Nivea Q10 Vitamin C Day Cream Spf 15
67/100 overall score
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About this sunscreen
Nivea Q10 Vitamin C Day Cream is an SPF 15 moisturizer with built-in sun protection from older-generation chemical filters. The balanced finish stays lightweight with low white cast, though it may sting the eyes somewhat with sweat. It layers well under makeup and pore-clogging risk reads as low. The low SPF 15 means only moderate protection, so the 67/100 score fits a light daily moisturizer rather than dedicated sun defense.
Ingredient & SPF scores
☀️
UV protection
Moderate
48
- +8 Ethylhexyl Salicylate at #3, UV filter
- +24 Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane at #8, UV filter (UVA1 +12.8)
- +12.8 Octocrylene at #10, UV filter
- +8.4 Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid at #13, UV filter
- ×0.9 Limited long-UVA1 coverage
☢️
Health safety
High
67
- +100 Starting score
- −30 Octocrylene at #10 (regulatory/evidence concern)
- −3.5 Avobenzone at #8, stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
🤧
Allergens
Low
67
- +100 Starting score
- −18 Fragrance
- −2 2 declared fragrance allergens
- −10 Opaque "Fragrance", hidden allergens that can't be checked from the label
- −3 Photoallergen-tail UV filters (Octocrylene)
🔥
Eye sting
Medium
53
- +100 Starting score
- −8 Avobenzone at #8, migrates into eyes with sweat
- −7 Octocrylene at #10, migrates into eyes with sweat
- −9 Octisalate at #3, migrates into eyes with sweat
- −1 Ensulizole at #13, migrates into eyes with sweat
- −10 Volatile alcohol at #4
- −8 Fragrance
- −4 2 declared fragrance allergens
🪨
Heavy feel
Low
98
- +100 Starting score
- −5 Cetearyl Alcohol at #5, rich gel-network thickener
- +2 Volatile alcohol at #4, evaporating texture
- +0.8 Volatile silicone at #6, flashes off
🍄
Fungal acne
Low
76
- +100 Starting score
- −24 1 long-chain (C12+) esters that feed Malassezia (Glyceryl Stearate Citrate)
👕
Fabric stains
Medium
37
- +100 Starting score
- −38 Avobenzone at #8, reacts with iron in wash water into rust-yellow stains
- −15 Octocrylene at #10, co-stains alongside avobenzone
- −10 Avobenzone + Octocrylene, the classic staining pair
💧
Moisture
Balanced
LightNourishing
- ← 13 Volatile alcohol at #4
- ← 5 Volatile carriers flash off, leaving a dry finish
- → 16 Glycerin at #2, the anchor humectant
- → 1 1 fatty-alcohol emollients (Cetearyl Alcohol)
✨
Finish
Balanced
MatteDewy
- ← 4 Volatile carriers flash off, leaving a dry finish
- ← 3 Volatile alcohol at #4
- → 3 1 emollient lipids (C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate)
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Makeup base
Good
PillsPrimer
- → 5 Primer-style base, volatile silicones and dimethicone slip
- → 6 Quick-setting carrier (alcohol at #4), fast, even canvas
- → 1 Dry-touch esters, smooth fast-absorbing base
- ← 1 Gel polymers prone to pilling under friction (Carbomer, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer)
- ← 3.5 Humectant syrup tackiness (partly offset by the base)
🌊
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.
- ✨ Coenzyme Q10
Full ingredient list (28)
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
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2 Glycerin
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
- 16 → nourishing the anchor humectant
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Legacy UV filter (Octisalate), high in the list, a primary filter
- ↑ 8 UV protection
- ↑ 9 migrates into eyes with sweat
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Volatile alcohol, a drying solvent that can sting eyes
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Fatty alcohol, an emollient and thickener, not the drying kind
- ↑ 5 rich gel-network thickener
- 1 → nourishing fatty-alcohol emollient
-
Volatile silicone, flashes off for a light finish
- light ← 5 volatile carrier, flashes off
- matte ← 4 volatile carrier, flashes off
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Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- ↑ 24 feeds malassezia
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Legacy UV filter (Avobenzone), low in the list, likely a minor contributor
- ↑ 24 UV protection, incl. long-UVA (UVA1)
- ↓ 3.5 stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
- ↑ 8 migrates into eyes with sweat
- ↑ 38 reacts with iron in wash water into rust-yellow stains
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Humectant, pulls water into the skin
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10 Octocrylene
Legacy UV filter (Octocrylene), low in the list, likely a minor contributor
- ↑ 12.8 UV protection
- ↑ 7 migrates into eyes with sweat
- ↑ 15 co-stains alongside avobenzone
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Emollient, softens and smooths skin
- 3 → dewy emollient lipid
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Emollient, softens and smooths skin
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Legacy UV filter (Ensulizole), low in the list, likely a minor contributor
- ↑ 8.4 UV protection
- ↑ 1 migrates into eyes with sweat
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14 Ubiquinone
Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
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15 Creatine
Supporting ingredient
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
-
Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
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Botanical extract
-
19 Carbomer
Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
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Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
-
Chelator, binds stray metal ions to keep the formula stable
-
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
-
pH adjuster
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
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25 Linalool
Fragrance component, a declared allergen
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26 Limonene
Fragrance component, a declared allergen
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27 Fragrance
Fragrance
-
28 FD&C Red 40
Colorant or pigment
What SPF is Nivea Q10 Vitamin C Day Cream?
It is SPF 15, which gives only moderate protection. It is a moisturizer with light sun defense rather than a dedicated high-SPF sunscreen.
Is the Nivea Q10 Vitamin C Day Cream Spf 15 good for oily or acne-prone skin?
It may suit it. The balanced finish is lightweight and pore-clogging risk reads as low, though it may sting the eyes somewhat with sweat.
Is it a chemical or mineral sunscreen?
It is chemical, using older-generation UV filters. The overall score is 67/100, reflecting the modest SPF 15.