Recently, a reader asked me to research and review Remergent High Intensity DNA Repair SPF 30 ($94.95, SkincareRx.com). The company’s “super concentrated” product claims to “protect your skin from the sun as well as help to regenerate your skin and heal the damage that has already been done.” But does the product live up to the hype?
Not “super” concentrated, after all
Based on the ingredients list provided by SkincareRx.com, the product is a physical sunscreen with 5.1% Titanium Dioxide and 0.97% Zinc Oxide. Unfortunately, many products, like Blue Lizard Australian Suncream for Sensitive Skin ($13.19 for two, Amazon.com) provide more sun protection, with 5.0% Titanium Dioxide and over ten times the Zinc Oxide, with a full 10% Zinc Oxide. It may also be noted that microfine zinc oxide absorbs appreciably more UV light in the long-wave UVA spectrum from 340 to 380 nm, according to Dr. Leslie Baumann’s Cosmetic Dermatology textbook. As a result, Remergent High Intensity DNA Repair SPF 30 does not provide more concentrated zinc oxide than other cheaper competitors.
Two network antioxidants, vitamin C and vitamin E, are included in the product as tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate and tocopheryl acetate, respectively. The combination of vitamin C and vitamin E synergistically enhance the power of one another, and have been reported by Djerassi et. al. to prevent the formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines (although in different forms of C and E). Vitamin C and vitamin E have also been shown in this 1996 study, amongst others, to enhance the photoprotective effects of sunscreen. Unfortunately, vitamin C and vitamin E are in low concentration in this product, as they are both amongst the bottom three ingredients on the list.
Extremely hydrating
The product contains cetearyl alcohol (which is one of the hydrating alcohols), glycerin, arachidyl alcohol, arachidyl glucoside, and several other ingredients as emollients. Unfortunately, this gives the product a very thick texture that is unappealing to some users.
Overall?
I do not like this product. It contains little vitamin C and vitamin E for the money, and its sun protection can be beaten for a fraction of the cost. Save your money! Or, if you are going to spend this much on antioxidant vitamins C and E and sunscreen, try one of my favorite products, Skinceuticals C E Ferulic ($95.99, Amazon.com), which contains a full 15% vitamin C as L-ascorbic acid, vitamin E as tocopherol acetate, and ferulic acid as a stabilizer, with a potent broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen layered over top, like Neutrogena Dry Touch Ultra Sheer Sunblock SPF 70 ($18.49 for two, Amazon.com), . Overall rating of Remergent High Intensity DNA Repair SPF 30: 2/10 (expensive, good antioxidants but very low concentration of them, decent sun protection but not for the cost!)
Ingredients
Active Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide 5.1%, Octinoxate 5%, Oxybenzone 3%, Zinc Oxide 0.97%. Other Ingredients: Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Arachidyl Alcohol, Alumina, Arachidyl Glucoside, Behenyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate/Triethoxycarpylylsilane, Crosspolymer, Lecithin, Micrococus Lysate, Plankton Extract, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Steareth-2, Steareth-21, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Xanthan Gum