Clinique Super City Block Ultra Protection SPF 40 for skin with dark spots

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Questions and answers

What the research says

• Cosmetic formulations containing a liposomal dispersion of magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, alpha-lipoic acid, and kinetin provided photoprotection against UV damage in hairless mouse skin and enhanced stratum corneum and deeper layer skin moisture in human volunteers after four weeks of daily applications.

  Photochemistry and Photobiology, 2012

• Topical 0.5% hyaluronic-ZnO nanogel applied twice daily reduced inflammatory-lesion counts by 58% at week four in human subjects compared to baseline without causing erythema.

  Biomedicines, 2025

• Nels cream achieved a similar reduction in inflammatory and noninflammatory lesion counts compared to 5% benzoyl peroxide in acne vulgaris patients, but caused significantly fewer side-effects such as peeling and dryness.

  Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2000

• Topically applied coated and uncoated zinc oxide nanoparticles under flexing and massage are retained in the stratum corneum with no significant penetration into the viable epidermis and no cellular toxicity in human skin.

  Nanomedicine, 2016

• Microfine titanium dioxide does not penetrate human skin when formulated in an oil-in-water emulsion with the pigment dispersed in the aqueous phase, compared to oily dispersions and liposomal encapsulation which allow deeper skin penetration.

  International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2000

• Replacing microsized titanium dioxide and zinc oxide with nanoparticles in sunscreens eliminates opaqueness and alters UV protection balance while inducing (photo)cyto- and genotoxicity and penetrating viable skin layers during long-term exposures.

  Nanotechnology, Science and Applications, 2011

• Microfine zinc oxide and titanium dioxide do not penetrate the stratum corneum of porcine skin in vitro, indicating that their use in sunscreens does not pose a health risk from internal exposure.

  Toxicology in Vitro, 2006

• Replacing 20% of the chemical UV filter octyl methoxycinnamate with urucum oil in solid lipid nanoparticles maintained the skin protection factor without inducing toxic responses or significant skin penetration in human volunteers.

  Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2018

• Liposomal encapsulation of octyl methoxycinnamate increases its safety, skin affinity, and in vivo solar photoprotection factor while slowing its release and enhancing retention in the stratum corneum compared to a conventional formulation.

  International Journal of Nanomedicine, 2013

• Encapsulation of ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate and butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane in lipid microparticles significantly reduced their in vivo human skin penetration compared to nonencapsulated filters.

  Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2011

• Simulated real-life dermal sunscreen exposure in twenty human volunteers leads to the systemic bioavailability and urinary excretion of the UV filter 2-ethylhexyl salicylate and its metabolite, reaching concentration peaks at 7 to 8 hours with 70-80% of overall excretion within 24 hours.

  Archives of Toxicology, 2019

• The application of a sunscreen formulation containing ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, ethylhexyl salicylate, methyl anthranilate, and octocrylene does not significantly affect critical acne-related species such as Cutibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus epidermidis, refuting the induction of facial dysbiosis in men.

  Archives of Dermatological Research, 2024

• Controlled single dermal exposure to an EHS-containing sunscreen in three volunteers resulted in delayed systemic resorption with elimination half-lives between 6.6 and 9.7 hours, where the parent compound EHS occurred as the dominant urinary parameter.

  Archives of Toxicology, 2024

• Rosa roxburghii fruit extract and its isolated ellagitannins, strictinin and casuarictin, suppressed poly(I:C)-induced interleukin-8 mRNA expression and release in normal human epidermal keratinocytes compared to stimulated controls.

  Journal of Natural Medicines, 2021

Ingredients

Octinoxate, Octisalate, Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Water, Trioctyldodecyl Citrate, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Octyldodecyl Neopentanoate, Steareth-2, Silica, Rosa Roxburghii Fruit Extract, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Porphyra Yezoensis Extract Algae Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract Licorice Root Extract, Saccharomyces Lysate Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Betula Alba Bark Extract, Hordeum Vulgare Extract, Extrait Dorge, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract Rosemary Leaf Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seedcake Sunflower Seedcake, Gentiana Lutea Root Extract, Yeast Extract, Yeast, Extrait De Levure, Sodium Rna, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Pantethine, Squalane, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate, Propylene Glycol Dicaprate, Chamomilla Recutita Matricaria, Hexylene Glycol, Peg, Ppg-18, 18 Dimethicone, Caprylyl Glycol, Barium Sulfate, Polyethylene, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Lecithin, Ceteth-2, Peg-40 Stearate, Sodium Stearate, Steareth-20, Sorbitan Tristearate, Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate, Xanthan Gum, Stearic Acid, Aluminum Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Disodium Edta, Bht, Phenoxyethanol, Mica, Titanium Dioxide Ci 77891

Behind this fit score

Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.