Time for something a bit unusual. My husband Josiah has been a huge supporter of my skincare journey, to the point that I’ve finally managed to get him into a bit of a routine — or perhaps more accurately, I’ve at least turned him into a nearly-daily sunscreen wearer. He kindly offered to do a review of some (not all) of the products he’s used recently in a bit we refer to as “The Hub Take.” For reference, his skin type is normal to dry, and not acne prone (though beards will be beards), but he does have a tendency towards rosacea. Products are listed and photographed left to right in his ranked preference. You’ll see product type, rating, his review and my notes. But first, an intro from the man himself:

Hi I’m Josiah. I was not and generally am not into skin care, but I want to be a good skincare boy. So I will do blurbs that I hope are helpful to people like and unlike me. No “deep dives”, just how I feel about the stuff. I’m claustrophobic, and heavy creams and whatnot really triggers that for me. If you’re into that sort of thing then definitely take my reviews with a grain of salt (do so anyway.). Also, a good fragrance in a light product = 100%.

Products

1️⃣ Stratia Liquid Gold

Product Type: Moisturizer

Rating: 5/5

Review: I was a little wasted when I saw this for the first time, but I was absolutely floored by the color. Damn. Get a candle or two, a bottle of wine, and just look at that color in the light. It’s a for-real experience. Likewise for the scent. It’s like, bananas or something. Maybe sea bananas. It’s better than bananas but…i’ve said “bananas” too much. It smells good though. Guys care about that sort of thing more than you would expect. As for the product? It makes my skin happy — Lisa says things like “hey you don’t look like a the moon today” and I’m like “yaaay.” Seriously though — it just feels good, no greasy sensation, and that’s what I’m really looking for in this sort of product. Also, have you seen the color?

Editor’s Notes: This doesn’t actually have a fragrance like bananas, no matter how many times I tell him. The sea buckthorn oil, which gives this its incredible color, does have a bit of a natural scent. This is one of the only products he’s managed to empty without my help (well, mostly — it was mine first and I still occasionally steal a pump or two to buffer retinol). His love of this product managed to score us some free Stratia products one time — this quick photo of him made it onto the brand’s instagram.

2️⃣ Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel

Product Type: Sunscreen

Rating: 5/5

Review: Oh my god. I loved Krave Beauty’s “The Beet Shield” but this is even better. I don’t feel even a hint of “omg there’s some sort of substance” on my face with this after application–which is basically my benchmark for “good product.” I have literally biked 40 miles in 98 degree, sci-fi-planet-blasted-hellscape UV indexes and only come back very slightly, like, tanned I guess. Very far from “overexposed.” Just buy it.

Editor’s Notes: Living in Colorado I didn’t expect a sunscreen with the words “hyaluronic acid” in it to work as well as it does — I usually avoid the stuff because it can dry you out in a desert — but this stuff truly is great. Those who’ve been reading my reviews lately will know that we’re actively on the hunt for a good Krave replacement, and this seems to be the one. It’s a chemical sunscreen with SPF 50+ PA++++ (and proved to be so by external spf validation, if that’s a concern you have).

3️⃣ Make P:Rem UV Defense Me Blue Ray Sun Fluid

Product Type: Sunscreen

Rating: 4/5

Review: People have sometimes asked me “could you get any whiter?” I guess the answer is “yeah…totally.” I wasn’t aware of that fact until I tried this. On the other hand, it is a good sunscreen — I’ve been in the sun for, like, 6 hours without reapplying and haven’t burned, so, yay! Also, it’s surprisingly light and does not trigger my claustrophobia, which I would describe as “unrelenting.”

Editor’s Notes: This is the older generation of this sunscreen, which was all mineral and could certainly have a cast. Their new generation is a hybrid but seems to also have a whitecast, though — Josiah raved about it so much to some of our friends from India that we gave them a bottle, and the moment my friend rubbed it on her arm I went “oh no hopefully it will fade.” It does stick around remarkably, but please be more diligent about reapplying than he is.

4️⃣ SUNTIQUE I’m Pure Perfect Cica Suncream

Product Type: Sunscreen

Rating: 2/5

Review: The sunscreen that gets you thinking “how bad could skin cancer possibly be?” Not really. Just kidding. I mean, the experience of slathering it onto my face was akin to creaming concrete. But on, like, you know, my face. On the other hand, it’s fine for my legs (not my arms) because they’re just meat-sticks that I go around on.

Editor’s Notes: Obviously skin cancer is no laughing matter — we now have two close friends who have needed surgery for it — but the moment Josiah put this on his face the first time he immediately washed it off and it truly was hilarious. He has since suffered through it a fair bit just because I refuse to bin products. This is truly an awful-feeling sunscreen, though if you want to feel like it’s really adhering, look no further. I’m glad we finished it last month and it’s out of our lives, honestly.

Concluding Editor’s Note

Getting the people you care about into skincare can be tough, but if you figure out how to get past their objections — feels heavy? get light products! too many steps? look for multi-taskers! just doesn’t see the need? show them your sweet gains! — it can be a fun, rewarding experience to guide someone through. Whatever your skin goals and skin type, focusing on sun protection and skin barrier support is never a good idea.

If you’re wondering what the rest of his routine is — he uses the Naturium Niacinamide Cleansing Gel and the Paula’s Choice Azelaic Acid Booster as needed. Prior to falling in love with the Isntree sunscreen, he’d been liking the Hyggee Vegan Suncream as a replacement for Krave and didn’t mind its more moisturizing texture. If y’all like this, I’ll harangue him to write reviews for those (and maybe others) before the year is through. He might not admit it, but I think he enjoyed it. 😉