No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Fragrance Free Day Cream SPF 30
66/100 overall score
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About this sunscreen
No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Fragrance Free Day Cream SPF 30 is a fragrance-free chemical day cream from Boots, built on older-generation filters including avobenzone, ethylhexyl salicylate, and octocrylene. It wears with a balanced finish, stays lightweight, and leaves no visible white cast, and its low breakout-trigger rating makes it generally an easy match for most skin types. SPF 30 with moderate measured protection means it is a reasonable daily face cream rather than a high-sun option. Its overall score of 66.2/100 places it as a fair, middle-of-the-pack pick.
Ingredient & SPF scores
☀️
UV protection
Moderate
50
- +30 Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane at #1, UV filter (UVA1 +16)
- +8 Ethylhexyl Salicylate at #2, UV filter
- +16 Octocrylene at #3, UV filter
- ×0.9 Limited long-UVA1 coverage
- +1 Label claims (SPF 30)
☢️
Health safety
Medium
60
- +100 Starting score
- −30 Octocrylene at #3 (regulatory/evidence concern)
- −3.5 Avobenzone at #1, stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
- −7 Retinyl Palmitate at #25, disputed vitamin-A sunlight signal, under review
🤧
Allergens
Low
97
- +100 Starting score
- −3 Photoallergen-tail UV filters (Octocrylene)
🔥
Eye sting
Medium
41
- +100 Starting score
- −24 Avobenzone at #1, migrates into eyes with sweat
- −22 Octocrylene at #3, migrates into eyes with sweat
- −9 Octisalate at #2, migrates into eyes with sweat
- −4 Volatile alcohol at #8
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Heavy feel
Low
83
- +100 Starting score
- −12 Tribehenin at #7, wax film
- −5 Butyrospermum Parkii Fruit at #11, butter/occlusive fat
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Fungal acne
Medium
60
- +100 Starting score
- −24 2 polysorbate/sorbitan emulsifiers that feed Malassezia (Polysorbate 20, Sorbitan Laurate)
- −14 1 oils/butters that feed Malassezia (Butyrospermum Parkii Fruit)
- −2 1 ubiquitous fatty ingredients (Cetearyl Glucoside), weak Malassezia signal
👕
Fabric stains
High
25
- +100 Starting score
- −50 Avobenzone at #1, reacts with iron in wash water into rust-yellow stains
- −15 Octocrylene at #3, co-stains alongside avobenzone
- −10 Avobenzone + Octocrylene, the classic staining pair
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Moisture
Hydrating
LightNourishing
- ← 5 Volatile alcohol at #8
- ← 3 1 sebum-absorbing powders (Aluminium Starch Octenylsuccinate)
- → 10 Glycerin at #6, the anchor humectant
- → 2 Sodium Hyaluronate at #23, hyaluronic family
- → 2 1 emollient lipids (Butyrospermum Parkii Fruit)
✨
Finish
Balanced
MatteDewy
- ← 3 1 sebum-absorbing powders (Aluminium Starch Octenylsuccinate)
- ← 1 Volatile alcohol at #8
- → 9 2 emollient lipids (Butyrospermum Parkii Fruit, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate)
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Makeup base
Okay
PillsPrimer
- → 1 Primer-style base, volatile silicones and dimethicone slip
- → 2 Quick-setting carrier (alcohol at #8), fast, even canvas
- → 3 1 soft-focus powders in moderation
- → 2 Dry-touch esters, smooth fast-absorbing base
- ← 1 Gel polymers prone to pilling under friction (Carbomer, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer)
- ← 6 Occlusives/waxes float the foundation
- ← 1.5 Humectant syrup tackiness (partly offset by the base)
🌊
Water resistance
Not resistant
Non-water-resistantWater-resistant
- +7 1 water-locking waxes
Full ingredient list (46)
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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Legacy UV filter (Avobenzone), high in the list, a primary filter
- ↑ 30 UV protection, incl. long-UVA (UVA1)
- ↓ 3.5 stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
- ↑ 24 migrates into eyes with sweat
- ↑ 50 reacts with iron in wash water into rust-yellow stains
-
Legacy UV filter (Octisalate), high in the list, a primary filter
- ↑ 8 UV protection
- ↑ 9 migrates into eyes with sweat
-
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
-
4 Water
Solvent base, the water phase
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
- 6 → dewy emollient lipid
-
6 Glycerin
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
- 10 → nourishing the anchor humectant
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
- ↑ 12 wax film
- ↑ 7 wax water lock
-
Volatile alcohol, a drying solvent that can sting eyes
-
Mattifying powder, absorbs oil and blurs the finish
- light ← 3 sebum-absorbing powder
- matte ← 3 sebum-absorbing powder
-
10 Dimethicone
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
-
Botanical extract
- ↑ 5 butter/occlusive fat
- 2 → nourishing emollient lipid
- 3 → dewy emollient lipid
- ↑ 14 feeds malassezia
-
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
-
Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- ↑ 2 minor malassezia feeder
-
Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
-
Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
-
18 Dimethiconol
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
-
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
-
20 Xanthan Gum
Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
-
Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
-
22 Ethylparaben
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
-
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
- 2 → nourishing hyaluronic family
-
Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
- ↓ 7 disputed vitamin-A sunlight signal, under review
-
26 Simethicone
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
-
Chelator, binds stray metal ions to keep the formula stable
-
Fatty alcohol, an emollient and thickener, not the drying kind
-
Fatty alcohol, an emollient and thickener, not the drying kind
-
Protein, peptide or amino acid, conditions and hydrates skin
-
Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- ↑ 12 feeds malassezia
-
Botanical extract
-
Supporting ingredient
-
34 Carbomer
Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
-
Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
-
36 Alfalfa
Supporting ingredient
-
Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- ↑ 12 feeds malassezia
-
38 Hydroxide K
pH adjuster
-
Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
-
Protein, peptide or amino acid, conditions and hydrates skin
-
Botanical extract
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
-
43 Tocopherol
Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
-
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
-
Protein, peptide or amino acid, conditions and hydrates skin
-
Protein, peptide or amino acid, conditions and hydrates skin
Does the No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Fragrance Free Day Cream SPF 30 leave a white cast?
No, it leaves no visible white cast. As a fragrance-free chemical day cream it absorbs into the skin and wears with a balanced finish, so it sits invisibly under most skin tones.
Is the No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Fragrance Free Day Cream SPF 30 mineral or chemical?
It is a chemical sunscreen. It uses older-generation filters including avobenzone, ethylhexyl salicylate, and octocrylene rather than mineral zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.
What SPF is it and is it any good?
It is SPF 30 with moderate measured protection, suiting daily face use rather than long high-sun exposure. With an overall score of 66.2/100 it is a fair, middle-of-the-pack pick, held back mainly by its dated filter set.