This SPF Is a Constant Sellout Risk in London and Paris—I Swear Its New U.S. Version Is Even Glowier

At this point, I think we can make the call that international sunscreens are just… better. The UV filters are more sophisticated, the textures are far creamier, and the user experience is a million times more sensorial. There's a reason beauty editors hoard bottles whenever they find themselves across the pond! So whenever I catch whispers of an overseas sunscreen gearing up for a stateside debut, I'm itching to get my hands (and legs and face and pretty much every inch of exposed skin) on the buzzy launch. Now, when said launch comes from one of the most respected plastic surgeons in the industry? I'd cross oceans to add it to my collection.

Such is the case when I flew out to Wymara Turks and Caicos to meet with Yannis Alexandrides, MD, FACS, the expert founder behind London-based skincare line 111Skin. The brand's Repair Sunscreen SPF 50 is a no-brainer buy in Europe—even used on the set of Emily in Paris season four!—thanks to how seamlessly it layers underneath makeup. I wasn't sure how the U.S. version of the celeb-obsessed formula would measure up, but after putting it to the test under the scorching Caribbean sun, I can officially confirm: This might be the only sunscreen I actually prefer over its international counterpart.

Below, discover everything you need to know about the just-launched SPF, including its cutting-edge technology, ingredients, and application (the latter of which will surprise you, I promise!).

The Formula: A Potent Blend of Serum-Level Actives

While the UK version uses chemical UV filters, The Sunscreen SPF 50 is a 100% mineral formula, calling upon broad-spectrum zinc oxide for optimal protection. (We'll get to how that changes the user experience in just a moment.) Other than that, the key ingredients remain similar: polyglutamic acid, which minimizes the evaporation of water from the skin during sun exposure; plant extracts to reduce signs of inflammation; white mulberry root to fend off oxidative stress and prevent hyperpigmentation; and NAC Y², the brand's patented trio of super antioxidants that stimulate collagen and address skin aging at the cellular level.

If those players sound like they belong in a high-tech serum as opposed to a sunscreen, well, you wouldn't be wrong. 111Skin features NAC Y² in a smattering of signature products, from serums to eye creams to cleansers, but it was especially important to Alexandrides to include it in his SPF. "[Sunscreen] is probably the most important [skincare] product," he says, sitting across from me on the crisp white couch at Wymara's Villas + Beach Club, a private luxury oasis just minutes away from the resort's main property. (Hot tip: 111Skin recently partnered with the resort, so you can treat yourself to its products in a number of luxurious spa services.) "Protecting your skin from the sun is really the most significant step you can take to future-proof your skin from aging, pigmentation, all the problems that arise from photoaging… We wanted to create a product that would combine a lot of different synergies, not just launch [sunscreen] for the sake of it."

In short, if Alexandrides was going to launch a sunscreen, he wanted it to do more than protect—he wanted it to repair past damage too. "Even the best SPF will not protect you 100% from the sun. The sun will still filter through and will absorb to some degree through your skin; we're only decreasing the amount that we absorbing," Alexandrides explains. "So it's about filtering the sun and also reversing the damage [at the same time] that it is happening." To formulate such a sunscreen required very complex chemistry, so much so that it took five years to create the UK version—plus an extra 12 months for the U.S. debut.

Given those sophisticated, potent actives, this sunscreen does fall on the pricier side, tagged at $130. (111Skin is a luxury skincare brand, after all!) But again, a sunscreen with this many high-powered actives plays double (or even triple) duty. In a perfect world, yes, you would use a proper skin-repairing serum followed by a nourishing face cream, and then top off your routine with SPF. "However, for a lot of people, this is not possible, or they don't have motivation to do it," Alexandrides says. "We want to give them as much protection as we can with one product." Think of it more like three skin-rejuvenating products wrapped into one, and the cost feels a little less hefty. Its glowy results are also priceless—but more on that later.

The Application: Milky, Lightweight, and So Glowy

Have you ever used a sunscreen milk? Imagine the lightweight, watery consistency of a milky toner or essence, then spike it with SPF 50—that's 111Skin's mineral formula to a T. Honestly, the first time I applied the thin, airy sunscreen, I thought I must not have shaken it enough. (Though, I quickly found out it didn't need any shaking whatsoever.) The UK version is an ultra-creamy face lotion—so pillowy that Eva Alexandridis, Yannis's wife and co-founder of 111Skin, once mistook it for the brand's Repair Day Cream—but this new launch feels way more serum-like.

Getting this consistency just right was actually the main reason Alexandrides delayed the U.S. launch for so long. "We had everything else figured it out in terms of no reaction between the ingredients, but then when you would apply it, it would just be a little grainy and leave a little residue on your skin," he shares. "That's something we worked a lot with our manufacturers [on] to get it to be exactly how we want it."

I'd say the wait was worth it. This milky consistency not only melts into the skin upon application but also leaves behind a dewy glow—something I rarely see in mineral SPF formulas. (Though, I should caveat, my complexion is quite fair.) "It layers very nice. It absorbs very quickly. It's something people look forward to [applying] rather than doing it because they have to," Alexandrides adds.

My Experience and Results

By now, you can probably surmise that I'm a fan of this 111Skin sunscreen. The milky texture, the glowy finish, the skin-smoothing formula… It's magic. I will say, it did take me a bit to get used to the essence-y consistency; even SPF serums (you know, the ones that come with a pipette applicator) maintain some level of creaminess, but this is truly the thinnest formula I've ever tried—a very good thing as we head into summer, when I want as few layers on my face as possible. Now, I can't imagine my regimen without a few pumps of the sunscreen milk. I even look forward to reapplying—which I did many times after quick dips in the crystal-blue sea—and it never felt gritty or tacky on my skin.

I'm not usually a fan of sunscreens spiked with too many actives, as I have a rather crowded skincare routine to begin with. But instead of overwhelming my skin barrier, the SPF 50 somehow made my complexion even dewier than before. I've been testing it for 20 days ahead of its launch, and not once did it clog my pores or make my skin feel too greasy. Like Alexandrides mentioned, it absorbs like a dream. I swear it even makes my makeup base look better since it adds a dewy—never sweaty—glow in just the right places.

I personally don't use any standalone vitamin C serums (my skin is pretty sensitive to the ingredient), so I also appreciate knowing those potent antioxidants in the formula are hard at work keeping free radicals (and, in turn, dark spots and fine lines) at bay. Normally I'd scoff at sunscreens with this many treatment-level actives, but in 111Skin's case, the skin-improving ingredients really make a difference.

Yes, I know it's pricey. It's probably the most expensive sunscreen I've ever owned, and I definitely understand why someone wouldn't want to drop $130 on a bottle of SPF. You can certainly find high-quality sunscreens at wallet-friendly price points, but if you do have the budget for luxury skincare, you can trust that 111Skin's beloved formula won't let you down in the results department. Expect smooth, radiant, and—most importantly—protected skin instantly and over time. I'd say that's worth every penny.

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