Frezyderm Sunscreen Color Velvet Review: Tinted SPF for Oily, Acne-prone Skin
If there’s one skincare product that deserves to go viral, it’s the Frezyderm sunscreen. Despite being around for some time, it baffles me why big skinfluencers are not raving about this.
For me, this tinted sunscreen is nothing short of a holy grail.
The backstory goes like this: I was contemplating my existence, and I thought a sunscreen that doubles as makeup would surely ease the pain and suffering of existing. (Dear reader, I am both joking and half-joking.)
So, I turned to YouTube for tinted sunscreen reviews and stumbled upon a video from a Filipina who adores Frezyderm sunscreen. Her dermatologist had recommended it, and she never looked back.
When I finally got my hands on it, my expectations were high—and I’m happy to report, it did not disappoint.
It truly came to my rescue!
So, I’m bringing you this Frezyderm Sunscreen Color Velvet review because it may be the product that helps if you share my existential concern.
ACNE MANAGEMENT TIP
“It is important to treat your acne so that breakouts no longer occur. However, while you wait for your acne treatments to take effect, masking the symptoms of acne with makeup can ease your discomfort in public and raise your self-confidence.” –acne.org
My take: A tinted sunscreen with foundation-like coverage is a good alternative!
Fast Facts about Frezyderm Sunscreen Color Velvet
My Skin Type and Concerns
Product Features
Packaging
Straight out of the box, the sunscreen bottle gives a medical skincare vibe. It’s got that sleek white plastic, shaped like a test tube, encased in a clear plastic.
It uses an airless pump mechanism which allows for dispensing the sunscreen in controlled amounts and minimizing contamination by preventing direct contact. (When using it for the first time, you have to twist and pump it a few times before the product comes out.)
The pump, however, can feel a little tad fragile. I had one bottle that stopped working after a few months. The good news is that I never had that same problem with my subsequent orders. Maybe just one dud pump among the thousands of good ones.
Frezyderm Sunscreen Color Velvet Ingredients
Isododecane, Octocrylene, Dimethicone/Bis-Isobutyl Ppg-20 Crosspolymer, Titanium Dioxide, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Dibutyl Adipate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Ethyl Ferulate, Tocopherol, Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate, Glass Beads, Caprylyl Glycol, Silica, Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499
UV Filters
NOTE: Please remember that looking at the ingredient list isn’t a foolproof way to know if a product will suit your skin. More importantly than the individual ingredients, it is the formulation that plays a crucial role in how well a sunscreen performs and feels on your skin.
While ingredient awareness is a good starting point, personal experience and trial remain essential in finding the right sunscreen that suits your lifestyle needs and preferences.
How about reef-safe sunscreens? There are studies claiming that sunscreen damages coral reefs; however, these studies have poor methodology designs. Common sense tells us that if we submerge corals in a sunscreen solution, they will, of course, die.
However, this controlled laboratory experiment does not reflect real-world conditions. More reliable and substantial evidence is needed, and scientists are working on them.
For now, reef-safe sunscreen is just another marketing story. So save yourself from worrying about this.
Frezyderm Sunscreen Color Velvet Review: Product Claims vs My Experience
I have been using Frezyderm Sunscreen Color Velvet since July 2022, giving me two years of experience to evaluate its claims.
Has this product overpromised and underdelivered? Or is it true to its claims?
Product Claim # 1: covers discoloration, scars and skin imperfections
My Experience: It does cover my skin’s discoloration like redness and dark spots—they don’t peek through because of the foundation-like coverage. Not only does it cover my discoloration, but it’s also good at concealing my active acne.
It smooths and minimizes the visibility of my acne scars. Although the scar texture remains the same, a good lighting situation should easily fix this!
Product Claim # 2: matches with all skin tones to offer perfect, discreet coverage and a flawless, even complexion
My Experience: The tint matches my skin tone. But here’s the irony of a universal tint—it will not match all skin tones.
However, I’ve read reviews, mostly from Filipinas, who found that it adapted well to their skin tones. It’s worth noting that Filipina skin tones can range from morena (deep brown) to mestiza (fair).
I believe the best way to see if you can still enjoy the Frezyderm’s foundation-like tint is to mix it with its untinted sister, Frezyderm Sunscreen Velvet.
But I strongly discourage mixing Frezyderm with other sunscreen brands because we are not cosmetic chemists, ladies. We don’t want to ruin the formulation and cause sunscreen filters to cancel out each other. That’s bad news for our sun protection.
Personally, I’ve experimented with using Frezyderm Sunscreen Velvet (untinted) as a base layer and Frezyderm Sunscreen Color Velvet (tinted) on top. I’m pleased with the result. This is something you may want to experiment if using two fingerlengths of the tinted version turns you off.
But I use two fingerlengths of Frezyderm Sunscreen Color Velvet which leads me to the next point…
Is the coverage discreet? Even with two fingerlengths, it does not feel heavy and does not look cakey.
Do I look flawless? I think it still depends on the lighting.
Do I look like I have an even complexion? A million yeses!
Product Claim # 3: creates the feeling of an invisible second skin (Second Skin Technology), leaving the skin feeling velvety
My Experience: Frezyderm Sunscreen Color Velvet is one of the cosmetically elegant tinted sunscreens I have used. The tinted mineral sunscreens I tried had to be rubbed in to blend into my skin. Yet, no matter how diligent I was with my blending, they looked and felt like they were on top of my skin.
It’s a different story with Frezyderm, it does feel like my second skin. It has a creamy consistency that glides smoothly. It does leave the skin feeling velvety—the product is lightweight and gives a soft focus effect.
It also performs well when layered with other products. Even when used over a thick serum like IUNIK Beta-Glucan Serum, Frezyderm doesn’t pill.
I also appreciate that, when I experienced severe irritation from using Tretinoin (which makes me hesitant to use it again), my skin was completely fine with Frezyderm Sunscreen Color Velvet. While I was recovering, this tinted sunscreen effectively concealed the redness, helping me feel confident and less self-conscious when going outside.
Now, I think that’s what you call second skin.
Product Claim # 4: provides a matte finish for 6 hours and absorbs excess oil and sebum
My Experience: Blame it on my genes, but it didn’t mattify my face for 6 hours. I have been extremely oily my whole life, so I don’t think this product will cut it.
But to clarify, this sunscreen gives me a matte finish when freshly applied on my face. I use Etude Sebum Soak Pact to help with oil control, but still, my face won’t stay matte for 6 hours.
Oh well, this is an oily gal’s life!
Product Claim # 5: non-oily texture
My Experience: The best way I can describe the sunscreen’s consistency is it’s a hybrid between a cream and a gel. And when you rub it in, it does give that powdery feel but not dry or chalky. So yes, it has a non-oily texture!
Product Claim # 6: softens the appearance of wrinkles
My Experience: I have fine lines under my eyes, and I am unsure if I have ever experienced a softening effect on them. I believe it’s the lighting condition that will dictate if wrinkles will be pronounced or not.
My conclusion: If you use this tinted sunscreen that gives a foundation-like coverage and you’re in a lighting environment that flatters you, there will be a softening effect on the wrinkles.
Product Claim # 7: prevents signs of photoageing caused by sun exposure
My Experience: I don’t have UV photos of myself to compare my before and after results. The thing is I am not solely relying on sunscreen for sun protection: I have a humble collection of hats to help me in preventing sun damage, especially when I’m out and about and I can’t reapply my sunscreen.
When using sunscreen, we can’t see the immediate effects. But as long as we’re consistent in applying the correct amount of sunscreen and using other sun protection measures, it’s enough to say we’re preventing at least the early signs of photoageing (because we can’t prevent ageing from happening anyway).
Product Claim # 8: water-resistant
My Experience: Although I love this sunscreen to pieces, I consider this claim sketchy. Both EU and US regulations require companies to conduct specific tests to prove their sunscreen’s water resistance.
Additionally, labels must indicate the duration of water resistance (e.g., water-resistant for 40 minutes or 80 minutes). Therefore, I wouldn’t recommend using this sunscreen for swimming or outdoor activities.
Overall, this Frezyderm Sunscreen Color Velvet Review shows it’s true to most of its claims.
Is Frezyderm Sunscreen Color Velvet a Nice Tinted SPF for Oily, Acne-prone Skin?
Skin Type Compatibility
With my two years of experience with the product, I can confirm that it lives up to its claims of having a non-oily texture and providing a velvety, second-skin feeling. While it didn’t deliver a six-hour mattifying effect for me—likely due to my extremely oily skin—I believe it could work well for others.
And have I told you Filipinas, who face tropical weather daily in my home country, absolutely adore Frezyderm for its wearability in such conditions?
When recommending this product, I’m often asked if it causes breakouts. Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer for that as noncomedogenic label doesn’t mean anything.
For context, I’m acne-prone on my nose, chin, and jawline, but I rarely break out on my forehead and cheeks. In my two years with Frezyderm, it hasn’t caused any breakouts on my forehead or cheeks, so I believe my lower face breakouts has nothing to do with this product.
I guess the best answer to the question would be this: Try Frezyderm and don’t use any new product in your routine so you can easily track if Frezyderm is causing you breakouts.
Skin Benefits
I’ve written in my article No-Nonsense, Affordable Skincare Routine for Acne-prone Skin that
sunscreen protects from UV light that creates dark spots and induces the skin to flare up with more acne.
But aside from the protection that Frezyderm Sunscreen Color Velvet provides against UV light, it also provides protection from visible light. Tinted sunscreens are suited to do that job because of the presence of iron oxides in their formulation.
Protection from visible light means it can reduce the appearance of redness and dark spots on the skin. Remember that since we are acne-prone, we are also pigmentation-prone.
That benefit alone proves this sunscreen is a nice tinted SPF for oily, acne-prone skin.
Problems You May Encounter When Using Frezyderm Sunscreen Color Velvet
Price
This sunscreen is certainly in the $$ price range. But I don’t want you to dismiss the product just because of its price. I am certainly not your rich friend, but I have a minimal skincare routine that frees my budget and allows me to afford this.
Eye Sensitivity
I have sensitive skin, and I have never experienced any irritation from using this sunscreen. I even used Frezyderm when I had irritation from using Tretinoin. Although it’s mild on my skin, it does sting my eyes.
The solution: Use mineral sunscreen around the eye area.
Staining
If you wear foundation, you know the struggle of keeping clothes from staining. It’s the same problem with tinted sunscreen, but you can always use a reusable makeup protector.
Dries Out
It has a tendency to dry out over time. While the product will still pump out, it can become difficult to blend on the skin. But perhaps, it’s my fault because either I forgot to twist the pump close or I just bought another tinted sunscreen to try because I like something cheaper I guess.
Where to Purchase Frezyderm Sunscreen Color Velvet?
I buy mine from Amazon US, and the price usually ranges from $27 to $31.
If buying personal products from Amazon is not something that you prefer, you can order it either from the Frezyderm website for $34.99 or Care to Beauty for $39.60. (I believe their prices go down during sales.)
To be honest, this product reached a holy grail status in my sunscreen wardrobe because I have attempted several times to replace this product with something cheaper. But nothing has satisfied me yet like Frezyderm.
After reading this quite long (but admit it, this is comprehensive) Frezyderm Sunscreen Color Velvet Review, are you going to give this a try?
