Allergic to sunscreen?

Alright ladies, I have quite the problem over here. For over a year, I have been struggling with what I thought was cystic acne, painful and deep and ugly. I mean extremely painful and really red and all over, but mainly on my forehead. I recently discovered I have a reaction everytime I put anything with SPF in it, on my face.

It all started with a foundation I bought because I had none and had a wedding to go to so I wanted to look nice, I also had just had a baby a few months before and wanted to actually get all done up for once. I broke out extremely bad by the next morning even though I had removed all the makeup and washed my face and etc. So after that cleared up I got a new moisturizer with spf (don't remember why, I think I just wanted to try it or something idk), broke out and I thought it was just the moisturizer so I switched to another that had spf (got it in a box), not knowing, then I switched to a non spf moisturizer but started using a new foundation with SPF(Avon gift from MIL).... I thought I had a problem with the foundation so I switched to a BB cream (Almay-spf) and that made me break out too. Another BB cream, moisturizer and actual sunscreen (supergoop) down the line and I said screw it and stopped putting anything on my face but First Aid Beauty Moisturizer and Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair Moisturizer (layered yes, because my skin has become extremely dry in the last year) I was also putting zapzit on the spots to dry them out and if I'd put something on them, I wouldn't pick (I know I'm bad for picking but they hurt and I wanted them gone asap.) I would also put neosporin and a bandaid over night if I had popped or picked the "pimple".

So now to how I found out spf hates me! I got a sample of the Hello Oxygen Wow Benefit foundation in birchbox and have wanted to try it for months now, so I tried it and when I took it off later that night (with a makeup wipe and washed my face) my face had broken out in red pimple like bumps! My face had been clear, not 100% but clear for me, a pimple here or there.

I must also TMI state that I have my period and usually break out and didn't like I usually would since I have been steering clear of anything but my two trusty moisturizers and facewash. So some of the pimple/bumps had heads to them so I popped them, rewashed my face and put on my moisturizers. By the morning it had all cleared up so I know it had to be a reaction. I have never seen pimples go away over night so that is my reasoning for seeing it as a reaction.

Now my questions!

Has anyone experienced this or seen it happen?

Anyone know any good BB creams or foundations free of spf? (I like to wear a BB cream or foundation mixed with moisturizer when I go to parties or any type of event, just to feel a little dolled up)

I had no clue being allergic to sunscreen was possible so now I don't know what to do about protecting my face from the sun and premature aging, any tips for that?

Thanks in advance!

Have you tried mineral makeup? It is suitable for very sensitive skin and most have natural spf in them to protect your skin so you won't need to use an spf lotion with it. Also it's good for your skin especially if you are prone to breakouts. I use bare escentuals mineral makeup which has an spf15 in their foundations. Hope this helps.

It's not that uncommon to be allergic to Bismuth and Chemical SPF. I can use Mineral SPF, sometimes called Physical SPF. The active ingredient is Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide, which doesn't cause a reaction for people who can't use Chemical SPF. A lot of companies put Bismuth in foundations, and a lot of people are sensitive to it. I would say definitely talk to a dermatologist and try stuff that doesn't have Bismuth or Chemical SPF. I found out I'm allergic to Chemical SPF when I tried Benefit 3-in-1 Facial Emulsion, the moisturizure with SPF. I do have adult acne, usually a couple pimples at a time. I used the moisturizer 1 time and I started to break out really bad the same day and by the next day I had about 20 pimples. I was dumb and tried it again a month later. Same Result.

I love L'oreal Magic Skin Beautifier B.B. cream. It really creates a beautiful finish and is the only drugstore B.B. cream I've found that doesn't have sunscreen in it. Just a warning though, if you're very pale, the light color will be way too dark for you.

Thank you for everyone who responded, I will try the BB cream you suggested! Thanks again!

I am also sensitive skin,
this BB cream is good choose
 

part of the idea of BB cream (blemish balm/beauty balm) is that it is supposed to have sunscreen to help reduce the amount of product you need on your face for a clean "no makeup makeup" look.  (it moisturizes, blocks the sun, covers blemishes, etc)

"SPF" itself isn't an actual ingredient -- it just stands for "Sun Protection Factor" which basically means it helps block the sun.  There are a lot of products that count as "SPF" (literally, having a towel over your face would count as having "SPF" since it helps to block the sun's rays from your face).  I wouldn't worry about being allergic to "SPF" per se, but look at the ingredients on the items you're using.

There are generally two types of SPF - chemical (absorbs into your skin and makes it harder for your skin to absorb the UV rays), and physical/topical (sits on top of your skin, causing the rays to bounce off before it reaches your skin)

It sounds like your skin might just be sensitive in general, which means you should spot patch test everything on your face.

Oh, one last thing, I've had products that are older "go bad" and just cause me to break out terribly.  Ones I've used that were fine when they were new, but a couple months later I try them out again and end up with a face full of acne. It's time to just throw those out at that point.

Also, my favorite acne killer is Mario Badescu Drying Lotion. It's like a bottle of calamine lotion resting at the bottom of a jar of salicylic acid -- you don't shake the jar, you dip a q-tip in, down to the calamine part, and it gets soaked with the two part solution.  You dab it on your face before you go to bed, this thing works wonders overnight. (Even though it makes you look like a pink polka dotted freak!) Usually, a cystic is 80% gone in 1-2 nights, instead of a full week which is how long they would last if I just used benzoyle or salicylic products.  I don't tend to get regular pustules as often, but my sister uses it on those, too.  It's helped me to not pop my zits, because I'll go to bed just praying it'll be fixed and usually it does a pretty good job of calming it down by morning.

You are not alone. I am allergic to chemical sunscreens myself (they cause headaches and migraines, even in very small amounts), the problem with that is that now a lot of make-up has them in it. I am especially noticing lip products with SPF that have chemical sunscreens. Thankfully, I can use physical sunscreens (titanium dioxide and zinc oxide). A lot of time physical sunscreens may also be labeled as being for sensitive skin (that was how I first started finding common brands of sunscreen I could use).

I disagree with the idea that people are not allergic to SPF. When I say SPF, I mean specifically the ingredients that make up the sunblock or sunscreen elements of the product. I do not use sunscreen. I've bought it with the intention of using it, but I haven't actually applied sunscreen since high school, when Coppertone Sport permanently etched (like acid does to glass to make it frosted) all the plastic beads on 2 bracelets I was wearing. My face's reaction to the Benefit 3-in-1 Facial Emulsion is the only time anything like that has happened to me. I use a crap ton of skincare products on my face, but I never tried a moisturizer with Chemical SPF until the Benefit. Nothing else in the ingredient list is anything I haven't used before. It has to be the SPF ingredients that caused the reaction.

I have the same problem. Exactly.  The only makeup I can use is CLinique.  There stay-free matte oil free makeup does not have SPF in it.  The only sunscreen I can wear is by Clinique also it is City Block Sheer.  It is a non-chemical sunscreen.  You can use it under your makeup to protect your face.  Also I use there dramatically different moisture gel.  When I turned 30, i thought I should use sunscreen and couldn't figure out why my face kept breaking out.  My moisterizer, base make-up and even HAIR product that have UV filters in them for colored hair were breaking my face out like crazy.  Thankfully a MAN who worked at our local Clinique counter asked if I may be allergic to SPF.  After hundreds of dollars on acne meds, different makeups etc etc. My problem was finally fixed.  NO SPF for me!!!!!  P.S. Trying to find products that only have non-chemical sunscreens in them are not easy but Clinique has really helped and NOT using hair products with that stuff in them.  Hope this helps