Banana Boat Sheer Sensitive Face Lotion, SPF 50
69/100 overall score
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About this sunscreen
Banana Boat Sheer Sensitive Face Lotion is an SPF 50 chemical sunscreen built on older-generation organic filters including avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, and octocrylene. It has a balanced finish, stays lightweight, and shows low white cast, though it may sting somewhat on sensitive skin and the low breakout risk makes it generally acne-friendly. With good protection and a score of 68.8/100, it is a reasonable everyday face option that is held back by its dated filter mix.
Ingredient & SPF scores
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UV protection
Good
61
- +30 Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane at #1, UV filter (UVA1 +16)
- +12 Homosalate at #2, UV filter
- +8 Ethylhexyl Salicylate at #3, UV filter
- +15.2 Octocrylene at #4, UV filter
- Γ0.9 Limited long-UVA1 coverage
- +2 Label claims (SPF 50)
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Health safety
Medium
46
- +100 Starting score
- β40 Homosalate at #2 (regulatory/evidence concern)
- β10.5 Octocrylene at #4, stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
- β3.5 Avobenzone at #1, stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
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Allergens
Low
97
- +100 Starting score
- β3 Photoallergen-tail UV filters (Octocrylene)
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Eye sting
Medium
43
- +100 Starting score
- β24 Avobenzone at #1, migrates into eyes with sweat
- β15 Octocrylene at #4, migrates into eyes with sweat
- β9 Homosalate at #2, migrates into eyes with sweat
- β9 Octisalate at #3, migrates into eyes with sweat
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Fungal acne
Low
82
- +100 Starting score
- β18 2 long-chain (C12+) esters that feed Malassezia (Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate)
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Fabric stains
High
25
- +100 Starting score
- β50 Avobenzone at #1, reacts with iron in wash water into rust-yellow stains
- β15 Octocrylene at #4, co-stains alongside avobenzone
- β10 Avobenzone + Octocrylene, the classic staining pair
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Moisture
Hydrating
LightNourishing
- β 3 1 sebum-absorbing powders (Silica)
- β 10 Glycerin at #6, the anchor humectant
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Makeup base
Okay
PillsPrimer
- β 3 Primer-style base, volatile silicones and dimethicone slip
- β 3 1 soft-focus powders in moderation
- β 4 Gel polymers prone to pilling under friction (Sodium Polyacrylate)
- β 1.5 Humectant syrup tackiness (partly offset by the base)
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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 (18)
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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Legacy UV filter (Avobenzone), high in the list, a primary filter
- β 30 UV protection, incl. long-UVA (UVA1)
- β 3.5 stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
- β 24 migrates into eyes with sweat
- β 50 reacts with iron in wash water into rust-yellow stains
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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 (Octisalate), high in the list, a primary filter
- β 8 UV protection
- β 9 migrates into eyes with sweat
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Legacy UV filter (Octocrylene)
- β 15.2 UV protection
- β 10.5 stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
- β 15 migrates into eyes with sweat
- β 15 co-stains alongside avobenzone
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5 Water
Solvent base, the water phase
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6 Glycerin
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
- 10 β nourishing the anchor humectant
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Emollient, softens and smooths skin
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8 Silica
Mattifying powder, absorbs oil and blurs the finish
- light β 3 sebum-absorbing powder
- matte β 3 sebum-absorbing powder
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Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
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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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Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
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Chelator, binds stray metal ions to keep the formula stable
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Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- β 9 feeds malassezia
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Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- β 9 feeds malassezia
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Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
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Soothing, skin-conditioning active
Does Banana Boat Sheer Sensitive Face Lotion leave a white cast?
No, it shows low white cast. As a chemical sunscreen with a balanced finish, it tends to disappear into the skin rather than leaving a visible film.
Is the Banana Boat Sheer Sensitive Face Lotion, SPF 50 good for oily or acne-prone skin?
It can suit oily and acne-prone skin reasonably well. The finish is balanced and the breakout risk is low, so it is generally non-pore-clogging, though balanced is less shine-controlling than a fully matte formula.
Is this sunscreen mineral or chemical?
It is a chemical sunscreen. It uses organic filters including avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, and octocrylene, with no mineral zinc or titanium.