The Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer All Day Moisture Defense® Lotion may have the longest product name ever (10 words!), however, it claims to be far more lightweight as an “anti-aging hydrator with moisturizers, ceramides, soothing aloe and broad spectrum SPF 30 protection.” Summer may be over, but sunscreen should never be seasonal, so it’s time to see if this holds up as a daily moisturizer that can be used all year round.
Price: $42
Find it HERE
Tested October 2020
Always one to try anything that might be 2-in-1, a multi-tasker or a routine simplifier, I picked up this Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer All Day Moisture Defense® Lotion a few months back when it was on sale at Sephora for around $30. [Side nide: I can’t type that crazy long name out again. I’ll try to trim at least a few words and call it the Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer Defense Lotion.]
I wanted this moisturizer with SPF 30 to cut out the need to apply both a standalone SPF and moisturizer in the morning. I fell for phrases in the product description like “lasting hydration” and “ultra-light,” and figured if it contained ceramides and aloe AND vitamins A, C and E it had to be good.
Well, I’ve used this for many days and while it is an SPF and moisturizer in one, it is also not something I would buy again, even for the sale price. I have a few very specific reasons this did not work well for me.
First, calling it “ultra-light” is a huge misnomer. One pump of this lotion comes out somewhat chunky and takes a long time to blend into the skin because it’s thick and heavy on the white cast. And in case you’re wondering if this is because it’s old or out of code, my bottle has an expiration date of 09/22 clearly stamped on the bottle (which I do appreciate).
Second, this product has such a strong traditional sunscreen smell, it’s too much for me to tolerate all over my face. It lingers for a few hours (!!) and smells just like the thick, yucky sunscreen no kid wanted to wear at the beach when we were little.
Third, this has an incredibly shiny finish once applied to the face. Unfortunately, I don’t mean in a pretty, luminous way; instead, it comes across oily (although this product is oil-free) or slightly sweaty all over. The shine also transfers to anything that touches your face once the lotion is applied. I tapped the back of my hand lightly to my forehead and my hand was shiny and instantly smelled like gross sunscreen too.
Now that I’ve tried the amazing Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen (read our dual review here), I know that I don’t have to settle for thick, white, smelly SPF any longer. Although the vitamins, aloe and ceramides in the Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer Defense Lotion sound great and this product did provide me with adequate moisturization, there are far more drawbacks than positives here. I would rather apply two standalone products than this moisturizer/SPF hybrid.
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