A GAME-CHANGER? | NEW HELLO SUNDAY MINERAL SERUM SUNSCREEN

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I went on a bit of a mission in 2021 to find the best mineral sunscreens on the market here in the UK and it was honestly pretty slim pickings but I found a few gems that were in the £50+ category. With the elegant and sensitive skin friendly chemical filters we have access to where I live, there's less of a need for mineral formulas, but I've still kept an eye out for anything interesting-looking and recently came across something new: Hello Sunday's the Mineral One Lightweight Serum SPF 50 | £25 | which is the brand's second attempt at a mineral formula (the old, discontinued version was not well-received) and this time it's much more like the chemical serum sunscreen from this brand I've been using under makeup for the past few years. So, is this a UK-made mineral sunscreen game-changer...?

This is £25 for a 15ml bottle, which is on the higher side of things when it comes to price / ml (it's a serum-equivalent size as opposed to a moisturiser-equivalent size) but I do think this does make it an easier product to try out and see if it works for you as opposed to the more cost-prohibitive UK options I've found so far. And, as I've said in my other Hello Sunday reviews: this is a makeup-day sunscreen for me. If I'm just out and about running errands or doing something outdoorsy without makeup: I don't need something this elegant. I also don't use this on my neck and instead apply this to my face and use something cheap and cheerful where I don't need that perfect base for makeup. So, in practice, their serum sunscreens do actually last longer than you'd expect for my personal application preferences.

This is a 100% mineral formula and I was expecting it to be a nano formula, but it's actually not; it's just standard old zinc oxide, which is an anti-inflammatory and of course one of our oldest options as a sunscreen filter. Contrary to popular belief, we now know that mineral sunscreens absorb most UV rays the same as chemical sunscreens, but they're often less irritating if you have sensitive skin and / or inflamed acne. It offers an impressive broad spectrum SPF 50+ protection, it's not water-resistant (not an issue for me because it's not a product I'm going to use whilst exercising or... beaching). It's fragrance-free, which will be important for many of the sensitive-skinned people who are most likely to be interested in this formula. In terms of added extras, we have moisturising plant oil squalane, soothing rice extract, hyaluronic acid to draw moisture into the skin and Vitamin E to provide an antioxidant benefit, protecting the skin from free radical damage.

The packaging is cute, but I can't believe they've still not fixed their dropper component; I've had people commenting on this when I spoke about the original chemical serum formula back in 2021 and this component still doesn't pick up a proper dropper full of product. It's not the end of the world but it's a little annoying! 

But, I'm sure you're now wondering 'so, how does it feel and apply?' I personally loved this formula. Due to the dropper issue, I apply 6 'blobs' of this sunscreen for my face only in a couple of layers. It's hydrating and leaves my skin soft and happy after use; it has a dewy, glow-y finish which I do think could border on the shiny for those with oily skin. The texture is truly a serum-milk that melts in really effortlessly. It really doesn't require much work for that slightly silvery-blue tinge of a mineral sunscreen to disappear on my skin tone with this formula, but I do appreciate your mileage may vary if you have darker skin than me and / or you're reapplying this throughout the day (as I'm wearing this mostly under makeup, I've honestly only tested out reapplication once as an experiment whilst working from home once, and I didn't find the tinge lingered on my skin or accumulated into an issue. This sets down almost immediately for me, whereas with some formulas I do have to wait 10-15 minutes for it not to look like an iridescent layer on top of my skin. It goes on smoothly and I can apply the rest of my skincare under it and my makeup over top with no pilling (this has also been a big issue for me in the past with mineral sunscreens)!

All-in-all, this is one of my favourite non-drying, non-pilling, easy-absorbing mineral sunscreens and I've tried a lot of them. Plus it's easily accessible here in the UK. Plus, even though you get a little less in here: the price is still decent. I am travelling with this product as I type this post out on the train, which I don't think I can say about any other mineral formula I've tried and I think that might say it all...

Have you tried this new launch? What's your favourite mineral sunscreen?

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