Here’s another Aviderm review. Honestly, for a local brand (developed locally, manufactured in Europe), Aviderm is pretty decent. This is one of my favorites, because it actually works and the packaging is quite sleek. Take a look:
Don’t bother about the long title and product name. It’s a facial sunscreen, period. But oh, what an amazing sunscreen. I had my favorites some time ago (check out my old staple, Neutrogena, here) but eventually felt that it was too heavy for my skin. Most sunblocks I’ve tried are not bad at all but I just had this uncomfortable additional layer. I’ll break it down to you: moisturizer –> sunscreen –> primer (depends) –> foundation –> setting powder.
“Duh, Dom, just use a moisturizer with an inbuilt sunblock. Or just rely on the sunblock in your foundation”.
Thing is, I generally prefer to separate my skincare. There are a few Interweb articles out there that explain why it’s better to have a separate sunblock, and not just rely on the 2-in-1 products.
The Aviderm sunscreen spreads on evenly and absorbs quickly, without leaving that extra layer feeling on my skin. This is very important to me. It’s not a concealer but it does a good job of even-ing out the skintone. It is pink-based, but I don’t find it counteracting my yellow skintone too much. This sunscreen uses titanium dioxide and zinc oxide as physical blockers, which are highly stable under UV light, and thus protects the skin effectively against UV rays.
The downside? Titanium dioxide leaves a white cast on my face. Usually not an issue in real life, but beware of flash photography. Also, titanium dioxide doesn’t contain as much broad spectrum protection as zinc oxide, but since I spend most of my days indoors, this one (along with its SPF30 count) is sufficient. After all, there is zinc oxide in Aviderm’s sunscreen, so I’m getting both UVA and UVB-ray protection.
So what’s the deal with olives and walnut seeds? Well, they’re both carrier oils (the olives and walnut seed you see in the ingredients list are oil extracts), which help provide antioxidant protection. Hydantoin is a preservative.
The sunscreen comes in a pump bottle which can be fiddly at times – I think my particular bottle is not pressurized properly so I had to pump it a few times to get the cream out. It’s not too much of a bother for me though.
Another good thing about Aviderm’s sunscreen is that it helps repair the skin with Vitamin E and C. I also noticed that it helped control sebum production superficially – it has a drier texture compared to most sunscreens I use, which is great for oilier skins.
That said, the best part about this product is how it absorbs almost immediately and leaves no ‘extra layer’ feeling. Really. It’s expensive at RM138.00 but one pump is sufficient for my face (and maybe 1.5 pumps for face and neck) but I would rather pay for a product that works for my skin and leaves it comfortable.
I buy my Aviderm products (per my aesthetician’s advice) from Zense Face and Body Treatment. They have two locations, one in Old Klang Road, and one in Damansara Perdana. I go to the DP one:
LG 08, PJU 8/3A, Plaza Emerald, Damansara Perdana, 47800 PJ. Tel: 03-77133633.
belle de moiselle 