Cien Med Sensitive Face Cream
49/100 overall score
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About this sunscreen
Cien Med Sensitive Face Cream is a chemical moisturizer with sun protection from just two older filters, Octocrylene and Avobenzone. It wears lightweight with a dewy finish, keeps white cast low and does not sting, and is generally low in pore-clogging risk. With only two filters its protection is rated weak, which caps the overall score at 49/100, so treat it as light daily cover rather than dedicated sunscreen.
Ingredient & SPF scores
☀️
UV protection
Weak
20
- +15.2 Octocrylene at #6, UV filter
- +18 Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane at #18, UV filter (UVA1 +9.6)
- ×0.6 Almost no UVA1, poor aging protection
☢️
Health safety
High
67
- +100 Starting score
- −30 Octocrylene at #6 (regulatory/evidence concern)
- −3.5 Avobenzone at #18, stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
🤧
Allergens
Low
67
- +100 Starting score
- −18 Fragrance
- −12 Opaque "Fragrance", hidden allergens that can't be checked from the label
- −3 Photoallergen-tail UV filters (Octocrylene)
🔥
Eye sting
Low
74
- +100 Starting score
- −3 Avobenzone at #18, migrates into eyes with sweat
- −15 Octocrylene at #6, migrates into eyes with sweat
- −8 Fragrance
🪨
Heavy feel
Low
89
- +100 Starting score
- −5 Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter at #11, butter/occlusive fat
- −6 Ricinus Communis Seed Oil at #7, heavy oil
🔴
Comedogenic
Low
75
- +100 Starting score
- −17 Isopropyl Palmitate at #5, heavy comedogenic ester
- −7 Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter at #11, comedogenic oil/butter
- −1 Palmitic Acid at #26, moderate comedogenic signal
🍄
Fungal acne
High
1
- +100 Starting score
- −38 2 oils/butters that feed Malassezia (Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil)
- −47 3 long-chain (C12+) esters that feed Malassezia (Isopropyl Palmitate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Sucrose Stearate)
- −4 2 ubiquitous fatty ingredients (Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid), weak Malassezia signal
- −10 2 different Malassezia-feeding families high in the list
👕
Fabric stains
Medium
47
- +100 Starting score
- −28 Avobenzone at #18, reacts with iron in wash water into rust-yellow stains
- −15 Octocrylene at #6, co-stains alongside avobenzone
- −10 Avobenzone + Octocrylene, the classic staining pair
💧
Moisture
Nourishing
LightNourishing
- → 16 Glycerin at #2, the anchor humectant
- → 2 Sodium Hyaluronate at #27, hyaluronic family
- → 1 1 strong humectants (Panthenol)
- → 2 1 emollient lipids (Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter)
- → 0.5 1 fatty-alcohol emollients (Cetearyl Alcohol)
✨
Finish
Dewy
MatteDewy
- ← 1 1 dry-touch emollients reduce greasy shine (Dicaprylyl Ether)
- → 3 1 emollient lipids (Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter)
- → 4 1 slippy emollient esters (Isopropyl Palmitate)
- → 5 Occlusives seal moisture in (Ricinus Communis Seed Oil)
💄
Makeup base
Okay
PillsPrimer
- ← 8 Occlusives/waxes float the foundation
- ← 7 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.
- ✨ Aloe vera
- ✨ Vitamin E
Full ingredient list (32)
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
-
2 Glycerin
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
- 16 → nourishing the anchor humectant
-
Soothing, skin-conditioning active
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
- ↑ 17 heavy comedogenic ester
- 4 → dewy slippy emollient ester
- ↑ 24 feeds malassezia
-
Legacy UV filter (Octocrylene)
- ↑ 15.2 UV protection
- ↑ 15 migrates into eyes with sweat
- ↑ 15 co-stains alongside avobenzone
-
Botanical extract
- ↑ 6 heavy oil
- 5 → dewy occlusive
- ↑ 24 feeds malassezia
-
Fatty alcohol, an emollient and thickener, not the drying kind
- 0.5 → nourishing fatty-alcohol emollient
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
- matte ← 1 dry-touch emollient, anti-shine
-
Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- ↑ 14 feeds malassezia
-
Botanical extract
- ↑ 5 butter/occlusive fat
- ↑ 7 comedogenic oil/butter
- 2 → nourishing emollient lipid
- 3 → dewy emollient lipid
- ↑ 14 feeds malassezia
-
Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
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Emollient, softens and smooths skin
- ↑ 9 feeds malassezia
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15 Xanthan Gum
Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
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16 Dimethicone
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
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17 Panthenol
Soothing, skin-conditioning active
- 1 → nourishing humectant
-
Legacy UV filter (Avobenzone), low in the list, likely a minor contributor
- ↑ 18 UV protection, incl. long-UVA (UVA1)
- ↓ 3.5 stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
- ↑ 3 migrates into eyes with sweat
- ↑ 28 reacts with iron in wash water into rust-yellow stains
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
-
20 Fragrance
Fragrance
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
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23 Allantoin
Soothing, skin-conditioning active
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24 Benzoic Acid
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
- ↑ 1 moderate comedogenic signal
- ↑ 2 minor malassezia feeder
-
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
- 2 → nourishing hyaluronic family
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28 Stearic Acid
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
- ↑ 2 minor malassezia feeder
-
pH adjuster
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
-
31 Citric Acid
pH adjuster
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
Is Cien Med Sensitive Face Cream mineral or chemical?
It is chemical, using just two older filters, Octocrylene and Avobenzone.
Does the Cien Med Sensitive Face Cream leave a white cast?
No, white cast is rated low. It wears lightweight with a dewy finish and does not sting.
Is it a good sunscreen?
It is a moisturizer with light sun protection rather than a dedicated sunscreen. With only two filters its protection is rated weak, which caps the score at 49/100, so treat it as daily cover rather than main sun defense.