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Wednesday, January 19, 2022

[Sponsored] Reviewing 5 Popular Korean Sunscreen Products

[Disclaimer]: The links in this post are affiliated and if you choose to make a purchase with any of these links or use my coupon code, I will earn a commission from the sale (thank you if you do so!). As with all my reviews, sponsored or not, this post will be my 100% honest opinion based on my personal experience with the product. I am not a dermatologist or professional skincare expert. Your experience with these products may vary from mine.

Hello angels, I hope you're having a great day. Today I'm bringing you a very special post sponsored by Stylevana. They are an online Asian beauty shop selling cult Asian beauty faves from brands like Laneige, Etude House, 3CE, Purito iUNIK, Rom&nd, and Biore just to name a few. 

They ship to most locations worldwide, just make sure you are using the correct site for your region! You can adjust this at the top right corner of the site:
Shipping is free for orders above a certain amount (varies by country's currency; please refer to the Shipping & Delivery FAQ pages of your region's site). For the USA you can get free shipping on orders above $53 USD and for Canada you get free shipping for orders above $85 CAD.

You can receive a 10% discount on their sites by using my coupon code "SHOPSEIRREN" at checkout. Happy shopping!
Sunscreen is a really important and staple part of any skincare regime. It is also the #1 best anti-aging product you could add to your routine. Even on overcast days or days where you can't really see the sun, you should still be wearing an ample amount of sunscreen to reduce damage and minimize aging. I can't overstate this enough, everyone should be wearing sunscreen every day

The golden rule is to wear 2 teaspoons or 2-3 finger lengths worth of product to your face and neck in order to get the SPF coverage as stated on the bottle. 
image from google
Before we get started I wanted to just give some quick terminology explanations to help you better understand what you're looking for in your sun care products.

SPF stands for "Sun Protection Factor" and is a measurement of how long you can stay protected from the UVB (burning) and UVA (aging) rays of the sun. The PA+ rating system lets you know how much protection you are getting against UVA. You will usually see 1-4 plus symbols on the bottle. The more plus symbols in the name, the higher the protection you're receiving though there is debate on how each country calculates the PA rating of a sunscreen.

The term "broad spectrum" refers to a product that has passed testing to show it protects against both types of UV ray damage. If your product doesn't have a PA+ rating on the bottle, keep a look out for this term!
Today I'll be trying out 5 of the best selling SPF products on Stylevana and giving you my first impressions on them. I know most people hate wearing sunscreen because of the greasy feeling or white cast but I promise that all of these are lightweight and blend seamlessly with your skin! 
Here is a picture of my face before any sunscreen has been applied, I just have some of my usual skincare on (toner, essence, and moisturizer). I'll be using this to gauge how much of a white cast I get.
By the way, these reviews are not in any particular order and with that in mind let's get started!
This product contains 8 types of hyaluronic acid and is formulated with ceramide, astaxanthin (antioxidant), centella asiatica, and niacinamide. It is a water-based sun gel and claims to supply your skin with abundant moisture while also soothing and cooling dry skin. It has an SPF of 50+ and PA++++ and is paraben, sulfate, alcohol, essential oil, and fragrance free.

It is currently on sale for $19.91 CAD and it comes in a squeeze tube with 50mL of product. You can check it out here.
When applied, it has a bit of a gel-like texture and it really does give a cooling effect on the skin. It's almost like a minty feeling but it isn't harsh or irritating. There isn't much of a scent to this product either.
Once blended out, it gives my skin a little bit of a brightening effect and evened out the tone, but it's not a white cast. It feels very hydrating and lightweight! Not greasy at all but you could look a bit shiny if you overapply so work in thin layers and build up.
Overall I think this would be a great choice of sunscreen for the summer especially on scorching hot days or days where you're maybe out on the beach!
This product's was the most interesting one out of the entire bunch because I've never seen a sunscreen come out of a dropper before. It is formulated with houttuynia cordata (heartleaf) extract, niacinamide, and aspergillus ferment. It offers SPF 50+ and PA++++ while claiming to be a lightweight hydrating essence formula that quickly absorbs into your skin leaving it feeling soft and refreshed. You are instructed to shake the bottle well before each use.

It is currently on sale for $21.19 CAD and it comes in a dropper bottle with 50mL of product. You can check it out here.
When applied the texture is very thin and almost milky/watery. It has a kind of strong chemical/herbal(?) smell that I don't like but it doesn't linger on the skin. 
I think this one is the most lightweight out of the bunch. You do get a slight brightening effect with this one as well but the finish is not greasy at all and you can easily layer makeup on top of this!
This product is described to contain apricot, lotus, chrysanthemum and camellia flower extracts to nourish and moisturize skin, and thanaka extracts for a soothing and cooling effect. It has SPF 50+ and PA+++ and is recommended for normal, combination and dry skin types as it does leave a dewy finish.

It is currently on sale for $19.09 CAD and it comes with 70mL of product. You can check it out here.
I noticed that on application this isn't very "milky" like the name suggests but rather it is more creamy. It has a light and fresh sunscreen scent that dissipates after application.
This did feel very hydrating and refreshing on my skin, sort of like a light moisturizer. I actually would skip the moisturizing step and just use this instead because the finish is quite dewy. If you overapply this you will look greasy so just work in thin layers until you reach the correct amount for coverage.
You might remember a few years back Purito actually had a really popular sunscreen (the centella green level one) that was recalled as it was found through lab results that the sunscreen did not live up to the SPF 50+ it claimed on the bottle. It actually clocked in at around SPF 19 instead. After reformulation and extensive testing, they came out with this new sunscreen! I never used the previous one but from what I've seen online, it basically feels the same as the old one but maybe a bit heavier feeling. 

This one is broad spectrum sunscreen with SPF 50+ and PA++++. It is a hybrid sunscreen which means it has both physical and chemical filters. It is hypoallergenic and coral reef safe. The formulation includes centella asiatica extract and madecassoside to help soothe and protect your skin. It is advertised for all skin types and is free of fragrances, parabens, essential oils, oxybenzones, artificial dyes and mineral oils. It also claims to be designed specifically for easy re-application (with or without makeup) but I did not test this for myself so I can't speak to it.

It is currently on sale for $22.59 CAD and it comes with 60mL of product. You can check it out here.
The application for this is really nice; the product itself feels rich and creamy. I did find that a little went a long way for this one but I still applied the recommended 2 finger amount. I would work in thin layers as this one ended up being the most greasy looking out of all the sunscreens in this post.
The finished look is not bad but definitely dewy and can be borderline greasy for those of you with oily skin. If you wanted to go out just like this I would probably powder over top or keep some blotting sheets handy. I think this one had the most brightening effect out of the lot as well so keep that in mind!
This product is a chemical sunscreen with SPF 50+ and PA++++ that boasts skin calming and brightening ingredients that are suitable for those with sensitive skin types. It contains 30% rice extract and grain probiotics complex. It also contains niacinamide, camellia sinesis leaf extract, panax ginseng root extract, soybean ferment extract, and lactobacillus/pumpkin ferment extract. It is alcohol, fragrance and essential oil free as well!

This is currently on sale for $16.71 CAD and it comes in a squeeze tube with 50mL of product. You can check it out here.
This one feels refreshing and light on the skin. It has a slightly creamy texture and feels the most moisturizing and hydrating out of all the sunscreens here. This one doesn't really have a scent so I would recommend this if you are sensitive to that.
Again this one has a bit of a brightening effect on the skin but no white cast. It makes you look fresh and hydrated. This one does not leave you feeling greasy or looking shiny so I think if you wanted to wear a moisturizer with this you could!
Overall I really thoroughly enjoyed all of these sunscreens. If I had to give them a ranking based on personal preference it would be like this:
  1. MISSHA - All Around Safe Block Essence Sun Milk
  2. Beauty of Joseon - Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotic Sunscreen
  3. Isntree - Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel
  4. PURITO - Daily Go-To Suncscreen
  5. Abib - Heartleaf Sun Essence Calming Drop
I think the Missha and Beauty of Joseon one work best for my skin type (oily/combo) and had the best finish with the least amount of scent. I'm not sensitive to fragrance but I just really didn't like how the Abib one smelled and typically prefer products that are scented to my liking or have no scent at all. 

The Purito and Instree one are both nice but over time ended up making me look like a greaseball so if you're more on the dry side you might like those better!

That being said, if I had to purchase all of these for myself, I would as they are all very decent and well performing sunscreens. Please don't let my personal preferences color your choice too much. I hope that you will try these out and see how you like them for yourself~
A huge thank you again to Stylevana for sponsoring this post. I look forward to future collaborations and highly recommend you guys check out their site if you haven't already! Remember you can use coupon code "SHOPSEIRREN" for a discount on your order.

Let me know what you end up trying and how you like it! Thank you guys for reading and I hope you have a fantastic day.

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