This is, without doubt, the worst formulated product ever to cross my path in 25 years. I bought this Cay Skin Isle Glow Face Lotion SPF 45 from Sephora on my recent trip to L.A., fully wanting to champion it, expecting it to be brilliant. Winnie Harlow is the face behind the brand, Winnie being the beautiful model with vitiligo, who says that after suffering a sunburn and subsequent sun damage during an outdoor shoot in 2018, she wanted to create “better-for-you skincare and suncare protection’, to “keep all skin tones glowing and protected throughout the year.”

She has not succeeded.

To say it is a disappointment does not convey just how bad (and dangerous) it is. I would be astonished if this passed any form of stability testing. I would be equally surprised if it has any safety assessment attached to it.

The packaging (componentry) is not suited to the formula.
The formula will not pump through it with ease.
The formula is not stable. It is split (separated) inside the bottle. Shaking does nothing, and you are not advised to shake it on the packaging, meaning you should be good to go from the off.
Once you do manage to get it out of the bottle, it immediately splits, leaving a watery snail trail and lumps of pearlised pigment.
When you rub it in, it separates out even more leaving patches of pigment in different areas and then…
it pills.

Note that you can still see the brand name clearly on the bottle.

You may think this doesn’t matter. You would be wrong. It matters in SPF more than any other product, because if the filters are not evenly spread throughout the formula you are going to burn.
And you will certainly not be getting an SPF rating of 45. Remember this issue with Honest Beauty from 7 years ago? (now remedied)

For your further info:

The sun filters are avobenzone, octisalate and octocrylene.

The full ingredients are:
Water, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Sodium Potassium Aluminum Silicate, Diisopropyl Sebacate, Diisopropyl Adipate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Lauryl Lactate, Glycerin, Mica, Propanediol, Glyceryl Stearate, Citrullus Lanatus (Watermelon) Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Lens Esculenta (Lentil) Fruit Extract, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Panthenol, Niacinamide, Ferulic Acid, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Cetyl Phosphate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Silica, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Chlorphenesin, Aminomethyl Propanol, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Lactate, Sodium PCA, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Santalum Album (Sandalwood) Oil, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Myroxylon Pereirae (Balsam Peru) Oil,
Cupressus Sempervirens Leaf/Nut/Stem Oil, Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Seed Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Bitter Orange) Flower Oil, Amyris Balsamifera Bark Oil, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Limonium Gerberi Extract, Limonene, Linalool, Benzyl Benzoate, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides

And to cap it all off, the name of the product has almost entirely rubbed off after being held a few times by different members of my team.

This is not a good product. As long-term readers will know, I literally never do this, but there is nothing about this product that I can recommend. Furthermore, I think you could potentially be at serious risk of burning your skin if you use it.

I’m not linking to it. But I will link to these articles and videos that I have subsequently found. This is no bad batch. This is a consistently bad formula. Beyond disappointing.

Cassandra Bankson/YouTube

Reviewed.com/WinnieHarlow