Watsons Sun Protection Spray 50 SPF High Protection
58/100 overall score
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About this sunscreen
Watsons Sun Protection Spray is a chemical sunscreen in a spray format, using an older-school blend of Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate and Octocrylene. It wears lightweight with a balanced finish and low white cast, and it does not sting. It is generally low on pore-clogging potential and okay under makeup. With a lower score of 57.8 and moderate protection, it is a convenient spray that is best treated as a top-up rather than a primary daily sunscreen.
Ingredient & SPF scores
☀️
UV protection
Moderate
35
- +28.5 Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane at #7, UV filter (UVA1 +15.2)
- +14.4 Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate at #8, UV filter
- +9.6 Octocrylene at #14, UV filter
- ×0.9 Limited long-UVA1 coverage
- ×0.75 Avobenzone + octinoxate degrade each other in sunlight
☢️
Health safety
Medium
44
- +100 Starting score
- −36 Octinoxate at #8 (regulatory/evidence concern)
- −10.5 Octocrylene at #14, stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
- −3.5 Avobenzone at #7, stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
- −6 Talc at #12, inhalation-route contamination concern (powder/spray form)
🤧
Allergens
Low
67
- +100 Starting score
- −18 Fragrance
- −3 1 declared fragrance allergens
- −9 Opaque "Fragrance", hidden allergens that can't be checked from the label
- −3 Photoallergen-tail UV filters (Octocrylene)
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White cast
Low
95
- +100 Starting score
- −5 Titanium Dioxide as pigment (CI 77891) at #4
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Eye sting
Low
67
- +100 Starting score
- −16 Avobenzone at #7, migrates into eyes with sweat
- −2 Octocrylene at #14, migrates into eyes with sweat
- −5 Octinoxate at #8, migrates into eyes with sweat
- −8 Fragrance
- −2 1 declared fragrance allergens
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Heavy feel
Low
84
- +100 Starting score
- −6 Cetyl Palmitate at #11, wax film
- −10 Paraffinum Liquidum at #3, heavy oil
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Comedogenic
Low
99
- +100 Starting score
- −1 Glycine Soja Oil at #23, moderate comedogenic signal
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Fungal acne
High
32
- +100 Starting score
- −18 2 oils/butters that feed Malassezia (Glycine Soja Oil, Lecithin)
- −50 4 long-chain (C12+) esters that feed Malassezia (Cetyl Palmitate, Glyceryl Stearate, Ceteareth-20)
- +0 Paraffinum Liquidum at #3, a safe base that does not feed Malassezia
👕
Fabric stains
High
30
- +100 Starting score
- −45 Avobenzone at #7, reacts with iron in wash water into rust-yellow stains
- −15 Octocrylene at #14, co-stains alongside avobenzone
- −10 Avobenzone + Octocrylene, the classic staining pair
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Moisture
Hydrating
LightNourishing
- ← 3 1 sebum-absorbing powders (Talc)
- ← 1 Volatile carriers flash off, leaving a dry finish
- → 10 Glycerin at #6, the anchor humectant
- → 1 1 emollient lipids (Glycine Soja Oil)
- → 0.5 1 fatty-alcohol emollients (Cetearyl Alcohol)
✨
Finish
Balanced
MatteDewy
- ← 3 1 sebum-absorbing powders (Talc)
- ← 1 Volatile carriers flash off, leaving a dry finish
- → 1 1 emollient lipids (Glycine Soja Oil)
- → 8 Occlusives seal moisture in (Paraffinum Liquidum)
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Makeup base
Okay
PillsPrimer
- → 3 1 soft-focus powders in moderation
- ← 12 Occlusives/waxes float the foundation
- ← 1.5 Humectant syrup tackiness (partly offset by the base)
🌊
Water resistance
Not resistant
Non-water-resistantWater-resistant
- +3 1 film-forming polymers that lock the formula on for water resistance
- +4 1 water-locking waxes
Full ingredient list (27)
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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Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- ↑ 36 feeds malassezia
-
Occlusive, seals moisture into the skin
- ↑ 10 heavy oil
- 8 → dewy occlusive
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Colorant or pigment
-
Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- ↑ 24 feeds malassezia
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6 Glycerin
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
- 10 → nourishing the anchor humectant
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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
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Legacy UV filter (Octinoxate), low in the list, likely a minor contributor
- ↑ 14.4 UV protection
- ↑ 5 migrates into eyes with sweat
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Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- ↑ 14 feeds malassezia
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Fatty alcohol, an emollient and thickener, not the drying kind
- 0.5 → nourishing fatty-alcohol emollient
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Emollient, softens and smooths skin
- ↑ 6 wax film
- ↑ 14 feeds malassezia
- ↑ 4 wax water lock
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12 Talc
Mattifying powder, absorbs oil and blurs the finish
- ↓ 6 inhalation-route contamination concern (powder/spray form)
- light ← 3 sebum-absorbing powder
- matte ← 3 sebum-absorbing powder
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Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
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14 Octocrylene
Legacy UV filter (Octocrylene), low in the list, likely a minor contributor
- ↑ 9.6 UV protection
- ↓ 10.5 stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
- ↑ 2 migrates into eyes with sweat
- ↑ 15 co-stains alongside avobenzone
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Humectant, pulls water into the skin
-
16 Lecithin
Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- ↑ 9 feeds malassezia
-
Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
- ↑ 3 film former
-
18 Fragrance
Fragrance
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Volatile silicone, flashes off for a light finish
- light ← 1 volatile carrier, flashes off
- matte ← 1 volatile carrier, flashes off
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Humectant, pulls water into the skin
-
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
-
22 Dimethicone
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
-
Plant oil, an emollient
- ↑ 1 moderate comedogenic signal
- 1 → nourishing emollient lipid
- 1 → dewy emollient lipid
- ↑ 9 feeds malassezia
-
Botanical extract
-
Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
-
26 Tocopherol
Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
-
27 Coumarin
Fragrance component, a declared allergen
Is the Watsons Sun Protection Spray mineral or chemical?
It is a chemical sunscreen, using an older-school blend of Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate and Octocrylene.
Does the Watsons Sun Protection Spray 50 SPF High Protection leave a white cast?
No, white cast is generally low. The spray wears lightweight with a balanced finish and does not sting.
Is it good?
It scores 57.8 out of 100 with moderate protection. It is a convenient spray that is best treated as a top-up rather than your primary daily sunscreen.