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If you’re not the owner of an EltaMD sunscreen — five of which sell every minute — then you’ve at least already seen it in the hands of your favorite celebrities, given the fact that everyone from Hailey Bieber and Drew Barrymore to Kendall Jenner and Sydney Sweeney have turned to EltaMD’s hero formulas like UV Clear and UV Daily in the past. Now, the circa-2007 brand (which really originated in 1800s rural Switzerland with a healing ointment, explaining EltaMD’s health-oriented ethos today) has released its most innovative product to date: the UV Clear Blemish-Prone & Oil Balancing Face Sunscreen, which is not only acne-safe but works to visibly minimize blemishes, pore size, and skin’s oil production.
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Sunscreens that don’t break you out are nothing new, and EltaMD’s own top-of-the-line UV Clear bestseller is joined by other brands’ non-comedogenic, lightweight, and sensitive skin–friendly innovations in this category. But sun creams that actually correct versus just prevent or calm acne? These have been practically unheard-of until now, meaning EltaMD, the #1 dermatologist-recommended sunscreen company, has just produced a breakthrough.
The UV Clear Blemish-Prone & Oil Balancing Face Sunscreen hasn’t been endorsed by A-listers quite yet, as it was made available in a B2B capacity only on March 13 — National Dermatologist Day, fittingly, which was established by EltaMD a few years ago — and appeared on shelves exactly a month later. But the EltaMD team has always chased results, not celebrity placements. “We aim to make this product the gold standard when it comes to sunscreen for acne-prone skin, and that of course starts in the dermatologist’s office,” Echo Sandburg, chief brand officer at Colgate-Palmolive’s Skin Health Group, which acquired EltaMD in 2017, tells WWD. “Our Derm Advisory Board was blown away with the results our clinicals achieved with sunscreen alone, and when dermatologists are genuinely excited about a formula, that credibility drives long-term adoption in a way no campaign can replicate.”
In other words, the results speak for themselves. In 12 weeks of clinical testing, during which acne-prone subjects between the ages of 18 and 45 had to apply the new sunscreen daily (15 minutes before sun exposure and every two hours if consistently under the sun), quantitative changes, as measured by tools like a sebumeter, were witnessed across the board. Specifically, blemishes were visibly reduced by 65 percent, oil and shine had a 61-percent decline, and pore size was brought down by 25 percent. Other dependent variables that saw similar improvements included radiance and the presence of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Subjects were asked to refrain from modifying their preexisting skin care routines in any way while taking part in the trial.
What was responsible for these effects? Proprietary technology consisting of a carefully calibrated blend of antioxidants, which boast anti-aging properties and grant protection against common environmental pollutants; zinc oxide (an anti-inflammatory UV blocker that’s been the through line connecting EltaMD’s entire portfolio); and niacinamide, an ingredient beloved in the skin care industry for its ability to balance oil production, improve skin tone, and assuage redness.
Finding a Goldilocks sweet spot between these components while ensuring the UV Clear Blemish-Prone & Oil Balancing Broad Spectrum SPF 50 didn’t have a white cast, was easy to blend, layered well over makeup, and never gave off a greasy sensation took multiple years of intensive efforts by EltaMD’s team of experts: among which are Devon Cocuzza, Colgate-Palmolive’s senior principal scientist, and Dr. Annie Woo, senior director of professional affairs at CP Skin Health Group.
When I visited Colgate-Palmolive’s R&D headquarters in New Jersey ahead of the launch, I was stunned by the sheer trial and error that went into perfecting every last detail of that 1.7-ounce bottle. Everything, right down to the chemical composition of the zinc oxide, was a consideration, and the team refused to unveil the sunscreen on the market until they achieved excellence.
After all, the health of people’s skin depended on it, and it’s a well-known fact that those struggling with acne have even higher expectations — and more deep-seated fears — surrounding sun-protecting topicals. Many are completely avoidant of sunscreens based on past experiences of flare-ups, congestion, and even burning upon application. “About 70 percent of patients with acne don’t wear sunscreen due to a variety of challenges, the most common of which is finding one that’s compatible,” Dr. Woo shares.
In comparison, an American Academy of Dermatology study found that half of U.S. adults turn to sunscreen regularly.
With its UV Clear Blemish-Prone & Oil Balancing rollout, EltaMD is seeking to paint sunscreen in a more positive light for those dealing with acne, all while playing into the overall enthusiasm for non-comedogenic, antioxidant-rich sunblock right now (one study, below, found that consumer demand for the former shot up by 169.4 percent between 2019 and 2024).
Another common concern with traditional sunscreen is that it’s often too drying, which could very well have been a possibility for EltaMD’s latest, given its anti-oil objectives. The scientists in charge were one step ahead of that issue, however: ”We tried to make it as light as possible without being occlusive. A lot of formulations for acne may be using more mattifying and stripping technologies, which we opted not to put in there in favor of a gentler approach. The actives [we used instead] reduce oiliness without tipping things over into ‘drying’ territory,” Cocuzza explains.
When I conducted my own testing of the EltaMD UV Clear Blemish-Prone & Oil Balancing Face Sunscreen, I confirmed that it does, indeed, absorb almost instantly after coming into contact with your skin, treats your face to silky smoothness, has a completely transparent finish, and doesn’t leave heaviness or greasiness in its wake. The week I was using it (almost) daily, I had some hormone-related breakouts on my chin and right below my ears; these decreased, both size-wise and redness-wise, after the week was over. Though there might’ve been some confounding variables in my one-woman study (I was traveling and so modified my skin rituals on the whole), I never felt like the sunscreen was clogging up my skin or irritating the pimples in any way.
EltaMD UV Clear Blemish-Prone & Oil Balancing Face Sunscreen SPF 50
Price upon publish date of this article: $49
The EltaMD UV Clear Blemish-Prone & Oil Balancing SPF 50 arrival retails for $49. So far, EltaMD is only offering it in untinted form.
Tempted to keep shopping from the derm-trusted and beauty guru–approved brand? Here are five other viral EltaMD selections worth your time, especially as the days get sunnier and that UV index keeps climbing higher and higher.
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EltaMD UV Clear Face Sunscreen SPF 46
Price upon publish date of this article: $36
EltaMD UV Daily Tinted Face Sunscreen SPF 40
Price upon publish date of this article: $34
EltaMD UV Daily Face Suncreen SPF 40
Price upon publish date of this article: $32.80
EltaMD UV Daily Hydration+ Face Sunscreen SPF 50
Price upon publish date of this article: $36
EltaMD UV Skin Recovery Red Color Correcting Face Sunscreen SPF 50
Price upon publish date of this article: $41.60
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Meet the Author
Stacia Datskovska is a Senior Commerce Writer at WWD. Previously, she worked at ELLE DECOR as an assistant digital editor, covering all things luxury, culture, and lifestyle through a design lens. Her bylines over the past five years have appeared in USA Today, Baltimore Sun, Teen Vogue, Boston Globe, Food & Wine, and more. Prior to joining ELLE DECOR, Datskovska learned the ins and outs of e-commerce at Mashable, where she tested products, covered tentpole sales events, and curated gift guide roundups. She graduated from NYU with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and international relations. Datskovska regularly reports on new, industry-defining releases in skin care. She visited EltaMD’s research and development headquarters for a day to meet the team behind its newest sunscreen, experience the product firsthand, and learn about its benefits for acne-prone skin.