A surprise entry into my “favourite SPFs” category: the new Pro-Collagen Marine Cream SPF30 from Elemis. I’m a little dithery about the original Marine Cream; I like the silky, fast-absorbing feel, but simultaneously it doesn’t have quite the moisturising “oomph” which i want from a high-end cream.
And it's high-end, price-wise; I always expect it to be within the realms of fifty or sixty-ish quid, about the same as a pot of Lauder’s anti-wrinkle cream – but it’s lb80 for 50ml. Twenty pounds a lot more than Sunday Riley’s brilliant Tidal Cream, and twice as expensive as Elemis’s own Hydra-Balance Day Cream, which I think is a bit nicer than Marine.
But I don’t believe that my opinion is by any means the norm – Marine Cream is hugely popular, and on virtually any consumer feedback section, be it Amazon or QVC or Makeup Alley, it's hundreds of positive reviews and five star ratings. My own mother is a big Marine Cream user because (she says, and that i quote) “it’s creamy to apply but absorbs quickly. I like that it becomes a part of your skin rather than coating it and turning you into an iced bun. Also,” says Mother, “it has a gorgeous smell.”
I’ve always been a bit dithery about the smell personally – you have to really, really like a scent to want it on your face.
And so weirdly, since it has exactly the same smell because the original, when it came to the new Marine Cream SPF30 it was “love initially wear”. What a beautiful sun cream! So light and fresh-feeling, this type of silky-slip to the application – you would never, ever in a million years guess that this contained SPF. It’s as hydrating because the original cream (so not rich or buttery, but will the job) and there’s simply no greasy residue. It absorbs quickly, it glides over the skin, there’s no chalky feeling or that weird feeling of grubbiness+ that you can sometimes get… I’m so impressed.
Marine Cream SPF30 makes all of the same promises as the original cream (it reduces fine lines and wrinkles, increases hydration, provides a toned, firmed appearance) but ticks an extra (massively important) box when it comes to keeping skin healthy and youthful, and that’s the broad spectrum sunscreen box. Admittedly, the cream is in a jar and so you’re never going to be taking this to the beach to reapply throughout the day (it would be a pit of grit within seconds) but for those who apply their SPF in the morning and don’t spend a large proportion of the day outdoors, it’s an attractive option. Luxurious in feel and quick to apply.
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I can see that the Marine Cream SPF30 will have huge attract Elemis customers who perhaps don’t currently use an SPF on a regular basis – the fact that it’s pleasant to make use of might capture the beauty hearts of the whole group of people who have previously hated the textures and finishes of the sunscreens they’ve tried. I will be interested to see the reviews about this, as and when they start to appear!
Elemis Marine Cream SPF30 is as pricey as the original – lb82 for 50ml – but during the time of writing, I can see it on Amazon for lb67.15*. (That’s Amazon luxury, “sold and dispatched by” – it’s a bona fide product.) You can also find it at Feel Unique* and Elemis* online.
+grubbiness: please let me know that other people get this? You know when you apply a sunscreen and an hour later you want to claw it all off with your fingernails since it feels as though you’ve spent each day cleaning out your attic as well as your face is covered in dust and dirt? Maybe it’s just me. Ugh. SPF grubbiness. I’ll have none of this here.
