Neutrogena Men's Triple Protect Face Sunscreen review

How this men's sunscreen helps protect your skin from razor burn, dryness, and signs of aging.

I discovered a new product category the other day: men’s facial sunscreen! How long has this been a thing? At first glance, it sounds smart: Men get razor burn and they need protection from UV rays, too. However, it feels like facial sunscreens shouldn’t be gendered at all—what would prevent a woman from experiencing similar “razor burn”-like side effects (from threading or waxing)? I have some theories about this, but that’s for another time and another post. Mostly I suspect it has to do with the fragrance—a men’s sunscreen is probably much less likely to smell floral than a woman’s sunscreen. But in an ideal world, all sunscreens would be equal-opportunity (not gendered), and fragrance-free.

What is Neutrogena Men’s Triple Protect Face Lotion?

Neutrogena Men’s Triple Protect Face Sunscreen is a chemical sunscreen that offers SPF 20 protection. The “Triple Protect” in its name hints at the three concerns it addresses: razor irritation, dry skin, and aging. It also claims that it is non-comedogenic and will not sting when applied to freshly shaven skin, as directed. That sounds great, but let’s take a closer look at the ingredients to how this men’s facial sunscreen accomplishes all of its Triple Protection capabilities.

Neutrogena Men’s Triple Protect Face Lotion Broad Spectrum SPF 20 ingredients

My Dad the Chemist’s review of Neutrogena Men’s Triple Protect Face Lotion Broad Spectrum SPF 20

I sent an email to my dad and let him know about the three types of skin concerns this sunscreen claims to address. Here was his response!

He also sent a follow-up email:

So it looks like any sunscreen above SPF 15 can claim that it is anti-aging, because it helps protect against the aging effects of UV rays (wrinkles and brown/black spots). Interestingly this is the first time my dad has mentioned that oxybenzone was the most irritating sunscreen. Perhaps because this sunscreen specifically claims to address the need for anti-irritation (anti-razor-burn) capabilities, he found it odd that it included this potentially irritating ingredient.

According to my dad, the beneficial and/or anti-aging ingredients in this formula, which could help it protect against three common skin concerns (razor burn, dry skin, and aging) were:

  • glycine soya seed extract: rich in vitamin E, an antioxidant that helps protect the skin from damage associated with free radicals
  • bisabolol: an anti-irritation agent
  • camellia oleifera leaf extract: anti-inflammatory effect
  • allantoin: anti-inflammatory effect

Nice, I learned about a few new ingredients today. After looking at the ingredient database it seems that this is the first time My Dad the Chemist has featured a product with glycine soya seed extract (though Bliss Triple Oxygen Radiant Protection Energizing Serum came close with glycine soja oil).

Bisabolol is also in these other products:

This is actually the first time camellia oleifera leaf extract has been mentioned on this blog, though I have reviewed several products that contain a very similar ingredient, camellia sinensis leaf extract. Both ingredients are types of green tea extracts, which provide anti-inflammatory benefits.

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