Boots SPF+ Vitamin C Moisturising Lotion SPF50
80/100 overall score
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About this sunscreen
Boots SPF+ Vitamin C Moisturising Lotion SPF50 is a hybrid moisturising lotion pairing octocrylene, avobenzone, and ethylhexyl salicylate with modern bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine. It has a dewy finish, stays lightweight, and is low on white cast, with low pore-clogging risk, though it may sting slightly near the eyes. Protection is rated excellent. At 79.8/100 it is a strong everyday choice for those who like a hydrated finish with a vitamin C moisturizer.
Ingredient & SPF scores
☀️
UV protection
Excellent
85
- +16 Octocrylene at #2, UV filter
- +28.5 Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane at #4, UV filter (UVA1 +15.2)
- +7.6 Ethylhexyl Salicylate at #5, UV filter
- +13.3 Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid at #7, UV filter
- +38.4 Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine at #8, UV filter (UVA1 +12.8)
- −15.3 UVB coverage saturated
- −5.5 UVA2 coverage saturated
- +2 Label claims (SPF 50)
☢️
Health safety
High
67
- +100 Starting score
- −30 Octocrylene at #2 (regulatory/evidence concern)
- −3.5 Avobenzone at #4, stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
🤧
Allergens
Low
97
- +100 Starting score
- −3 Photoallergen-tail UV filters (Octocrylene)
👻
White cast
Low
98
- +100 Starting score
- −2 Titanium Dioxide as pigment (CI 77891) at #23
🔥
Eye sting
Medium
52
- +100 Starting score
- −16 Avobenzone at #4, migrates into eyes with sweat
- −22 Octocrylene at #2, migrates into eyes with sweat
- −6 Octisalate at #5, migrates into eyes with sweat
- −4 Ensulizole at #7, migrates into eyes with sweat
🍄
Fungal acne
Low
91
- +100 Starting score
- −9 1 long-chain (C12+) esters that feed Malassezia (Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate)
👕
Fabric stains
High
30
- +100 Starting score
- −45 Avobenzone at #4, reacts with iron in wash water into rust-yellow stains
- −15 Octocrylene at #2, co-stains alongside avobenzone
- −10 Avobenzone + Octocrylene, the classic staining pair
💧
Moisture
Hydrating
LightNourishing
- ← 1.5 1 sebum-absorbing powders (Silica)
- → 10 Glycerin at #6, the anchor humectant
- → 0.5 1 fatty-alcohol emollients (Cetearyl Alcohol)
✨
Finish
Dewy
MatteDewy
- ← 1 1 sebum-absorbing powders (Silica)
- → 9 1 emollient lipids (C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate)
💄
Makeup base
Okay
PillsPrimer
- → 3 Dry-touch esters, smooth fast-absorbing base
- ← 0.5 Gel polymers prone to pilling under friction (Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer)
- ← 3 Humectant syrup tackiness
🌊
Water resistance
Not resistant
Non-water-resistantWater-resistant
Nothing flagged in the ingredient list.
How we rate water resistance →Skincare extras
Beneficial actives this formula contains. Informational only, not part of the rating: their effect depends on a concentration the label does not disclose.
- ✨ Vitamin E
Full ingredient list (23)
What each ingredient does and how it moves each rating: green helps, red hurts, ↑ / ↓ give the direction, and ← / → 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
-
Legacy UV filter (Octocrylene), high in the list, a primary filter
- ↑ 16 UV protection
- ↑ 22 migrates into eyes with sweat
- ↑ 15 co-stains alongside avobenzone
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
- 9 → dewy emollient lipid
-
Legacy UV filter (Avobenzone)
- ↑ 28.5 UV protection, incl. long-UVA (UVA1)
- ↓ 3.5 stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
- ↑ 16 migrates into eyes with sweat
- ↑ 45 reacts with iron in wash water into rust-yellow stains
-
Legacy UV filter (Octisalate)
- ↑ 7.6 UV protection
- ↑ 6 migrates into eyes with sweat
-
6 Glycerin
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
- 10 → nourishing the anchor humectant
-
Legacy UV filter (Ensulizole)
- ↑ 13.3 UV protection
- ↑ 4 migrates into eyes with sweat
-
Modern UV filter, broad-spectrum and photostable (Tinosorb S), low in the list, likely a minor contributor
- ↑ 38.4 UV protection, incl. long-UVA (UVA1)
-
Fatty alcohol, an emollient and thickener, not the drying kind
- 0.5 → nourishing fatty-alcohol emollient
-
pH adjuster
-
11 Propanediol
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
-
Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- ↑ 9 feeds malassezia
-
14 Silica
Mattifying powder, absorbs oil and blurs the finish
- light ← 1.5 sebum-absorbing powder
- matte ← 1 sebum-absorbing powder
-
Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
-
Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
-
Chelator, binds stray metal ions to keep the formula stable
-
Colorant or pigment
-
19 Xanthan Gum
Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
-
Chelator, binds stray metal ions to keep the formula stable
-
Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
-
22 Tin Oxide
Colorant or pigment
-
Colorant or pigment
Does Boots SPF+ Vitamin C Lotion leave a white cast?
No, white cast is generally low. It is a hybrid that wears with a dewy, lightweight finish.
Is the Boots SPF+ Vitamin C Moisturising Lotion SPF50 mineral or chemical?
It is a hybrid, pairing octocrylene, avobenzone, and ethylhexyl salicylate with the modern filter bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine.
Is Boots SPF+ Vitamin C Lotion any good?
It scores 79.8/100 with excellent protection. The dewy finish makes it a strong everyday choice with a vitamin C moisturizer built in.