All scans / Sunscreens / The Formularx Hydrashield Vitamin C + Peptide Watery Gel Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++++
The Formularx Hydrashield Vitamin C + Peptide Watery Gel Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++++ ingredients: is it worth it?
Decent sunscreen base, but the “vitamin C + peptide” marketing does far more heavy lifting than the formula does.
Decent sunscreen base, but the “vitamin C + peptide” marketing does far more heavy lifting than the formula does.
READ MORE
The efficacy score is driven mainly by a competent multi-filter UV system with decent photoprotection coverage, plus humectants and soothing additives that make the texture more wearable; however, the vitamin C ingredients sit in a support role rather than as a clearly high-impact treatment, the peptide is present at trace-level positioning, and the gold/antioxidant extras add very little proven topical benefit.
We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases. Links never influence scores.
DemythSkin rates The Formularx Hydrashield Vitamin C + Peptide Watery Gel Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++++ 4.4/5 for efficacy and 4.0/5 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 (7)⌄
FULL INGREDIENT LIST⌄
Water, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Octocrylene, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Titanium Dioxide, Centella Asiatica Extract, Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Panthenol, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Gold, Disodium EDTA, Pentapeptide-4, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glutathione, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sorbitol, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract.
WHAT EACH INGREDIENT DOES (24)⌄
- Water
- solvent base
- Propanediol
- humectant solvent
- Butylene Glycol
- humectant solvent
- Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
- UVB filter
- Octocrylene
- UV filter stabilizer
- Ascorbyl Glucoside
- vitamin C derivative
- Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
- UVA filter
- Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
- UVA filter
- Titanium Dioxide
- mineral UV filter
- Centella Asiatica Extract
- soothing botanical extract
- Ascorbic Acid
- vitamin C antioxidant
- Sodium Hyaluronate
- humectant
- Panthenol
- humectant soothing agent
- Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract
- antioxidant extract
- Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer
- gel thickener
- Dicaprylyl Carbonate
- light emollient
- Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract
- antioxidant extract
- Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract
- soothing brightening extract
- Gold
- marketing additive
- Disodium EDTA
- chelator
- Pentapeptide-4
- peptide signal ingredient
- Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
- antioxidant extract
- Glutathione
- antioxidant additive
- Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract
- soothing extract
EXTERNAL CITATIONS
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate: UVB filter supported by sunscreen formulation listing
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane: UVA filter supported by sunscreen formulation listing
Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate: UVA filter supported by sunscreen formulation listing
Ascorbyl Glucoside: Vitamin C derivative with antioxidant/brightening use in cosmetic formulas
Sodium Hyaluronate: Humectant used for hydration support in leave-on skincare
DISCLAIMER: THIS ANALYSIS IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. AI-GENERATED DATA BASED ON PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INGREDIENT LISTS. VERIFY WITH A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL.
The Formularx Hydrashield Vitamin C + Peptide Watery Gel Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++++: common questions
Is The Formularx Hydrashield Vitamin C + Peptide Watery Gel Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++++ worth it?
The Formularx Hydrashield Vitamin C + Peptide Watery Gel Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++++ scores 4.4 out of 5.0 for efficacy (Effective) and 4.0 out of 5.0 for safety (Gentle) on DemythSkin's independent ingredient analysis. Decent sunscreen base, but the “vitamin C + peptide” marketing does far more heavy lifting than the formula does.
What are the key active ingredients in The Formularx Hydrashield Vitamin C + Peptide Watery Gel Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++++?
The Formularx Hydrashield Vitamin C + Peptide Watery Gel Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++++ contains these gold-standard actives with strong clinical evidence: Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Titanium Dioxide, Ascorbic Acid.
Does The Formularx Hydrashield Vitamin C + Peptide Watery Gel Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++++ contain fragrance or known irritants?
DemythSkin flags these ingredients in The Formularx Hydrashield Vitamin C + Peptide Watery Gel Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++++ as documented irritants: Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate.
How is The Formularx Hydrashield Vitamin C + Peptide Watery Gel Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++++ 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.