Daily Facial Moisturizer SPF 50 vs Daily Sun Serum SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen: which is safer?
Daily Sun Serum SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen is our pick, better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Cetaphil
Daily Facial Moisturizer SPF 50
PFAS grade
Excellent 75/100
Overall grade
Good 67/100
Verdict
Buy
Hazard flags
⚑ 2
Material
water-based emulsion, mineral UV filters (likely titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide)
Confidence
72%
PossibleFragrance allergens
Possible1,4-dioxane (manufacturing contaminant)
Our pick
Derma E
Daily Sun Serum SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen
PFAS grade
Excellent 100/100
Overall grade
Excellent 92/100
Verdict
Buy
Hazard flags
⚑ 2
Material
Mineral sunscreen, zinc oxide base
Confidence
88%
Possible1,4-dioxane (non-intentional contaminant from surfactants/emulsifiers)
PossibleFragrance allergens (if fragrance is present)
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Fragrance allergens and 1,4-dioxane (manufacturing contaminant) on the Cetaphil and not on the Derma E.
- We flag 1,4-dioxane (non-intentional contaminant from surfactants/emulsifiers) and Fragrance allergens (if fragrance is present) on the Derma E and not on the Cetaphil.
- The Cetaphil is water-based emulsion, mineral UV filters (likely titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide) where the Derma E is Mineral sunscreen, zinc oxide base, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 25 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Derma E is the one to buy.
Both products run through the same public rubric, which covers materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →
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