DewscopeSunscreen3 min read
Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF 50 Review: A Clear Gel Primer Worth Its Price?
A clear, scentless gel SPF 50 that doubles as a makeup primer. It leaves no cast on any skin tone and the new formula is lighter, but it costs $38 for 1.7 oz and can pill under some products.
Our verdict
Unseen is the clear-gel SPF to buy if you want sunscreen that disappears on every skin tone and sits well under makeup. The SPF 50 update is lighter and feels less slick. It is expensive per ounce, relies on chemical filters, and it can pill or turn greasy by afternoon in heat, so a cheaper gel sunscreen may do the same job.
Best forDaily SPF under makeup, deep and medium skin tones
What we liked
- Fully clear gel with no white cast on any skin tone
- Scentless and fragrance-free, with a smooth, primer-like finish
- SPF 50 broad spectrum from four chemical filters
- Reviewers on Thingtesting praise the weightless, makeup-friendly feel
What held it back
- $38 for 1.7 oz works out to roughly $22 per ounce
- Pilling under some serums and makeup layers is a common complaint
- Can turn greasy on long, hot days, especially on oily skin
- Chemical filters only, so not an option if you want a mineral formula
Most sunscreens ask you to accept something: a white film, a greasy sheen, a smell of coconut. Unseen asks for nothing except money. It is a clear gel, it has no scent, and Supergoop pitches it as the sunscreen you can put under foundation. The question for this update is whether the $38 bottle earns that pitch, and whether the new SPF 50 formula changes the answer.
What is in the bottle
The four actives are avobenzone 3%, homosalate 7%, octisalate 5% and octocrylene 9%, all chemical filters, according to the ingredient list on Supergoop's page. The base is silicone-heavy: dimethicone, two dimethicone crosspolymers and polymethylsilsesquioxane, with silica to take the shine down. Shea butter, vitamin E, bisabolol and jojoba esters round it out. We found no fragrance and no alcohol in the list.
That silicone base is the whole trick. It is what gives the slippery, primer-like grip, and it is also why some people see pilling when they layer a water-based serum or a second silicone product on top.
In use, the first thing you notice is how little there is to notice. It spreads like a thin lotion, sinks in within a minute or two and leaves a soft, slightly tacky grip rather than a shine.
