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You know that wearing sunscreen is the singular most important thing to keep your skin looking its best at any age. And yet you simply can’t bring yourself to do it. Because finding a sunscreen you actually want to wear every day can be surprisingly difficult. Some feel heavy and greasy, others pill underneath makeup, sting the eyes, or leave your skin looking shinier than you’d like by lunchtime. And just because we know sunscreen is one of the most effective anti-aging products available, that doesn’t necessarily make applying it any more enjoyable.
Enter: the new Geek & Gorgeous Zero Feel SPF 50, promising high broad-spectrum protection, a matte finish, and perhaps most intriguingly, a “zero feel” experience on the skin. In other words: a sunscreen you stop thinking about shortly after applying it.
But can it really deliver on these claims? I think we’ve all had our hopes up high before only to end up disappointed. I put it to the test and am here to tell you how it really behaves on more mature skin.
Spoiler: I think Geek & Gorgeous has done some things exceptionally well. There are, however, a few skin types that may enjoy it less.
Let’s take a closer look.
What the Geek and Gorgeous Zero Feel SPF 50 claims
A gentle, zero after-feel daily sunscreen with new-generation organic UV filters. Its fast-absorbing formula leaves a matte, non-greasy finish & feels like nothing on the skin. Gives broad-spectrum SPF 50 and UVA-PF 30 protection. Does not sting the eyes.
Facts about the Geek and Gorgeous Zero Feel SPF 50
Price and size
One tube contains 75 ml, which is more than your average sunscreen, and is available for 12,90 € on the website here. Or at least it should be, right after release it was immediately sold out and has only come back in stock for short periods of time, speaking to the attention it caused upon release.
The website also discloses a pH of 7–7.5, which is slightly higher than what we usually see in skincare. In this case that’s necessary because one of the UV filters used, Ensulizone, performs best at this pH.
Texture and smell
This is where the first caveat appears: Despite being called zero feel, the product that comes out of the tube actually feels quite substantial both in touch and when applied to the skin. This is neither a gel nor one of these light lotions, it feels like a proper cream, which initially put me off. After around 30 seconds though, it has completely absorbed. And by absorbed I mean it feels as if it is completely gone, no tackiness, not even the lightest trace of product left. If you’re someone who spends the entire day being aware that you’re wearing sunscreen, this is where Zero Feel truly earns its name.
The finish, a little dewy right upon application, dries down to a beautiful natural matte. Think you did your skincare routine and then dusted a light layer of powder on top: Not flat matte, but elegant and velvety to the touch.
I didn’t notice any scent.
How to use the Geek and Gorgeous Zero Feel SPF 50
Now I am pretty sure I don’t need to tell you how to use your sunscreen: It goes on as last step in your routine in the mornings or on top of whatever you are wearing during the day should you want to reapply. (More info: The best way to reapply sunscreen over makeup) The key thing with any sunscreen s to apply the adequate amount, something I found initially challenging with this one. It feels so rich at first that I was afraid it would leave my skin feeling suffocated, and it took me a few times to learn to trust the process. No matter how much you apply, it will always disappear into the skin, leaving zero heaviness behind.
In fact it disappeared so completely that I with my 47 year old skin felt the need to wear something hydrating underneath as long as the mornings were still a little colder. Because when I say it feels like nothing, that is true both in a positive and in a negative way: There is no hint of sunscreen feeling left. But also not much hydration.
Thankfully it worked beautiful with all the different moisturizers I paired it with, never pilled and felt like one of these velvety blurring primers when used underneath makeup. Oh, and it could be taken right around the eyes without any irritation.
Is the Geek and Gorgeous Zero Feel SPF 50 water resistant?
I can hear what you think: That sounds like the perfect sunscreen for the summer. Maybe I could wear it to the beach? Well, you obviously could, but need to understand that this sunscreen is, as of now, not labelled water resistant. The brand released some preliminary results according to which around half of the protection remains after water exposure, but right now that only makes me worry less if my day gets more sweaty than anticipated. For the beach I would still reach for something that has the label water resistant (something that Zero Feel might get in the process), just to be sure. Obviously that doesn’t prevent you from having to reapply after swimming and toweling dry, but if you don’t get around to doing it right the second you leave the water, there is at least some protection left.
Ingredients of the Geek and Gorgeous Zero Feel SPF 50
sunsc, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate emo|amic, Ethylhexyl Triazone sunsc, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine sunsc, Silica vc, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate emo|emu, Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid sunsc, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate emo, Tapioca Starch vc, Glycerin 
sii|h 0 0, Poly C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate vc, Dimethicone emo 0 1, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax emo 0 1, Behenyl Alcohol emo|vc, Cetearyl Alcohol emo|vc|emu|surf 1 2, Xanthan Gum vc, Carbomer vc 0 1, Sodium Hydroxide buff, Tocopheryl Acetate aox 0 0, Disodium EDTA chel, Hydroxyacetophenone aox|pres, Ethylhexylglycerin pres, Phenoxyethanol presHover the mouse over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.
Now when I say this is a basic formula, I mean basic as a compliment. I don’t want my sunscreen to do a ton of extras, I mainly want it to do one thing and that is protect me from the sun! For that, there are a bunch of modern organic filters (organic meaning chemical here, it has nothing to do with food or similar things): Uvinul A plus, Uvinul T 150, Tinosorb S and the Ensulizone I mentioned before, providing broad spectrum coverage in the UVA and UVB spectrum. The use of these filters means that the sunscreen is probably not available in the US in this version, as these filters aren’t all available for formulating there.
On top of that there is Tapioca Starch and Silica for mattifying, Glycerin for hydration and a few things to keep the formula stable and spreadable.
More info: How to read the ingredient list in your skincare and The difference between chemical, physical and mineral sunscreen filters
How valid are the SPF claims?
Depending on your age, you have lived with me through „sunscreen gate“ when a well loved lightweight formula turned out to have only a fraction of the SPF it claimed, and it left you a little scared that this might happen again. After all, none of us have the means to measure actual protection at home, and looking at the filters used can only give you a tiny slice of information, but never the whole picture.
Well, Geek & Gorgeous actually disclosed unusually detailed testing information, which is something I appreciate (and which is still not the norm!) According to them, they did run their protection testing with two independent labs to make sure they got a comparable number to what they were aiming for and also tested their finished product against three other sunscreens from “globally recognised manufacturers” (of course they didn’t share product names and details here) with the results apparently coming back highly satisfying.
While that still means I have to rely on the brands claims it makes me confident it offers the protection it claims which, at least in my opinion, is the most important claim a sunscreen should live up to.
How does it compare to…
SKIN1004 Hyalu-Cica Water Fit Sun Serum SPF 50+
This is my go to sunscreen for most of the year as it is lightweight, but hydrating and I am confident in the protection as well. While it feels less upon application, it is much more hydrating, which translates into being more noticeable on the skin. Not in an unpleasant way, but it definitely isn’t zero feel. Still on my mature and slightly dehydrated skin, it is more comfortable as long as it isn’t the hottest part of the year. I never thought I’D say that, but at my age a little more hydration and a hint of dewiness are quite welcome.
You can read my full review of the SKIN1004 Hyalu-Cica Water Fit Sun Serum SPF 50+ here.
La Roche Posay Anthelios UVMune 400 SPF 50 +
This is (and has been for a while) my go to summer outdoors sunscreen. Not because it is lightweight – it isn’t heavy, but you can feel it on the skin more than others – but because it has very good broad spectrum coverage and is water resistant. As someone that struggles a lot with hyperpigmentation, good UVA protection when I know I will be exposed to the sun is paramount, and this offers the best compromise between texture and protection I have found. It is what I reach for when I go for a hike, to the beach or just know I will be outdoors for a while during the height of summer.
You can read my full review of the La Roche Posay Anthelios UVMune 400 SPF 50 + here.
Would I repurchase and which skin types do I recommend the to?
The people I see loving this most are not sunscreen enthusiasts, but people who simply want sunscreen to stop being a daily annoyance.
I had the chance to experiment with it during the recent heat wave here in Germany and really appreciated how it disappeared into nothingness on these days. Now should it ever get back I stock for long enough so I can pick one up, I will surely get myself another bottle. Not for everyday year round, I think that is reserved for people with normal to oily skins, but for the upcoming summer. For the rest of the year I will most likely stick to more hydrating options that suit my older skin. While you could totally use a hydrating cream first and this one on top, I usually prefer my routine to have as little steps as possible,
Who will hate this?
There is no one product that will work for everyone, and this one is no exception. While it might be holy grail for oily skin types and those that don’t want any product fee on their skin at all, there are some that won’t get along with it:
- very dry skins – unless you plan to layer it on a rich moisturizer anyway
- people that want their skin to have a little glow – this is a very elegant matte
- people that want their sunscreen to provide hydration
If you fall into any of these categories and have tried the product, please share if you agree or disagree with me here.
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