REVIEW: Neutrogena Healthy Defence Daily Moisturiser (SPF 30+)

 "Don't forget the sunscreen..."  These lyrics from Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) keep looping around in my head as I think about this post.

Sunscreen's the last step of my daily skin care routine and it's a step I'm a little fussy about.  My skin's a bit of a multiple personality in its own right - it can be a little oily, a little dry, a little sensitive OR all of the above at once.  I have to be careful not to overload it with anything too astringent, too oily or potentially irritating.  I've had mixed experiences with sunscreen products making me greasy and shiny or just giving me allergies so after finding a good facial sunscreen from Neutrogena I intended to stick to it, until they went and changed it on me - or did they??

Introducing the new facial sunscreen from Neutrogena:

Healthy Defence Moisturiser (SPF 30+)

 It was the word 'moisturiser' in Neutrogena's new product that worried me because the original product was intended to be used as the last step after moisturising.   I was free to use whatever moisturiser I chose,  topping with the sunscreen and my skin never felt overloaded or greasy.

So what exactly is different?

L-R:

New:  Neutrogena Healthy Defence Daily Moisturiser (SPF 30+)

Original:  Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Daily Face Sunscreen Lotion (SPF 30+)

The bottles look very similar but the directions for usage on the back are quite different.  According to the old Ultra Sheer's usage directions:  "Ultra Sheer LIGHT-WEIGHT sunscreen SPF 30+ can be used as the last step of your skincare routine after moisturising or use as a makeup base" while the new Healthy Defence, "Works well alone, under make-up or over a serum." and has an added blend of Vitamins E, A and C which absorb "quickly to instantly hydrate..." the skin.  Ah yes, you also get an extra 10 ml of product so the same size bottle now holds 40ml of lotion.

But -  Hello! The active ingredients in the old product...

...are exactly the same in the new product.

Being the stubborn Taurean I am I used Neutrogena's new Healthy Defence over my usual moisturiser exactly the same way as Ultra Sheer and Ta-Da! found no problem with greasiness - it didn't take any longer to absorb and didn't feel different at all really.  The added moisturising ingredients and the similar light-weight formula just mean I now have the freedom to choose to wear my own moisturiser under this or if I'm in a hurry (or just plain lazy) I can use this alone and my skin will still feel hydrated.

Pros:

• Lightweight milky lotion absorbs easily into the skin
• A little product goes a long way
• Can be used alone, under make-up or over your usual skincare
• Non-comedogenic
• Non-greasy
• No unpleasant fragrance
• Two formulas available for normal/combination or combination/oily skin
• SPF 30+ broad spectrum to protect against both UVA & UVB rays
• Reasonably priced at around $17AUD for a 40ml bottle

Cons:

• For me there are none - I'd only be wary if you are allergic to any of the listed active sunscreen ingredients

Would I repurchase this?

Yes absolutely.

Until next time 

Vita :)