Physical Sunscreen Face Off - Team Korea

When you have skin like mine (extremely prone to hyperpigmentation/tanning and sensitive to most chemical filters), finding the right sunscreen is often a year-long battle. Last year, I found two effective ones that are effective enough but with their own flaws. This year, my search went on. With the grand entry of Korean brands into American market, I found a few physical sunscreens to try.

Innisfree opened its first US store in New York last fall (at the prime location of Union Square), a few months later it quickly expanded into Garden State Plaza (NJ) and it just opened another one midtown. I wonder if it's even that popular since the Union Square store doesn't seem particularly busy.  Actually I visted the store a few times, picking up eyeshadow singles but I never bothered wearing them...

Early this year, I stopped by the store and picked up a tube of sunscreen. The Daily UV protection cream (sebum care) is an all physical sunscreen with 6.0009% Titanium Dioxide and 11.0116% Zinc Oxide. Strangely to me the one labeled mild is heavily chemical(Avobenzone 2.5%, Homosalate 7%, Octisalate 4.3% ) but the all-physical one is just labeled soft and matte. 

The sunscreen boasts SPF35 and no indication of UVA protection. SPF35 is low for my need but a realistic number for the concentration of active ingredients. In a way it seems much more realiable (For example Josie Maran has similar percentage of TiO2 at 5.1% and only 6.4% of ZnO but it claims to have SPF47). 

Innisfree Sebum Care Sunscreen is a semi thick white paste with an herbal scent. The pasty formula is easy to spread and it blends into a smooth, dry matte finish. Unfortunately, there is an obvious white cast even when I am not using a lot. 

Even though it's smooth and comfortable, the white cast would sink into the texture of the skin, looking like flakey dead skin an hour in. There is certainly some sebum control but it do so by having oil breaking down the powdery formula. I don't mind wearing it if I am doing grocery or taking walk but it isn't appealing for other social interaction.

Etude House Sunprise Mild Airy Sunscreen gets mentioned occasionally. When I saw and tested it in a beauty store in Chinatown (oo35mm), I was sold. The liquid gel sunscreen is smooth, comfortable and mattifying without being patchy. The lemony grassy scent wasn't offensive either(the combo smelled like mold when it's humid though). 

This particular formula has the least amount of white cast (even if it does it looks so natural and even), seems to protect reasonably well (back in spring) and it sits incredibly well under powder and cream foundation, making makeup look fresh for the whole day. 

For the whole 1.5 month since early April to late May, I used it daily and loved it to bit. It was tight around my eyes (dry line galore) and the film always required an oil/balm cleanser but that's still worth it.

(Ingredient - Bunch of herbal extracts and oil  but no percent indication of active ingredients) When I don't see percentage and the white cast is so blendable (natural looking), I assume the concentration isn't high and tend to load them on by layering. Using on face only, each 55ml bottle only lasts for a month.

Every honeymoon comes to an end. My love with Sunprise dwindled as summer was approaching. I would use it daily, even with a straw hat and I still tanned significantly and sunspots exploded like firework. With the humidity and my own heat, sweat and sebum, this would break down into a semi sticky mess. At the end, I had to switch back to Anessa (greasy as hell but at least it works). 

Now the weather is cooling back down and the sunlight isn't as strong, I no longer feel like going back to Etude House, instead I just switch to Anessa with lower SFP rating (from my own experience, SPF 30 from Anessa is still more effective than SPF 50+from Etude House). 

If I bought Sunprise a smoothing matte primer with tone evening and some Sun protection, it's excellent. I personally prefer a real hardcore sunscreen that allows me to ditch/minimize the need for base makeup. 

To show you how much I tan - This is just from walking around casually for two months. That cotton gauze pants from Muji is my favorite apparel purchase of the year.

Last of the bunch is A'Pieu Mild Plus Sun Cream (It doesn't have English ingredient on the back so I was giving it my blind trust). This is a squeeze cream that smells a bit like old fashioned (like from 2000s) American sunscreen or Nair hair remover cream, only a little less stinky. 

Once you overlook the smell (frankly a little hard to do), it wears like a lotion, comfortable and moisturizing that's too greasy for summer but perfect for fall weather (as my skin drinks everything up right away). Frankly it's hard to judge how effective it is as incidental, off summer sunscreen.

All three are non irritating, comfortable to wear and a big step up from American drugstore sunscreens (Which is not saying much since American sunscreens are pretty behind on technology) when it comes to cosmetic elegance. 

As for protection the three are as good/bad as other American physical sunscreens (Origins and Josie Maran). I can't really tell but I guess/hope they are doing something?

Just to be safe, I am going back to Japanese sunscreens (already repurchased Fancl and Anessa this summer) since they give noticeable protection.