Reference:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jun/12/several-leading-australian-sunscreens-dont-provide-sun-protection-they-say-according-to-choice-ntwnfb

After months of trial and error, I finally found my main sunscreen, and I want everypony to know about it.

This sunscreen:

• does not contain a single comedogenic ingredient
• only has one oil (which is non-comedogenic)
• does not sting my eyes
• is very gentle to my sensitive, acne-prone skin
• is super smooth
• feels amazing✨ on my skin
• it feels... more moisturising than my main moisturiser???
• is physical (not chemical)
• has a cute cow

Does it leave a white cast? Usually yes, BUT

if I top it off with its baby brother (Tinted Face cream), it blends beautifully on my skin. The latest test they ran (after the infamous findings of last year) yielded an impressive SPF of 71.

Remember that you can put all the skincare products and actives you want on your face, but if you don't prioritise SunSmart-ness, you're not doing much, especially those of us who use tretinoin or other retinoids.

That's it. Just wanted to make an appreciation post for cute cow sunscreen. I'm seriously loving it. Went to Chemist Warehouse the other day and found none in stock, but that... did put a smile on my face.

Hello AUS!

After talking to a bunch of you on this sub, I got some popular sunscreens to try and see how they suit my skin. Going to put down a mini review for each incase it helps anyone!

My skin type: Oily to Combination and is acne prone (thus hate anything that clogs my pores)

1. Bondi sands face SPF50+

It offers good protection (tried it on a sunny day when I was outdoors for 3-4 hours) but was too greasy for me and did clog my pores as I got acne within 2 days of using this (no other new product was used so I know). I don’t think I will repurchase this.

1. Hamilton sensitive SPF50+

This was used on body on the very same sunny day and did offer great protection. I did get tanned a little but I guess that could also be due to lack of reapplying. The texture is greasy and slightly thick. Might repurchase for body in winters.

1. Neutrogena ultra sheer face SPF50

This is less thick and greasy in texture than the ones above. I haven’t tried it outdoors so not sure about the protection but I guess it didn’t clog pores as I didn’t see any acne after using this. I don’t think I will repurchase because I found better ones which are listed below.

1. Cancer council daily moisturizer with SPF

I know this isn’t a sunscreen particularly but a pharmacist told me that since it has added SPF, we can use it as sunscreen too. Anyway, love how non greasy this is. It feels amazing on face and blends very well. I didn’t get a chance to test its protection until now but will update if I do. Overall, love how this feels and will definitely repurchase. Might also be my holy grail.

1. Nivea shine control SPF50+

This also has a great texture and blends very well. It has a slight yellow undertone which works for me so I don’t mind. Again, didn’t get a chance to test its protection level but if all works well, might be another holy grail for me.

To conclude, for body I might go with Hamilton as I have tested it. For face, it will either be CC moisturizer with SPF or Nivea shine control. These ones were chosen for face particularly because they are non-greasy, don’t feel too oily and suit my skin.

A few months ago I got some email saying la Roche possay new sunscreen innovation coming soon and I guess this is it. But I’m struggling to figure out what actually was innovated here. Please let me know if you have tried it and noticed any differences.

Good day AusSkincare lurkers,

On my usual chemist warehouse trip yesterday, I was walking past the sunscreen aisle (my favourite aisle mind you), and I noticed something sitting within the Cancer Council sunscreens. To my surprise, a new sunscreen! The hydration boost spf50+.

This sunscreen is nothing like their other offerings in my opinion. The box for one, calling it a primer, as well as being marketed as skincare. Also, the price tag is very unlike cancer council, being $36.95 RRP ($25.69 here on sale). Now, I get my cancer council products for “free” through AHM private health, so you bet I picked it up immediately.

When getting home and opening the box, I was a little shocked. The packaging is… Amazing? It is a lovely blue colour, and it is an airless pump! That’s a win in my books. It looks nothing like any other cancer council product.

Now, I would categorise this product as an “upgraded” version of their iconic face day wear moisturiser (the pink tube one). The sunscreen ingredients in this are similar, however I love the inclusion of Bemotrizinol at 2%, arguably the best sunscreen ingredient the world has to offer. Looking at the ingredients list on the TGA website, this includes squalane, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin E as the skincare ingredient. I have no idea what “PolyFructol Plus” could mean looking at the ingredients, but someone please feel free to enlighten me. This sunscreen does feel moisturising enough for my balanced skin type.

The feel of this sunscreen is somewhere between the matte fluid and the pink tube. It’s lovely. And the finish is stated as “satin”, which I absolutely agree with. The “matte” fluid is not matte at all, so my trust with cancer council has been down, but this sunscreen looks absolutely beautiful on the skin.

All in all, this may become my new favourite sunscreen. It feels beautiful on the skin, has superb ingredients, and the packing is delightful. The pink tube may have been dethroned!

If you get a chance to try this sunscreen out let me know your thoughts!

Yours sincerely,

DuePerfomance

Price: $69 What was in it: - Abib airy sunstick - Beauty of Joseon aqua fresh sunscreen - Beauty of Joseon rice + probiotics sunscreen - Cosrx aloe soothing sun cream - Skin1004 hyalu cica sunstick - Tocobo cotton soft sunstick - JMsolution selfie vital rosehip mask - Beauty of Joseon cica calming mask - Frudia my orchard squeeze mask(?) peach

I mean…I guess that’s the loophole they found with the sunscreens they couldn’t sell as sunscreen.

From what I can tell, the products seem to be definitely worth more than that, based on w cos pricing (cannot confirm though as they’ve pulled the product listings from their site). Even comparing to my fave Lila Beauty, which often has way lower prices, it definitely totalled to much more than what I spent.

Even though it’s all sunscreen and I think I had different expectations, I can’t complain too much since in the end it was still great value.

I guess it is to be expected that a product like this is more to get rid of stock, and needless to say I’m still glad it is something I will get use out of, or can easily give to friends and family. Also I was a bit suspect on the ‘Try Me!’ stickers on all of them but I realised that it was just to cover up the SPF and PA claims 😂 the products are untouched and sealed!

I bought a tube of Finacea Azelaic Acid today and will start my first application tonight. I have a lot of PIE and mild acne, so hoping this will help it. Apply before or after moisturiser? I have quite sensitive skin

Hello all, I am reporting to you from my lounge room with a very plump, hydrated ... and dare I say it? .. 'Glazed' face today.

Now, if a product promises dewy perfection in a bottle I will be intrigued. I can't help myself. I am what I am. Most of what I am these days is a devotee of my beloved Stratia Rewind Serum. But I'll be the first to admit I do get a little restless and stray in search of glossier pastures from time to time.

When Rhode Beauty first launched, I rolled my eyes. Another celebrity brand to give someone's less famous spouse something to do while they were not on tour. However, the fanatical popularity of the skin glazing milk did pique my interest. I held off however, confident that the demand for this kind of product would see a brand I actually like come out with something just like it. Enter Stage Left, my trusted skin care companion that is Skin1004.

I was placing yet another order on Lila Beauty, and some of my order was products from Skin1004 that I wanted to gift various friends for their birthday. So I added to cart, and realised with just one more item I would receive a deluxe sample. I did what any sane shopper would do and sorted the Skin1004 products by 'newest'. And there is was. The Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Teca Glass Skin Milk. And for literally half the price of the Rhode equivalent. I just received it today, and boy oh boy. It is milky, almost a serum like texture. And glaze it does! My skin is plump, hydrated, noticeably less red and has a luminosity that is rather lovely. I'm very set in my skin care ways, so it takes a lot for a new and/or 'trendy' product to impress me. Run do not walk.

Edit: so I went back to Lila Beauty today and the Glass Skin Milk is sold out! Wild. Also, after two days of use I am applying this after serums but before moisturiser & sunscreen.

I recently discovered this new facial sunscreen by the Cancer Council and I absolutely LOVE it. I’ve been getting it on special at Woolies and Chemist Warehouse. It works perfectly for my skin - it’s lightweight and absorbs/dries super quickly, and doesn’t stay greasy on my face. Also works well for under make up. I usually use the pink tube one by Cancer Council but this one is now my new favourite! I know some people don’t like it, but I really love it and it suits my skin well.

I'm a male Australian uni student, and have absolutely no idea when it comes to skincare. I'm also not very good in confrontations, being very shy and meek around them

I'm walking through Melbourne and this guy standing outside a pop-up shop of [redacted] approaches me, asking if I want to try some of their products. I say no thanks, he insists, I follow (foreshadowing).

I try a product, and he's basically saying how amazing it is while insulting my skin. I'm determined to leave right after he told me the product was $350, then he goes and applies a second product, doing the same routine. After this, I tell him I really need to go, and he just starts telling me how amazing the product is for, I kid you not, 10 whole minutes

I decided to cut my losses and just pay for the product and leave. Immediately after paying, this second guy shows up out of nowhere and ferries me into a backroom with a chair and starts applying other products

I, again, say that I should leave and don't have the budget for these items. I do this a few times over the time I'm this room, and his response is to always just add another item to my total and say that it's a gift and free, because he likes me (so nice)

I'm in there for at least 20 minutes. At the end, he shepherds me out and demands I pay for the two items that I tried at the start, with the rest (four other items) being free

It total $700. For the TWO PRODUCTS. $1050 all up

I'm in flight mode rn. I just pay and get out. I have never felt so terrible after a purchase, and never regretted being the way I am more than at that moment

BTW, while I'm not allowed to mention the company by name because of the sub rules, I am going to say that it's located on Swanston street, between Collins and Little Collins street. One of the items I got that I recommend you search up (cough cough) is the "Magnifique Facial Mask", which is a terrible item (product review over). DO NOT BUY FROM THIS SELLER

Anyway, I necro'd my account for this post. Thanks for reading my rant, you're already a better person than those two men

​

Edit: After getting no refund from the shop, I sent an ACCC report. I then contacted both consumer affairs victoria and the consumer action law centre. Both said I wouldn't be able to get a refund.

For everybody who said "lol just walk in and ask for a refund it's easy lol" fuck you. You somehow understood what I was dealing with less than when I walked into that shop, and you would have been more helpful if you didn't comment at all. At least then I'd be able to find the comments with actual useful tips and information in them

I read that salyctic acid was good for treating weird dry bits and was gentle enough to use on the body, so I picked this cleanser up from Chemist Warehouse the other week.

I was not expecting much, but after using it daily in the shower for two weeks, it has actually gotten rid of gross weird patches that I was convinced were either excema or even a staph infection, that no amount of moisturising would resolve! Skin is so smooth and happy on my legs especially, and I am shooketh!!

Not brand affiliated, not my photo, just hope this helps someone else with mystery dry patches!

TL:DR; Very nice imo if you don’t mind a tinted product and have light-medium skin. More warm toned tint, great under makeup.

A first impressions review of the Cancer council clear skin (new)

I picked up mine from Chemist warehouse for about $18. It’s a SPF50 and uses zinc as its UV filter.

Lots of the claims around this sunscreen are that it doesn’t flare up acne or cause breakouts, so I’ll use it for a little bit and report back on that!

My review:

It’s a very thin fluid texture (if I’m being fussy I’d prefer it in a squeeze tube with a small nozzle, but for less than $20 I’ll live)

It isn’t overly greasy or oily, and feels light on the skin, and spreads around easily. It’s almost slippery (slightly?)- I wonder if applying it in two layers would be a nicer experience

Rub in time was a little longer which is expected with a mineral.

Very comfortable, no heaviness or tightness.

It was a bit too shiny for me even after settling, but mattified well under some powder without any cake or lifting. I think it layered really beautifully under makeup and it looks like I have a light skin tint on.

The colour is slightly warm leaning on me but still feels flattering / like I can get away with it

I did get it in my eye (not on purpose, lol) and that didn’t feel great but it didn’t give that classic “sunscreen sting” it was more “cream in eye” sting- but more so than other minerals I’ve used.

Very much a second skin look after powdering.

Didn’t oxidise on me, but the colour does look warm leaning. On deeper skin this will be ashy (maybe anything last medium)

Didn’t go grainy on me, or smear around.

Not overly hydrating, you’ll need a decent moisturiser underneath. I just used the Lait creme sensitive as a base to keep things simple and predictable

I like it, but I also am very used to tinted SPF and minerals. IMO this doesn’t feel like a typical mineral, so if you’ve been curious, for the price it’s worth a try!

Skin type and concerns: Acne-prone, sensitive and normalish / combo. I get scarring and blemishes often

Let me know if you have any questions

Images:

1. Texture / tube
2. Bare skin
3. Just applied (1/4 teaspoon)
4. Settled 10mins
5. Light makeup over (no foundation, just concealer + powder + cream blush)
6. Cancer council’s response to my DM about the CHOICE situation (take that as you will)
7. A friend who’s a deeper skin tone and found it was ashy on her

I recently have been dealing with really dry dehydrated skin and waking up to the crazy forehead lines where my face looked like I have that tiktok aged filter on. The change in weather and overuse of actives had left parts of my skin barrier red and damaged.

I have used different moisturizer, oil and even layered moisturizer at night and it still looked a little dry when I woke up. Avene cicaflate- did heal my skin barrier but I needed something. More moisturizing.

Mixa ceramide was out of stock and got the. Pathenol one as I have heard good reviews from the brand and this girl is on a budget and have mild eczema so this product is eczema friendly.

I have used nothing in the night, just the mixa cream on freshly washed skin and noticed after 3-4 days that I wasn't waking up to really dry dehydrated skin any I'm quite impressed.

The cream is the tub is quite light and sinks in to the skin, face looks quenched and moisturised without forming a thin film on the skin.

I wish the cream was a little bit thicker but it still does the job. It's been more than a week and I haven't noticed any clogged pores or breakouts and I 'm impressed by this 10$ tub. Just good moisturized skin.

Doesn't have any fragrance so it's a win for me.

skin type: combination skin

purchased for 10$ at CW, could be even cheaper when it goes on 1/2 price.

Looking for recommendations on a retinol that has actually reduced your fine lines?

Tried the ordinary and a L’Oréal night cream for 4-5 months each and neither worked for me. Hesitant to spend 135 on medik8 if it doesn’t work either!

Some wild stuff has been happening to my skin and I felt awful about it. Full on cystic acne and it was scarring bad (because it was so deep + I was popping them- I know.) but in this process almost nothing was slowing it down.

The Effaclar duo+ helped a lot with active spots but at night time I think my barrier was too compromised for my usual Vitmain A that I adore so much (I use the cleanance woman by Avène at the moment)

So, Razia Moe is a huge believer in Azelaic Acid as an ingredient (she uses azclear, I found it a bit chalky for me- shouldn’t be an issue if you use richer moisturisers over it though) so I got Finecea which I find a bit more elegant.

And wow. It’s used for rosacea so it’s great for sensitive skin and my skin barrier tolerated it amazing, in fact, I think it’s helped repair it?

It’s really great for inflammation and I’m only using a pea sized about. My acne spots are coming up less (this I think is also thanks to the Effaclar duo+ & some sulfur based spot treatments) but the post hyperpigmentation has died down significantly and doesn’t spread out as far as it would. The spots also fade significantly faster- like noticeable change in a week.

So yea, I’m a convert and I think it’ll be hard to take this tube out of my routine. I use a pea sized about after cleansing. It’s not a super cosmetically elegant product compared to serums, it can dry down a tinyyyy bit powdery, but I’ve found myself using it in the day (just be careful of pilling under makeup)

Any Q’s let me know!

Was sent in last week to hospital for IV antibiotics and so glad I managed to at least grab these bad boys on the way in. I also had a face wash which got left behind in a room when a nurse packed me up for transfer to a new ward. 3 days have turned into a week but they've kept me going!

Usually my skin suffers from dryness and flakiness in hospital but the cicaplast holy hell!! I normally use in the morning before makeup but its really proving to me it can hold its own. I normally do a double cleanse, serum, jojoba oil and a night moisturiser but im not noticing any kind of degradation in texture and in fact my skin is still soft and moisturised just with this one product 20/10 no notes.

The lipbalm is out performing my laneige lip mask, Super thick, no dry lips here very cheap as well. Ive probably gone through a third of it already. (Selfcare is all i have left going for me rn haha) 10/10

My skin has been so sensitive, irritated, red, dry and itchy the past week and nothing was working. Even washing my face with water was causing my face to sting. I kept my routine simple and was using the Aestura 365 cream and even that wasn’t cutting through the dryness I was experiencing. I also slugged my face with Vaseline for 2 days and that helped slightly but didn’t help as much as the nappy cream.

I have been using the bepanthen ointment for the past 2 days and after the first night the stinging sensation was reduced by 80%!! My barrier is still healing but this has helped my the most so far. So anyone who is experiencing a broken skin barrier or chemical burn I would highly recommend. I even slather it on my eyelids and under eyes because they’ve been feeling so tight and dry.

I am wasian, and part of that is my eyelids are very weirdly shaped, and my entire life I’ve struggled with my eyelids developing extremely uncomfortable extra folds and not sitting right on my eyeballs occasionally. Sometimes I can fix it by peeling my eyelids back, sometimes it lasts for months and my face is uncomfortable. Usually it is only one eye affected too, which makes my face very lopsided.

This is an issue my other wasian friends and my siblings have too, but not my white or Asian friends and family. An extremely niche problem.

I have finally found my cure. I have been unable to function with my eyelids sitting so uncomfortably on my face for a few days and I bought nivea crème to see if it would fix it on a whim.

overnight my eyelid changed. It finally matches my other one with a single fold. My skin is glowing. I’ve had kiehls, summer Fridays, Clinique, drunk elephant, l’occitane, la Roche posay and so many others.

a $5 250ml tub from Priceline has cured my problems. Thank you for reading this 🙏 I have not a clue if this will be helpful to most of you but perhaps someone else with the same issue may find a solution

Hype post for Hamilton everyday face. I asked here what would be a dupe for UV supreme screen. Picked it up from chemist warehouse to try out and I am so amazed. One of the more elegant sunscreens i’ve tried that doesn’t cost $50 for 75mL and is made in Australia! Also works really nice under makeup. I wish the 75mL had a pump dispenser if anything but not complaining 🙂‍↔️

Whenever i try to use it burns my eyes i don’t know what it is. Does it happen to u guys too or am i the only lucky one?

I bought this cerave foaming oil cleanser because i thought it was a first step/oil cleanser but it isn’t really. Butttt I’ve been using it to shave with and it’s absolutely incredible. Silky smooth leggies (or other bits) that are hydrated and happy.

I love those products, but you can’t really get Aquaphor in AU (you have to buy it online), and I find that CeraVe is a bit pricey, even for the smaller tube. The La Roche Posay balm is also on the expensive side, so I was looking for a more affordable option that you can easily get here.

This product is basically a petrolatum-based ointment with the same kind of texture as those — great as an occlusive. Of course, Vaseline works just fine, but this is a good option if you just want something with extra humectant ingredients to help with hydration. I been personally using it as a lip balm.

The box even says it’s suitable for babies, and I believe it’s a German brand (you’ve probably seen their bandages in stores).

Here’s the ingredient list: White Petrolatum, Thin Paraffin Oil, Ceresin Wax, Glycerin, Panthenol, Glyceryl Stearate

I have the Naked Sundays collagen glow spf 50 - bought it for a holiday in Thailand in January. It was fab in the tropical heat. Still using it, however I’ve since picked up a tube of Natio Mineral tinted moisturiser spf 50+ and it’s pretty much a dupe! For between $17 and $20 it’s better priced than the naked Sundays. Have been trying it out and comparing, it’s excellent. Have never been much of a fan of Natio, but this one’s a keeper !

Hello everyone,

This post is intended as a review of my experience with hydroquinone 2% for dark spots, for anyone interested in trying it themselves.

- I am 37 and male. My melanin distribution is a Fitzpatrick 2 or 3, where I can tan but mostly burn.

- I have been using sunscreen daily since I turned 30, but the last few years I have noticed some sun spots developing on my cheeks. This may be due to not re-applying sunscreen throughout the day.

- I used John Plunkett's Superfade Cream ($30 for 40mL) twice daily for exactly 3 months. This is an over the counter option we have here in Australia, not a prescription version. I am not affiliated with the brand, it's just what was available at the chemist. You are supposed to take a break after 3 months of use.

- The product was quite harsh for me, and I noticed an increase in redness and small acne marks over the course of treatment. It is very occlusive and contains some petrolatum, I believe this is what my skin didn't like so much.

- Sorry for the low quality images, but I estimate that I saw a 30% reduction in pigment after I'd finished the three months. The sun spots are still there, but have lightened a modest amount. I also believe I saw a modest improvement in texture as the cream contains 1.5% Salicylic Acid.

I am happy with the reduction in pigment but could frankly do without the redness or acne marks. I wasn't expecting them to disappear in three months but the trade-off in other skin concerns wasn't quite worth it for me.

Next, I will try returning to Adapalene and will layer it with 5% tranexamic acid cream (Celimax) as I have heard the combination of retinol and tranexamic acid can yield similar results to hydroquinone. If I don't see results, I will try laser.

Thank you!

Tret comes up here a lot - and I’ve found a place that seems to be a new source for Aussies to obtain tret from the comfort of our homes. I couldn’t see this site mentioned in any of the other recent threads on this.

TLDR: it feels kinda dodgy and like it doesn’t fully comply with our local laws, but it’s a local site that claims to be legit. YMMV but I’m pretty happy so far. I didn’t get scammed!

Like many of us hitting 40 (what, just me?) I figured I’d better pull my finger out and actually get myself some tret, after thinking about it since my mid 30s. I’d had a GP refuse me in the past and I don’t see a dermatologist, so I didn’t have an easy path to it.

I read the various threads here and did a bit of googling, which is where I found My Tretinoin Shop (https://www.tretinoinshop.com.au/). It says it’s an Australian site that will help you with a script and then has a whole range of tret and other pharmacy-only creams available for purchase. I didn’t try to buy from them using a script not provided by them, so not sure how that would work. There was both a NSW and a WA address on their website at various points, but it’s clearly online only.

They have a very simple form to fill out on their website for a script, including asking exactly what product you want. I filled this form in on 6 Oct at night I think, and had a reply in my inbox the next day.

The email ‘prescription’ doesn’t look like any other prescription I’ve ever received - it’s literally an email back with confirmation of how to use the product and some very brief notes. The email gives a first name for the doctor but no surname, provider number etc. I very much doubt you could take this to your local chemist and get it filled. They confirmed what I’d chosen, but didn’t suggest any other products or say my choice was unsuitable. I did ask for 0.025%, I don’t know what would happen if I asked to go straight to 0.1% or something.

I ordered on the night of 7 Oct and it was delivered on 17 Oct. It came from an Australian address via AusPost. Packaging was very basic and the box of the product was damaged, but the tube was pristine and had the seal still intact. Nothing on the box was personalized to me, so no stickers or dosage info like you would get from the normal chemist. From info on the box looks like this product is manufactured in India and imported to Singapore - no Australian data on the box at all. So I’m presuming some kind of grey market? I don’t know how any of this works tbh.

Obviously I’m too early to speak to the product itself, but I was kinda concerned the site was a scam - but it wasn’t, at least for me.

The prices are very good compared to what I see on here: I paid $48.59 in total for the 0.025% gel, which was $35.60 for the product (RRP $39.95 less the 11% code plastered all over their site) and $12.99 shipping.

I hope that helps some of you! I’ll try to answer any questions if you have them.