Quick Summary:
Date Tested: 5/14/2024
In this Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 review, I test my first skin tint serum. Cool!
I admit, I don’t know what a skin tint serum is. It seems as it’s just a really light and tinted sunscreen. Its pretty pricey, so it must be good though right!? Anyways, the person who gave me the sample loves it so it’s probably a good product. Right? Right!?
The Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 is a mineral based formulation using the active ingredient of Zinc Oxide at 12.0% (this is a rather low concentration I might add).
However, the results from testing show the Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 did a really amazing job of blocking UVA by 99.01%, filtering UVB by 98.09%, and cutting down total UVI by 98.96%. For something I found to be really “liquidy,” and for a formula which contained such a low amount of active ingredient, I was very impressed!
Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 ingredients
Active ingredients: Zinc Oxide 12.0%
Inactive Ingredients: Aqua/Water/Eau, Squalane, Shea Butter Ethyl Esters, Isoamyl Laurate, Polyglyceryl-3 Ricinoleate, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Propanediol, Isopropyl Isostearate, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Methylpropanediol, Niacinamide, Sodium Chloride, Lecithin, Caprylyl Glycol, Silica, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Bisabolol, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Allantoin, Phenylpropanol, Sodium Myristoyl Glutamate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Aluminum Hydroxide, Polyhydroxystearic Acid. May Contain/Peut Contenir (±): CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 (Iron Oxides), CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide)
Manufacturers Website: www.iliabeauty.com
Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 characteristics at a glance:
- Made without gluten ingredients
- Won a bunch of awards (from their website)
- Viscosity is very low.
Prepared slide BEFORE testing
The Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 has a very low viscosity. Because of this, it distributes unevenly and thinly. This however, did not seem to affect the results as it blocked quite a bit of UV!
Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 UV blocking test results
Ultraviolet light quick reference:
UVA: The Ultraviolet wavelength from 315nm – 400nm. The “Aging UV light” – Causes wrinkles.
UVB: The Ultraviolet wavelength from 280nm – 315nm. The “Bad UV light” – Causes skin cancer.
UVI: The global sun UV index. The more a sunscreen can reduce the level of UVI, the better.
UV test results:
Ultraviolet sensor readings:
| Before Sunscreen | After Sunscreen | % UV Blocked | |
| TEMP | 77.5 | 78.6 | |
| UVA | 44441 | 440.5 | 99.01% |
| UVB | 2201.5 | 42 | 98.09% |
| UVI | 26.1 | 0.27 | 98.96% |
Want to know more about how I test sunscreen? Head here to read about the details.
Testing notes:
Mineral based with low concentration of active ingredient and “liquidy.” These things combined normally do NOT translate into strong UV protection, however Ilia seems to have figured out how to do it. I’m very impressed with this formulation, and I think the high price reflects a high quality product. Good job Ilia!
Recommended for its exceptional UV protection!
Want to try the Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40?
Very strong UV protection. Recommended
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