Supergoop's New Moisturizing Sunscreen Is My Number 1 Product Recommendation for Winter

You would think that after the 45th sunscreen launch, Supergoop founder Holly Thaggard would have run out of product ideas. But for Thaggard, who has created a sun-protecting formula for virtually every part of the body, a sunscreen limit simply does not exist.

"Our products all serve different purposes — from hydration to a makeup-gripping primer to a CC cream and a resetting powder — and when you layer all of these, you can be more assured that your skin's getting the protection that is claimed," she explains. "We know most people aren't applying their sunscreen that generously, but building a wardrobe around it is going to ultimately create long-lasting protection."

That's precisely why Thaggard is adding yet another layer, if you will, to the ever-growing Supergoop sunscreen roster. The new Supergoop Triple Prep SPF 40 Weightless Multitasking Moisturizer, is, as the name suggests, a two-in-one product: a moisturizer and a sunscreen.

Naturally, team Allure veers on the skeptical side when it comes to products that lead double lives, but after months of wearing this new formula alongside my fellow editors, Triple Prep has our official seal of approval, earning the One to Watch title for December. Below learn more about this formula and why we love it.

• Holly Thaggard​ is the founder of Supergoop.
• Regina Maguire is the senior vice president of product development at Supergoop.
• Amanda Lam is a cosmetic chemist who works for Azelis, a chemical distributor in Los Angeles.
• Mona Gohara, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist in Hamden, Connecticut.

Overview
The Ingredients
How I Tested It
The Results
More Allure Reviews
Pricing and Value
Where to Buy It

Let's be real: Supergoop launching another sunscreen is about as groundbreaking as floral fashion in spring, but that doesn't make Triple Prep any less impressive than its predecessors. Speaking of predecessors, eagle-eyed Supergoop stans will notice Triple Prep looks familiar, and that's because it's the new, younger sibling of Superscreen Daily Moisturizer SPF 40, which first launched in 2019.

Superscreen was the brand's first foray into a moisturizer-sunscreen hybrid, with a rich texture that gives those with drier skin an instant glow (see here for proof), but it's not for every skin type. "Our customers keep us honest and tell us exactly what they're looking for," says Regina Maguire, the senior vice president of product development at Supergoop. "They've asked for a moisturizer that's more lightweight [and mattifying]."

Thus, Triple Prep was born. But it wasn't an easy product to make. It took the development team more than four years and 30 iterations to land on this formulation, which has a Cool Whip-like texture — featherweight and fluffy — and wears well on all skin types and tones.

"Formulating with sunscreens can be difficult as they can be dry, heavy, or oily," says Maguire. "This formula balances a lightweight, watery-burst texture with sunscreen and doesn't feel heavy, greasy, or dry — it's balanced with powders that feel and look natural on skin." (More on those powders later.)

Supergoop's Triple Prep formula is many things, but one thing it isn't: lazy. It's a sunscreen first and it's an effective moisturizer, one you can confidently use in place of your go-to face cream. Supergoop's chemists added a blend of hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid (a moisture retainer) and glycerin (which attracts water), plus ectoin, a soothing hero. Says Amanda Lam, a cosmetic chemist, "Ectoin is a small molecule amino acid — usually derived through fermentation — that helps to improve the skin barrier and prevent cellular damage caused by UV rays, weathering, or pollution."

According to Mona Gohara, MD, a board-certified dermatologist, the formula also protects skin against pollution. Triple Prep contains niacinamide, which has "powerful protective qualities as an antioxidant against free radicals from UV rays," she says, which can lead to the formation of fine lines. Lam adds that its use of red algae extract contributes to this protection.

As if that isn't enough, Triple Prep also creates an even canvas for makeup application. It has a mattifying effect, which Lam attributes to ingredients calcium aluminum borosilicate and polymethylsilsesquioxane. The former is a "fine powder that gives a soft-focus blurring effect on the skin," and the latter is "a spherical silicone resin powder that helps with wrinkle filling and blurring as well."

To summarize, Triple Prep is formulated to hydrate, protect the skin from UV rays, fight off free radicals that come from smog and pollution, and smooth and mattify skin. "This is why we call it Triple Prep," says Thaggard, "because it's like prepping your skin with the UV protection, the environmental protection, both UVA and UVB, [and hydration]."

Aside from fragrance-free body lotion and hand sanitizer, sunscreen is my favorite skin-care product. (Oh, my God, I'm so boring.) I go through tubes of it like I go through water. No one is more qualified to size up a sunscreen, and I have loved every minute of using Triple Prep on my combination skin.

While testing, I put my everyday moisturizer and SPF (Paula's Choice Barrier Repair Advanced Moisturizer and KraveBeauty Beet The Sun SPF 40) in a drawer and used Triple Prep in place of both. After my morning cleanse, vitamin C serum, prescription topicals, and eye cream, I'd twist open the jar and dab two finger lengths of the stuff on my face. As I massaged it in, the texture became one of my favorite parts of the Triple Prep experience — a texture Maguire is especially proud of. "We love the feel of the bouncy formula on fingertips and wanted people to enjoy it," she says. "You can feel the bouncy softness and the fresh water burst when applying on skin. Some of that sensorial transformation would be lost if squeezing from a traditional tube."

Triple Prep blended easily into my skin and dried down fast before makeup application. It does have a slight matte finish, but when used in combination with all of my other skin-care products, I found my skin to still be at a dewy, glowy baseline.

I have two (very small) gripes about using Triple Prep: First, I found that on cold days (like the 30-degree New York City weather I've been living in), I had to add a moisturizer back into my lineup — with all of my prescription topicals, I needed the extra shot of hydration; second, I sometimes had trouble opening the jar.

Yes, the extra-smooth, minimalist jar with the screw-on top is very similar to Superscreen's packaging and looks great on a vanity, but it does make it difficult to open. Picture me with slippery fingers, due to the skin-care products I applied immediately before, trying to open the jar by twisting two sides of a small tub in different directions — it's comical. More than a few times, I had to stop and wash and dry my hands to get it open. Did this deter me from using Triple Prep? Absolutely not. The formula is worth the effort.

It's hard to give qualitative results for a moisturizing sunscreen, but I'll take a stab at it. Does my skin feel hydrated when I use Triple Prep? Totally. Have I experienced any sort of sunburn or irritation while wearing it? Not once.

I get daily compliments on how "glowy" my complexion is. Sure, there are multiple factors at work here (I've gotten Botox, I apply a vitamin C serum every morning without fail, and I'm a youthful 32-year-old), but Triple Prep amps up the dewiness of my skin every time I wear it, with or without makeup.

Both Lam and Dr. Gohara have had similar experiences with Triple Prep, validating its smooth finish and easy blendability on different skin tones. "This is a nice viscous cream but doesn't feel heavy on the skin," says Lam. "And it has good spreadability, so you don't need to spend a lot of time working it into the skin. This is a very approachable sunscreen, especially for people who are not used to wearing sunscreen every day."

"Supergoop has done it again! I'm a fan of many of the brand's sunscreens (the Watery Lotion is my Day One), and Triple Prep is equally as impressive as the rest of the brand's lineup.

To ease the minds of my fellow melanated people: There is no white cast. It takes a little effort to completely rub it in, but truly, Triple Prep does not leave any chalkiness behind. It feels light and breathable, but also heavy enough to wear during the winter and not have my face peeling off after five minutes of being outside."

"Call it a skin diet or call it being lazy, but I am always striving to do less to my skin. That's why I yelled 'Gimme!' when I was presented this multitasking Supergroup product. That, and the fact that Supergoop's comfortable formulas always blend seamlessly into my medium-tan skin.

My morning lineup consisted of cleansing, prescription tretinoin, moisturizer, and SPF. I swapped Triple Prep in for the latter two steps. After washing my face, I now sweep the cream across my super dry skin, where it absorbs quickly and leaves me feeling as if I have slathered on a regular moisturizer. When the formula dries down, it has a silky finish that isn't sticky or greasy. Instead, it looks radiant, enough that I find I skip my skin tint more and more."

"Compared with other sunscreens I've used, this one blends in really easily. At first, it feels like it's going to be kind of heavy, but then it melts in after just a few swipes. It dries down rather quickly but stays super dewy, which I like — like my cheekbones are blinding.

I'm not entirely sure how much product constitutes the correct amount of SPF to apply, but I feel that way about all moisturizers with SPF. My only gripe is that the packaging could be easier to open. I would prefer my SPF be squeezable so I'm not digging my fingers into it all the time."

"Typically, I don't reach for moisturizer-with-SPF products because I believe that the two should be applied as standalone products in a routine. However, for someone who is low maintenance and perhaps just getting into the practice of applying sunscreen daily, this would be a great addition to their routine.

I like the Triple Prep's finish on skin because it's not too heavy, and it wears nicely throughout the day without causing any irritation to my eyes, like other sunscreen products I've tried. It did pill a little when I applied makeup immediately after blending, so I prefer to use it on days when I skip base makeup."

Triple Prep retails for a cool $48. When you think about the duality of the product (it can cut a step or two out of your routine), it seems like a fair market price, and it falls within the price range of its competitors.

Supergoop's Triple Prep SPF 40 Weightless Multitasking Moisturizer officially launches on December 23 on both Supergoop.com and Sephora.com. Perfect timing for those who need an SPF restock before the new year.