Banana Boat Dry Balance Spf 50+ Pa++++
65/100 overall score
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About this sunscreen
Banana Boat Dry Balance is an SPF 50+ PA++++ sunscreen on an older-school chemical filter blend of Homosalate, Octocrylene, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, and Avobenzone. As the name suggests it has a matte finish, stays lightweight, and shows low white cast, and it works well as a makeup base. It is low on breakout triggers but the filters can sometimes sting. Protection is rated good and the score is 64.8/100, a practical matte high SPF for oily skin types.
Ingredient & SPF scores
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UV protection
Good
62
- +12 Homosalate at #2, UV filter
- +16 Octocrylene at #3, UV filter
- +7.6 Ethylhexyl Salicylate at #4, UV filter
- +28.5 Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane at #5, UV filter (UVA1 +15.2)
- Γ0.9 Limited long-UVA1 coverage
- +4 Label claims (SPF 50, PA rating)
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Health safety
Medium
36
- +100 Starting score
- β40 Homosalate at #2 (regulatory/evidence concern)
- β10.5 Octocrylene at #3, stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
- β3.5 Avobenzone at #5, stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
- β10 Propylparaben at #21, endocrine-scrutinized preservative
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Allergens
Low
67
- +100 Starting score
- β18 Fragrance
- β1 1 declared fragrance allergens
- β11 Opaque "Fragrance", hidden allergens that can't be checked from the label
- β3 Photoallergen-tail UV filters (Octocrylene)
π₯
Eye sting
Medium
37
- +100 Starting score
- β16 Avobenzone at #5, migrates into eyes with sweat
- β22 Octocrylene at #3, migrates into eyes with sweat
- β9 Homosalate at #2, migrates into eyes with sweat
- β6 Octisalate at #4, migrates into eyes with sweat
- β8 Fragrance
- β2 1 declared fragrance allergens
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Fungal acne
Low
91
- +100 Starting score
- β9 1 long-chain (C12+) esters that feed Malassezia (Ceteth-10 Phosphate)
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Fabric stains
High
30
- +100 Starting score
- β45 Avobenzone at #5, reacts with iron in wash water into rust-yellow stains
- β15 Octocrylene at #3, co-stains alongside avobenzone
- β10 Avobenzone + Octocrylene, the classic staining pair
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Moisture
Balanced
LightNourishing
- β 9.5 3 sebum-absorbing powders (Silica, Tapioca Starch, Polymethylsilsesquioxane)
- β 4 Glycerin at #9, the anchor humectant
- β 1 1 strong humectants (Panthenol)
- β 0.5 1 fatty-alcohol emollients (Cetearyl Alcohol)
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Finish
Matte
MatteDewy
- β 10 3 sebum-absorbing powders (Silica, Tapioca Starch, Polymethylsilsesquioxane)
- β 2 1 dry-touch emollients reduce greasy shine (Diisopropyl Adipate)
π
Makeup base
Good
PillsPrimer
- β 6 2 soft-focus powders in moderation
- β 2 Dry-touch esters, smooth fast-absorbing base
- β 0.5 Gel polymers prone to pilling under friction (Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer)
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Water resistance
Not resistant
Non-water-resistantWater-resistant
- +7 1 film-forming polymers that lock the formula on for water resistance
Full ingredient list (29)
What each ingredient does and how it moves each rating: green helps, red hurts, β / β give the direction, and β / β shift a slider toward its ends (finish, moisture, makeup base). Auto-derived from our scoring rules and the ingredient's position.
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1 Water
Solvent base, the water phase
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Legacy UV filter (Homosalate), high in the list, a primary filter
- β 12 UV protection
- β 9 migrates into eyes with sweat
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Legacy UV filter (Octocrylene), high in the list, a primary filter
- β 16 UV protection
- β 10.5 stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
- β 22 migrates into eyes with sweat
- β 15 co-stains alongside avobenzone
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Legacy UV filter (Octisalate)
- β 7.6 UV protection
- β 6 migrates into eyes with sweat
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Legacy UV filter (Avobenzone)
- β 28.5 UV protection, incl. long-UVA (UVA1)
- β 3.5 stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
- β 16 migrates into eyes with sweat
- β 45 reacts with iron in wash water into rust-yellow stains
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Emollient, softens and smooths skin
- matte β 2 dry-touch emollient, anti-shine
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7 Silica
Mattifying powder, absorbs oil and blurs the finish
- light β 5 sebum-absorbing powder
- matte β 6 sebum-absorbing powder
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Fatty alcohol, an emollient and thickener, not the drying kind
- 0.5 β nourishing fatty-alcohol emollient
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9 Glycerin
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
- 4 β nourishing the anchor humectant
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Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
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Mattifying powder, absorbs oil and blurs the finish
- light β 3 sebum-absorbing powder
- matte β 3 sebum-absorbing powder
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Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
- β 7 film former
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Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
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Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
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Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- β 9 feeds malassezia
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Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
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Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
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Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
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19 Fragrance
Fragrance
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20 Xanthan Gum
Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
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Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
- β 10 endocrine-scrutinized preservative
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pH adjuster
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Chelator, binds stray metal ions to keep the formula stable
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Mattifying powder, absorbs oil and blurs the finish
- light β 1.5 sebum-absorbing powder
- matte β 1 sebum-absorbing powder
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Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
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Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
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27 Panthenol
Soothing, skin-conditioning active
- 1 β nourishing humectant
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Soothing, skin-conditioning active
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29 Limonene
Fragrance component, a declared allergen
Is Banana Boat Dry Balance good for oily skin?
Yes, it has a matte finish, stays lightweight, and is low on pore-clogging triggers, so it generally suits oily and combination skin. It also works well as a makeup base.
What SPF is the Banana Boat Dry Balance Spf 50+ Pa++++?
It is SPF 50+ PA++++, high SPF with high UVA protection. Protection is rated good with a score of 64.8/100.
Is it mineral or chemical?
It is a chemical sunscreen using older-school filters Homosalate, Octocrylene, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, and Avobenzone, with no mineral filters.