L'Occitane Immortelle Brightening Hand Care SPF20

I picked this up a little while ago at a stand alone L'Occitane store as the "brightening" and SPF20 appealed to me. The product has 75ml of hand cream for £19, and is available online and in their stores from what I can see, there is also an SPF15 version available on feelunique.

This contains chemical sunscreens from what I've managed to decipher and the directions for use are to apply 15 minutes before sun exposure to the back of the hands, I find this instruction to be really strange as I'd need the front of my hands to apply it to the backs... Unless I rubbed it in with the backs of my hands facing each other... They also suggest we use their Shea butter hand cream before using this, I didn't want to spend more so I stuck to just this and thought if required I could always use another hand cream I have at home.

The packaging is quite simple but their are hints of luxury visible too, the bottle shape is certainly very different and I really like that it is, the bottom of the cap is also engraved with the brand's logo. The cream itself is a basic white, quite light yet hydrating cream. I use it as I would a normal hand cream, none of this "backs of hands" stuff.

Here are the claims in shorter versions:

- Smoothes hands (Immortelle flower stimulates collagen production)

- Evens skintone, reduces appearance of age spots (includes Bellis perennis - daisy, which regulates melanin production)

- SPF20 broad spectrum protects against sun damage

There are also figures from testing on 34 women over 4 weeks so I decided to test this product for 4 weeks too. I started using it in early April and now it is early May and this is the only hand cream I have used during the day time, at night I've been using whichever one has been closest to me at the time!

It's very light, easily absorbed and doesn't leave white casts on the hands. It doesn't rub off or cause any stickiness or any other issues but does have a noticeable scent. I am yet to notice any brightness or evening of skintone but I will definitely keep using it as it seems like the best hand cream with sun protection I have found to date. I think I would prefer one with UVA protection included too but I do like this one.

Would I recommend?

Yes, it's a lightweight, travel-friendly, easily absorbed, functional hand cream. The price is a bit high but then it is from a higher end brand.

*L'Occitane are cruelty free from what I've understood from this statement although there is confusion online and they are not listed on BUAV's website*