Best anti-age advice I ever received was: protect your skin from the sun! We are heading to the hottest season, which means lots of sun exposure and higher levels of UV rays. So, here is the good news: there is in Switzerland a newly arrived brand offering sun protection products which are also Organic and Vegan friendly. Yep, that brand is Coola!


I have recently been introduced to Coola, which is a San Diego based luxury organic sunscreen company. All Coola products are formulated with 70-97% certified organic ingredients, are also vegan and reef friendly. Their Organic Suncare Collection is very large, there is something for everyone. I got the chance to test various products, today I'd like to focus on the face care, specially because I like using SPF all year round on my face and sometimes it is not easy to make sun protection and makeup compatible. So let's take a look.

 Coola Classic Face SPF30 Cucumber



This is a moisturizer with SPF 30 and a broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection, which is packed with organic ingredients beneficial to the skin as Rose Hips, Clove and Bergamot Extracts. I find it refreshing, lightweight, with a fresh and ever so slight cucumber scent. What I like the most about it is that it really replaces my moisturizer, it is so nice to skip a layer on my face routine, specially in hot months. This can be a perfect everyday moisturizer and can be worn under makeup.The active ingredient is Avobenzone (2%) which is a chemical and not a mineral sunscreen. This means it will not leave a white cast on your skin.



See how my skin looks softer and moisturised after applying it!
I have adopted this moisturizer in my everyday routine for the past ten days, and I think it is a great option for girls over 30 with some extra moisturizing needs. I do not know if I would recommend it to oily skin gals, but you never know until you try, do you?

Contains 50 ml and retails for 39,00 CHF. Available on Coola website

Coola Mineral Face SPF30 Unscented Matte Tint - BB Cream

 


This is a BB cream, again 30 SPF, claiming moisturizing properties coming from an impressive list of organic ingredients including Rose hip oil, Evening primrose, Shea butter and Plankton. This formula is recommended for normal to oily skin. It has a matte finish, and light tint. I LOVE its texture!! It somewhat reminds me of Benefit Porefessional primer, with its smooth silicone feeling, but with a mineral sunscreen SPF 30.




 Is this a TRUE BB cream? well, in my experience, what it truly does is smoothing and mattifying, but not covering or evening out the skin tone. I personally would not use it as a BB cream on its own unless I'm spending the day, let's say, on the beach. But, what is really great about it, if you have oily skin and enlarged pores, this could be moisturizer/primer/sunscreen all in one (I'm kissing it right now, I know, what can you do?). For me, I still would need some extra light moisturizing beneath it. But I can imagine in a very hot day I'd skip my day cream and go just with this one under makeup.

The active ingredients in this one are Titanium Dioxide (3.2%) and Zinc Oxide (1.8 %), two mineral very effective sunblocks.Magically the light tint and the matte texture contribute for this product not to have a whitening effect at all on your skin.

Contains 50 ml and retails for 44,00 CHF. Available on Coola website

Coola Mineral Face SPF20 Unscented

 


Again a moisturiser, which combines all the benefits of organic ingredients  (Acai Fruit Oil, Cucumber Fruit Extract, Glycerin, Linseed Seed Oil, Orange Fruit Oil, Safflower Seed Oil,
Sunflower Seed Extract) with SPF, this time is SPF 20. This one is recommended for normal to dry skin.
In total honesty this is my least favourite. It does not feels as lightweight on the skin as the Classic one, but it surely is refreshing and super moisturizing. I feel it slightly richer than my skin needs in Summer. I guess it will benefit a lot people with dry skin (dryer than mine!). However, of the three, this is the one that seem the most light reflective, so you get a bit of the (in)famous white cast on your face. It is quite minimal though.



Being too rich for me is the reason which puts me off wearing this cream everyday under makeup, specially in Summer when I prefer lighter moisturizers. It would be ideal to b worn for outdoors activities though, on days I skip makeup, but in my case I tend to choose higher SPF (at least 30) if I'm going to spend long time in direct sun exposure, since I'm prone to sun allergy. That is why I'm a little on the fence with this one. However I could give this one a try in fall/winter when my skin is dryer and the sun rays are weaker. (The active ingredient is Titanium dioxide 4.2 %).

Contains 50 ml and retails for 44,00 CHF. Available on Coola website

Coola Liplux SPF30 Original

 


An all-in-one lip treatment that moisturises and protects with SPF30 and broad spectrum UVA/UVB sunscreen protection. G L O R I O U S. Full stop.
Oh! wait, I need to tell you more. It is superextramegaarchi moisturizing, does not feel sticky or waxy on the lips, and penetrates quickly leaving that plumpy soft feeling for many hours. It is completely colourless, you could never tell all these active ingredients are protecting the thin and ever so delicate skin of your lips:
Active ingredients:
Octinoxate (Sunscreen) 7.25%
Octisalate (Sunscreen) 5.0%
Avobenzone (Sunscreen) 3.0%
Octocrylene (Sunscreen) 2.8%




Should I add that Liplux is all you can ask from a lipbalm PLUS SPF 30 ? :)
Contains 4.4g and retails for 15,00 CHF. Available on Coola website

My overall impression is a very good quality range for the face, with options for all skin types,  luxurious formulations and skin pampering, and natural ingredients, which is not only thought for outdoor activity protection and vacation time, but also for city girls that need sun protection all year round and can keep wearing their flawless makeup.


Coola products are available in Switzerland on a selection of Manor-Sanovit point of sales (Lugano, Ascona, Geneve, Lausanne, Bienne and Chur) with more to come later, and also online at www.coolasuncare.ch

Have you heard of Coola brand before?  What products do you use to protect your skin from the sun? Do you wear sun protection under makeup?

Love,
Nati