Drunk Elephant Improves The Beloved Umbra Sunscreen: Meet The Tinted Sister

It should come as no surprise that I'm a fan of Drunk Elephant products. I spent the day at home with Tiffany Masterson, I wrote a glowing review of her Baby Facial peel (with the help of celebrity esthetician Jordana Mattioli), and I included the original Drunk Elephant Umbra in my summer skincare essentials. But now, Tiffany has not only improved the original Umbra formula, she's added a hint of tint, and promises that it'll jive with every shade of skin.

Some reviewers didn’t mirror my love of Drunk Elephant’s original Umbra, saying it left your skin too white or pilled up. This is often the issue with physical sunscreens that use zinc. While physical sunscreens aren’t always the best to work with, nearly every dermatologist will tell you these are far superior, especially if you’re a victim of pigmentation issues. In my case, the very thought of my skin unprotected under the sun's rays is enough to make dark spots appear. And sadly, moisturizers with sunscreen or BB creams that have sunscreen just aren't enough. Dr. Robert Anolik debunked that myth for us.

In other words, finding a sunscreen you want to put on everyday is hard… very hard. We are confident that Drunk Elephant’s Tinted Sister will become a staple in your vanity. Here’s why:

It makes me glowy, not white. 

I absolutely love the texture of the product—it's a perfect balance of matte, but still glowy, which suits my oily/combination skin perfectly. Rachel, an editor at CB, loves the tint. "It's ideal for a pre-summer sorta-tan without making it look forced. It's light, not fake-bronze."

It’s made with zinc.

Zinc is the be-all, end-all of sunscreen protection. And like we just said, it doesn’t leave you white. Zinc acts as a physical barrier against the sun, something chemical sunscreens just can’t do.

It also has antioxidants.

So not only does this sunscreen have zinc and leave my skin perfectly matte-yet-glowy at the same time, the formula also features antioxidants. More specifically, astaxanthin, grape juice and sunflower shoot extract to help defend from free radicals. The cream is also infused with raspberry seed and marula oil. Perfect.

It’s in a 2oz package, so I can travel with it.

The packaging and the size of the new tinted sunscreen is awesome. You can take it with you everywhere—including in your gym bag an on the airplane.

It’s almost like a BB cream… but it's not. 

Most every dermatologist will tell you, makeup with sunscreen is not enough. And like this really scary video suggests, UV damage is real. So please stop relying on your makeup with sunscreen to do the job.

Illustration by the amazing Rebekah Flores

READ MORE

Are you making one of these 7 common sunscreen mistakes? You might also be interested in this summer skincare switchover routine — a few products to consider as it heats up. 

FIND BEAUTY AND WELLNESS EXPERTS

Read client reviews, book sessions, and get expert advice. Only the best cosmetic doctors, skincare gurus, nutritionists, fitness and wellness professionals make it into our book.