What a gibberish product name… 
Clarins UV Plus SPF40 PA+++
From www.sephora.com:
What it is:
A daily-wear sunscreen for the face.
What it is formulated to do:
Clarins UV Plus Day Screen High Protection SPF 40 is the ultimate natural, non-chemical day screen. It has anti-UV and anti-pollution protection with 100% micronized, microdispersed mineral filters that guarantees optimal tolerance for even the most delicate skin.
My Skin Type:
Actually very oily, but surpressed with BHA exfoliator. Results in generally ranging from very dry to normal/dry skin. Generally dehydrated, very sensitive, and acne prone.
Packaging:
Convenient opaque bottle with narrow opening that contains 30ml.
Texture:
Fluid, with a slip since it’s silicone-based. But it doesn’t feel super silicone-y like a primer.
Sun Protection Level:
Low. I don’t understand how this can get a PA+++ rating. Click to enlarge:
Clarins UV Plus SPF40 Protection Spectrum
My General Review:
This was an impulse buy. Because I was sick of greasier European sunscreens, I thought I need a non-greasy, fluid sunscreen. And this one is popular. I know the protection will not be as great as Euro sunscreens, but I thought maybe I could live for a PPD10 or so from time to time…maybe. Just to alternate with higher protection sunscreen.
Wrong.
First of all, it’s fragranced. Like all Clarins products. Oh…kay. I can live with that, even though I don’t prefer it. But!
This contains alcohol. Oh no. Your skin has to fight UV already, so why add more irritants to impair skin’s ability to fight? I want my skin to be in optimal condition….so alcohol is a big nay.
And worse of all….
This sunscreen only use Titanium Dioxide as its sole UV filter. Bad idea! You can see in the spectrum diagram above that it leaves whole UVA I unprotected! As the result, for me the protection is unreasonably low even for daily use.
While Clarins blabs that this allows the sunscreen to be gentle to sensitive skin, I definitely disagree. Zinc Oxide is also a mineral filter. Also gentle to sensitive skin. And provides protection up to 370nm in the UVA I area.
The proof of the protection hole? After 3 weeks of using this sunscreen daily, only inside the office, I turned 2 shades darker. No joke! I didn’t even took a trip outside or something! I got back to using my other sunscreens (ones with more reasonable protection) and within 2 weeks I was already back to my usual skin tone.
I wasn’t really keen on the texture too. It’s silicone based, so it got some slip. But applying it generously (like you should with a sunscreen, especially fluid ones! Listen to FDA please, ladies) will make it hard to be absorbed. It dries quite fast, but the residue will cake a bit on your face. Rubbing dried residue on your skin? Wow. I don’t want more wrinkles, so the idea doesn’t sound terribly brilliant for me.
And since it dried quite easily, foundation/BB cream/TM/primer won’t glide easily. The best thing that I can do is use a good primer first, then lightly dabbing/tapping foundation/BB/TM into my face, and then use my MAC #187 stippling brush to create an even finish. Good news is: since the finish is quite ‘dry’, powdering on top of this is easy.
Now that sounds like a whole lot of negative sides 
But fortunately, there are some good sides to this product.
The first one is the color. There’s the untinted version and the tinted one. I picked out the tinted one, it is light pink in color and I think it helps brightens out my complexion.
Second, oil control is pretty good. I tried to use it on my oily days, and it successfully control my oil. I wasn’t that greasy by noon.
What Else You Need To Know:
E3P is supposed to be anti-pollutant, but I personally think this sunscreen is lacking in the antioxidant department. Vitamin E is listed just before perfume. Green Tea is almost at the end of the list.
So I prefer to consider the percentage of both is not that large. Not potent enough.
Availability:
Available at all Clarins counter in Indonesia. That means department stores like SOGO, Metro etc.
Price:
Expensive! I think I bought this at around IDR425,000. USD42 in Sephora.
Ingredients:
Cyclopentasiloxane, Aqua, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Polyglyceryl-3 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Alcohol, Aluminum Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Sodium Chloride, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-20/15 Dimethicone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Fragrance, Disodium EDTA, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Biosaccharide Gum-4, Thermus Thermophillus Ferment, Lapsana Communis Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Rhodiola Rosea Root Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate.
Overall Rating:
1 out of 5. Sorry, but I can’t recommend a sunscreen that’s not sufficiently protecting.
*This review will be cross posted in www.makeupalley.com under username Crescent_Shadow.
But the finish it gives is lovely. D’oh! Why am I ranting after I get the item anyway?
