
I’ve shared my sunscreen reviews- recommendations and duds- before on the blog. However, the search for even better sunscreens still continues. And in today’s review I’ll be reviewing the sunscreen that’s been said to be Australia’s best face sunscreen: Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF 50+.
The best seller and cult favourite of the Ultra Violette range is Queen Screen SPF 50+. According to Ultra Violette, Queen Screen SPF 50+ gives a luminous finish and is suited for users with normal to dry skin.
Like all the other product in Ultra Violette range, Queen Screen contains Kakadu plum and dragosine plus. Kakadu plum is a fruit native to Australia. According to the brand, Kakadu plum contains more than 50x vitamin C than an orange. Dragosine plus is said to provide protection against blue light, visible light and infrared light from electronic devices. We’ll take a closer look at these claims below.
Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF 50+ sunscreen coverage
• UVB: SPF 50+
• UVA: Not stated; but the sunscreen filters in the ingredient list do provide protection against UVA rays.
Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF 50+ sunscreen filters
• Physical filters: Titanium Dioxide
• Chemical filters: Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate (Octinoxate or Uvinul MC80 ), Ethylhexyl Salicylate (Octyl salicylate), Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine (Bemotrizinol or Tinosorb S), Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol (Bisoctrizole or Tinosorb M)
Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF 50+: Notable ingredients or features
• Kakadu plum: Also known as Terminalia Ferdinandiana, Kakadu plum is rich in antioxidants such as ellagic acid and ascorbic acid (vitamin C)1. The antioxidant, antibacterial and antibacterial benefits of Kakadu plum extracts have been limited mostly to in-vitro and animal studies2.
One small study on Kakadu plum extracts used in skincare showed that 26 subjects that used 1% Kakadu plum extract twice daily showed significant improvement in visual assessments of skin hydration, firmness, tone and radiance as compared to subjects that used placebo over a period of 8 weeks3.
I could not locate any published studies about Kakadu plum in dermatology in the literature as of this time of writing this blogpost. Larger, better quality trials in human studies for Kakadu plum extracts are needed to ascertain the effects of topically applied Kakadu plum extracts in dermatology.
• Dragosine plus: Also known as Carnosine, dragosine plus is a peptide that is naturally present in our muscles and brain. As I’ve shared in Why are Peptide Skincare Products so Expensive? , peptides in skincare may have some collagen and elastin building effects in the skin to reverse early signs of ageing.
In vitro studies have shown that carnosine reduce free radical damage by direct and indirect pathways; and reduces protein damage to the sskin4. Carnosine for anti-wrinkle benefits in skincare remain unclear; as in vitro studies are also lacking.
Specific to Ultra Violette’s claims on Dragosine plus or carnosine providing protection against blue, visible and infrared light; this has not been established as of yet. Dragosine plus or carnosine is not a filter for blue, visible or infrared light and is unable to block these wavelengths the way sunscreen filters work for UV light. However, it is plausible that dragosine plus provides some antioxidant protection against free radicals generated by these lights.
• Silicones: Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Cetyl Dimethicone
• Parfum
The good about Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF 50+
With so many good reviews of Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF 50+, I was naturally excited to try it out. First impressions, sleek azure blue bottle with a pastel orange dropper; very sleek and cute looking.
When dispensed from the bottle; Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF 50+ has a very pleasant rose scent that makes for a luxurious experience. Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF 50+ has a milky lotion gel that spreads easily over my skin. I did not need to blend much for it sink into my skin. The dewy look that everyone raves about Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF 50+? That’s for real, and not greasy at all. Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF 50+ also gives a pearlescent sheen that makes my skin look from within; due to the ultra fine mica particles in Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF 50+.
I really loved the dewy glow on my skin; and I found that it could last me 4-5 hours. Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF 50+ definitely doubles as a makeup base if you are going for a no-makeup glow look. There was no white cast on its own and it did not interfere with my makeup bases.
A full load of the dropper yields less than one finger length of sunscreen. To get enough sunscreen for my skin i.e. 2 finger lengths, I needed three full dropper’s worth of Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF 50+.
When used it on its own, Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF 50+ felt moisturising, like a hybrid moisturiser sunscreen. It feels lightweight on my skin; although I have used other sunscreens that feel even lighter. There was no piling; it was not comedogenic on my skin.
The bad about Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF 50+
What is unclear about Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF 50+’s protection is the amount of UVA protection. Even though the sunscreen filters used in Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF 50+ also provide UVA protection; the extent and amount of protection against UVA rays is not stated by the brand. Hoping that Ultra Violette can shed some light on this.
The clinical benefits of the two ingredients that Ultra Violette hypes about- Kakadu plum extracts and dragosine plus- are still not well established. When it comes to some other sunscreens that contain active ingredients with better evidence; Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF 50+ falls short in this aspect.
Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF 50+ is light weight and dries quickly; however it leaves a residual stickiness that persists for a few hours. This causes my hair to stick to my face whenever my hair comes into contact with Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF 50+. No other issues with Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF 50+ in this review.
7/10. I’m very likely to repurchase this. Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF 50+ has protection against UVB and UVA rays; but the extent of UVA protection is unclear. I like the dewy finish; and the moisturising effect on my skin. Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF 50+ is better for dry and normal skin types; oily or acne skin may find it occlusive.
I like this sunscreen. It’s a nice everyday sunscreen if you want a dewy, glowy radiance without a makeup base. For more sunscreen related blogposts, please visit:
How to Prevent Sunscreen from Piling
Can Asian Sunscreens Be Trusted? The Purito Controversy Explained
Sunscreen Controversies, Trends & FAQs
References
1. Organic acids in Kakadu plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana): The good (ellagic), the bad (oxalic) and the uncertain (ascorbic). Williams et al. Food Res Int. 2016 Nov;89 (Pt 1):237-244.
2. The development of Terminalia chebula Retz. (Combretaceae) in clinical research. Bag et al. Asian Pac J Trop Biomed. 2013 Mar; 3(3): 244–252.
3. Standardized Terminalia chebula Fruit Extract: A Natural Ingredient That Provides Long-Lasting Antioxidant Protection and Reverses Visible Signs of Pollution-Induced Skin Damage. Randhawa et al. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2021; 14: 1257–1269.
4. The cosmetic treatment of wrinkles. Rona and Beradesca. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2004 Jan;3(1):26-34.
