Cloud | Vitamin A Cream with Retinyl Palmitate–Protection Against the Sun’s Full Spectrum

This post is on the more technical side, but for those of you interested in sunscreen and sun damage this might be of interest to you! Created by UBC clinical dermatology instructor Dr. Gordon Telford, Cloud Vitamin A Cream ($48.00 CDN) is the first consumer sunscreen (SPF 23) to block the sun’s full spectrum of rays. According to Dr. Telford, the average sunscreen only blocks 7% of the sun’s rays and yet the incidence of skin cancer is still on the rise. UVA and UVB rays may only be part of the problem meaning that we must protect our skin against infrared and visible rays that comprise the other 93%.

At almost 10 years in the making, Cloud Vitamin Cream’s main active ingredient is retinyl palmitate, which is a naturally occurring form of vitamin A that is produced in our sweat and acts as a natural filter against the sun (Youtube. “Cloud Vitamin Cream on CTV's Your Island Health & Lifestyle”, August 2014). Cloud Vitamin A Cream has been reported by as able to reverse existing damage and signs of aging by stimulating collagen production within 6 months of use. Pretty impressive, right?

Ingredients: purified water, mineral oil, white petrolatum (petroleum jelly), retinyl palmitate, glaxal cream base

Packaging comes in a pump tube. Application is 1-2 pumps to wet skin typically exposed to the sun.

This sunscreen? vitamin cream? feels quite thick at first, but it really does absorb nicely into the skin. You will not have to use as much product if applied to wet skin as it glides more smoothly across wet as opposed to dry skin.

Final Verdict: For those of you who are concerned with the use of petroleum-derived products, there is white petroleum and mineral oil in this product. White petroleum and mineral oil is highly refined when used in cosmetics, has passed FDA standards and has not been proven to be carcinogenic. White petroleum is used to retain moisture in products and is often recommended by dermatologists to eczema sufferers (Petroleum Jelly Beauty Myths and Benefits, August 2014). Retinyl palmitate has also come under scrutiny, but again the results have been inconclusive. For those  wanting to err on the side of beauty caution, I can understand wanting to avoid these chemicals.

I certainly have not been using this product for 6 months to see the results that others have seen and this research is so new that the published results so far will only be available this coming December.  Although I cannot attest to the reversal of premature aging, this is an all-body sunscreen, but at $48 for 30mL I don’t think I will be using this on my body! Perhaps my arms and décolletage area because I do not want that weird wrinkly cleavage we’ve seen on certain celebrities, but on my legs? I’d be going through 3-4 tubes of this stuff every month!

It is also recommended to wear additional sunscreen if there is prolonged exposure to the sun. For the summer, I want to keep things simple so the fact that I have to layer two SPF products makes me just want to use a regular sunscreen on its own. What I did like about this product was that it didn’t leave my face shiny and was fairly matte in finish. Even with the presence of mineral oil, my face didn’t feel greasy and I was able to comfortably wear foundation on top. I have some hyperpigmentation on my nose (from the sun) that I am still waiting to see a difference with so I might have an update in a few more months to see if there is a difference. Fingers crossed!

3 other vitamin creams are available to address other skin conditions such as eczema and rosacea and are available for purchase online or at the following retailers.