We Tried Trinny London’s SPF Moisturiser First & Here Are Our Thoughts

Team R29 are big fans of Trinny London. From serums filled to the brim with skin-plumping peptides to concealers that double up as skincare, there's a lot to love (including the cute, stackable pots). So when the brand announced it was launching a new sunscreen (a must-have product in the R29 skincare arsenal), we wanted to be the first to try it.

See The Light, £45, a moisturiser with SPF 50, exceeded all of our expectations. Ultra-hydrating with broad-spectrum protection, it combines all your moisturiser needs while shielding your skin from both UVA rays (which cause premature ageing and skin cancer) and UVB rays (responsible for sunburn). Keep scrolling to read our reviews and trust us, Trinny won't let you down with this one.

If you’re an R29 regular, you’ll know that one Trinny London skincare product already has my heart: Better Off AHA/PHA Gel Cleanser, £28. When I use this exfoliating cleanser, my skin is quite literally better off. It’s brighter, smoother and has fewer breakouts. I was intrigued to see whether the moisturiser with SPF 50 would knock it off its pedestal — and it did. This gives all the top sunscreen brands (even the Australian ones, and we all know that they do SPF best) a run for their money.

The texture is a light, milky lotion so it absorbs in next to no time and doesn’t leave behind a dubious purple tinge or get caught in my thick eyebrows. It sinks in without a single trace. The finish is matte but skin feels adequately hydrated and supple afterwards. That has to be thanks to moisturising powerhouse glycerin. This SPF moisturiser boasts broad-spectrum protection so it protects against UVA rays (responsible for premature ageing and skin cancer) and UVB rays (associated with sunburn). It’s also totally traceless under my makeup.

For those reasons, I’ve added it to my rotation among Ultra Violette Supreme Screen Hydrating Facial Skinscreen SPF 50, £34, Bondi Sands Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50+ for Face, £6.99, and Garnier Ambre Solaire SPF 50+ Super UV Invisible Face Serum, £14. The latter two are brilliant, affordable sunscreens if you'd rather spend less on SPF. My only gripe with See The Light is the fragrance, which is the same throughout Trinny’s skincare. Though it doesn’t irritate my skin, it is pretty punchy and it catches me off-guard in the morning. If it were a little more subtle, this would get a 10/10 from me. But it’s so close!

I can give myself a pat on the back: I’ve been getting very good at wearing SPF every day, even on rainy, dull days. I am a changed woman. The key has been finding an SPF that works seamlessly with my skincare and daily makeup routine and is suitable for those with darker skin — gone are the days of putting up with looking like a ghost for the sake of sun protection. Sun-care brands are increasingly promising an "invisible" finish and no white cast (I currently use the perpetually sold-out Bondi Sands Hydra SPF 50+ Face Fluid, £8.99) so my expectations for Trinny London's See The Light SPF moisturiser were high.

On first impression, this SPF delivers. There is no white cast to be seen. Nada. Not even if you look really, really closely. Trinny London promises a formula that "you’d look forward to using every single day" and I do. My skin drinks up the moisturiser, which manages to feel both light and deeply nourishing. See The Light has a matte finish, whereas other SPFs tend to make me appear greasy (or "dewy", as I try to frame it). Initially I wasn’t sure which result I preferred yet after wearing the SPF all morning, I like that the delicate formula doesn’t interfere with my makeup application, making it the ideal last step in my skincare routine.

I’m incredibly lazy when it comes to skincare: the fewer products, the better. So an SPF that doubles up as a moisturiser (or vice versa) is always going to be a winner in my books. This one does both incredibly well. The silky smooth texture felt like an immediate hit of hydration and my skin drank it up — no sticky, greasy or chalky residue in sight. It soaked into my face so fast that I didn’t have to wait before putting foundation or concealer on top. Although fragrance is included in the ingredients list, I couldn’t actually smell anything (despite my girlfriend letting me know my face smelled like lavender) so the scent strength may depend on how sensitive your nose is. Most importantly, I didn’t burn, thanks to the SPF 50 and broad-spectrum protection. In short, I have only good things to say and will be using this under my makeup on a daily basis.