All scans / Sunscreens / Aclaris Photon Sunscreen Gel
Aclaris Photon Sunscreen Gel ingredients: is it worth it?
This is a competent broad-spectrum sunscreen with a solid UV filter blend, but the “extra” skincare hype is mostly filler.
This is a competent broad-spectrum sunscreen with a solid UV filter blend, but the “extra” skincare hype is mostly filler.
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The efficacy score is driven by the real protection system: octinoxate for UVB, avobenzone for UVA, benzophenone-3 for additional UV coverage, plus titanium dioxide and zinc oxide for mineral support; the humectants and soothing agents are supportive but not the main reason it works.
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DemythSkin rates Aclaris Photon Sunscreen Gel 4.4/5 for efficacy and 3.8/5 for safety.
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS BY TIER
Gold Standards
High clinical proof | Skin-transformativeReliable
Proven resultsPotent
Developing evidenceOverhyped | Marketing
Hype | Limited dataDocumented Irritants
Evidence-backed flagFORMULATION BASE (8)⌄
FULL INGREDIENT LIST⌄
Aqua, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Dicetyl Phosphate, Surface Treated Titanium Dioxide, Polysorbate 80, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Glycerin, Benzophenone-3, Phospholipids, 1.3-Butylene Glycol, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Cetearyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Levulinate, Potassium Sorbate, Stearic Acid, Ceteth-20 Phosphate, Zinc Oxide, Vitamin E, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Allantoin, Glutathione, Honey Extract
WHAT EACH INGREDIENT DOES (24)⌄
- Aqua
- solvent
- Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
- UVB filter
- Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
- UVA filter
- Dicetyl Phosphate
- emulsifier
- Surface Treated Titanium Dioxide
- mineral UV filter
- Polysorbate 80
- emulsifier
- Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
- soothing humectant
- Ascorbyl Palmitate
- antioxidant
- Glycerin
- humectant
- Benzophenone-3
- broad-spectrum UV filter
- Phospholipids
- emollient base
- 1.3-Butylene Glycol
- humectant
- Polymethylsilsesquioxane
- texture enhancer
- Cetearyl Alcohol
- fatty alcohol thickener
- Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
- Sodium Levulinate
- preservative booster
- Potassium Sorbate
- preservative
- Stearic Acid
- emollient thickener
- Ceteth-20 Phosphate
- emulsifier
- Zinc Oxide
- mineral UV filter
- Vitamin E
- antioxidant
- Dimethicone Crosspolymer
- texture silicone
- Allantoin
- soothing agent
- Glutathione
- antioxidant
EXTERNAL CITATIONS
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate: UVB filter used for sun protection
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane: UVA filter used for broad-spectrum coverage
Benzophenone-3: Additional UV filter contributing to coverage
Zinc Oxide: Mineral UV filter
DISCLAIMER: THIS ANALYSIS IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. AI-GENERATED DATA BASED ON PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INGREDIENT LISTS. VERIFY WITH A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL.
Aclaris Photon Sunscreen Gel: common questions
Is Aclaris Photon Sunscreen Gel worth it?
Aclaris Photon Sunscreen Gel scores 4.4 out of 5.0 for efficacy (Effective) and 3.8 out of 5.0 for safety (Mostly Gentle) on DemythSkin's independent ingredient analysis. This is a competent broad-spectrum sunscreen with a solid UV filter blend, but the “extra” skincare hype is mostly filler.
What are the key active ingredients in Aclaris Photon Sunscreen Gel?
Aclaris Photon Sunscreen Gel contains these gold-standard actives with strong clinical evidence: Surface Treated Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide.
Does Aclaris Photon Sunscreen Gel contain fragrance or known irritants?
DemythSkin flags these ingredients in Aclaris Photon Sunscreen Gel as documented irritants: Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Benzophenone-3.
How is Aclaris Photon Sunscreen Gel scored?
DemythSkin grades every product on two independent scores: efficacy (whether the ingredients have clinical evidence of working) and safety (irritation and sensitisation risk). Ingredients are graded S through D against a database of over 3,000 compounds. Brand and price are not part of the score, and no brand pays for one.
Free scores for every product in the database, or see them on Sephora, Ulta and Amazon with the Chrome extension.