Glossier invisible shield for dry skin
Avobenzone
Octisalate
OctocryleneAverage
- AverageDry Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for dry skin; other sunscreens fit it better.
- International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2024
- Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry skin: flakiness, tightness, dehydration, fine lines, and wrinkles. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Offers moderate suitability for your dry skin, as glycerin and propanediol provide essential humectant action to attract moisture, though it lacks richer emollients for optimal hydration.
- The formulation provides excellent sun protection with avobenzone, octisalate, and octocrylene, which is beneficial for overall skin health.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation for your dry skin due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Apply this moisturizing sunscreen daily in your AM routine. Use it every morning as the final step of your skincare routine.
- Apply after your moisturizer and before putting on makeup. This ensures proper sun protection for your skin.
- Gently spread an even layer over your face and neck. Avoid rubbing too hard to keep your dry skin happy.
- Apply on completely dry skin for the best coverage and protection. Make sure your face is clean before application.
- Avoid the immediate eye area during application. Do a patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.0Overall rating based on 200+ reviewsUsers with oily and combination skin praise the clear, gel-like texture for leaving absolutely no white cast and doubling as a smoothing primer under makeup. Many reviewers find the small bottle size poor value for the price, and some with sensitive eyes report stinging or a lingering greasy residue after application.
Highlights
Clear finish Mostly Mentioned
- “Invisible on skin”
- “Zero white cast”
- “Clear gel texture”
Poor value Mostly Mentioned
- “Tiny bottle”
- “Too expensive”
- “Runs out fast”
Makeup primer Often Mentioned
- “Great under makeup”
- “Acts as primer”
- “Smooths skin texture”
Lightweight feel Sometimes Noted
- “Feels like serum”
- “Not heavy”
- “Breathable formula”
Non-comedogenic Sometimes Noted
- “No breakouts”
- “Didn't clog pores”
- “Good for acne-prone”
Eye irritation Sometimes Noted
- “Stings eyes”
- “Burns sensitive eyes”
- “Watery eyes”
Greasy finish Sometimes Noted
- “Too shiny”
- “Feels oily”
- “Silicone texture”
Scent sensitivity Rarely Noted
- “Strong citrus smell”
- “Fragrance is irritating”
- “Smells like alcohol”
Sources: lovi.care, glossier.com, influenster.com, spacenk.com, gopicky.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Glossier Invisible Shield work for dry skin?
Glossier Invisible Shield works moderately well for dry skin, as glycerin and propanediol help draw in moisture, though it lacks richer softeners for deep hydration. It provides very safe sun protection with a low likelihood of irritation, but a great fit for dry skin needs extra nourishing oils and barrier-repairing ingredients like ceramides and Centella Asiatica.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for dry skin?
Glycerin and propanediol make this cream a fit for your dry skin by drawing in moisture, while avobenzone, octisalate, and octocrylene provide sun protection with little risk of irritation. Because other products fit dry skin better, this type of cream needs richer oils and nourishing extracts to provide optimal hydration.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2024Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
What does Avobenzone do for dry skin?
Avobenzone provides UV protection for dry skin, though it is usually paired with ingredients that hold onto moisture to help keep skin soft and smooth. Studies show it has an excellent safety profile with minimal risk of irritation when used in formulated sunscreens.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2025Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine, 2014
What does Octisalate do for dry skin?
Octisalate is a chemical sunscreen ingredient that is unlikely to irritate dry skin while helping protect it from sun damage. Sunscreen products for dry skin also need moisturizing agents to keep the skin soft and hydrated.
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for dry skin?
This moisturizing sunscreen goes last in your morning skincare routine after your moisturizer, while dry skin also needs richer soft creams to keep it properly hydrated.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2022International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2024
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this sunscreen in the morning after applying your retinol and moisturizer, as it is very safe and unlikely to irritate dry skin. However, because it lacks richer emollients for optimal hydration, dry skin needs extra moisturizing creams with heavier oils and butters to stay fully soft and smooth.
How often should I use this cream?
You can use this moisturizing SPF every morning as part of your daytime routine to protect your skin. To keep dry skin truly comfortable and soft, this type of product also needs richer ingredients that lock in moisture.
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry skin?
This cream is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for dry skin, as its safety profile is excellent and it contains no harsh or prohibited ingredients that trigger irritation. Dry skin generally needs richer oils and butters to stay soft and smooth, along with ingredients that lock in moisture.
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
Topical application of 1,3-propanediol at various concentrations, alone or combined with butylene glycol and/or glycerol, increased skin hydration and reduced trans epidermal water loss in 30 healthy female subjects over an 8-hour period, with the 15% concentration and the addition of glycerol providing greater benefits.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2024A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Chemical sunscreens containing avobenzone, octocrylene, homosalate, and octisalate showed no to minimal risks of dermal irritation, sensitization, photo-allergy, and photo-irritation in human subjects.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2025Encapsulating avobenzone in low-porosity TiO2-embedded mesoporous silica (TiO2/SBA-S) reduced cutaneous avobenzone absorption from 0.76 to 0.50 nmol/mg while providing effective pollutant adsorbability, UVA protection, and a two- to three-fold reduction in photoaged skin cytokines/chemokines compared to the non-treatment control.
European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2023Encapsulation 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, 2011Microencapsulation of the BMDBM/HP-beta-CD complex in lipid microparticles significantly decreased the percutaneous penetration of the UV filter into the stratum corneum of human volunteers compared to the non-encapsulated sunscreen agent.
Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, 2011Following human skin application of an O/W emulsion containing 2% BMDBM loaded in lipospheres, 15% of the sunscreen accumulated in the uppermost layers of the stratum corneum without remarkably modifying skin permeation compared to unencapsulated sunscreen.
Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2008Simulated 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, 2019The 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, 2024Controlled 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, 2024Incorporating rosmarinic acid into sunscreens enhanced the in vivo SPF of octocrylene by over 157% and reduced lipid peroxidation in the human stratum corneum.
Antioxidants, 2025Early application of sunscreen after ablative fractional skin resurfacing significantly increased the sensitization rate of the UV-filter, octocrylene, and the sunscreen compared to intact skin.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2015Dermal sunscreen exposure in 20 healthy volunteers led to plasma concentrations of avobenzone, octocrylene, and its metabolite CDAA reaching up to 11 μg/L, 25 μg/L, and 1352 μg/L, respectively.
Environment International, 2019
Why other sunscreens fit dry skin better
Cosmetic formulations containing 5% Centella asiatica extract showed the best efficacy in improving skin moisture and decreasing transepidermal water loss, while also exhibiting antiinflammatory properties in 25 volunteers compared to baseline measurements.
Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016Combining oral and topical astaxanthin in 30 healthy females improved skin wrinkles, age spots, elasticity, texture, and moisture, while 6 mg daily oral supplementation in 36 healthy males improved crow's feet wrinkles, elasticity, and transepidermal water loss.
Acta Biochimica Polonica, 2012
Ingredients
Avobenzone, Octisalate, Octocrylene, Water, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Propanediol, Glycerin, Styrene Acrylates Copolymer, Butylene Glycol, Polysilicone-11, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin
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.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
How does it fit your skin?
Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.