Sunscreen Round Up 2019

Memorial Day always makes me think of sun & sunscreen. The number one skincare step you can do for yourself is daily sunscreen. Not only for sun protection in a traditional sense (UVB) but protection from UVA which is the aging part of UV light. Even when it’s cloudy UVA still gets you. If you’re not wearing daily sunscreen your just flushing all the money you spend on skincare down the drain. Every year I like to do a sunscreen round up that features sunscreens I’ve been using for the last year.

Krave The Beet Shield was the first I grabbed in this line up. This is a chemical fluid textured sunscreen with SPF of 50+. It leaves no white cast and is really moisturizing for this type of sunscreen. This one does have alcohol in it but it’s far from drying. This also has beetroot extract, allantoin, vitamin C, resveratrol & EGCG. This was great in the winter for me. I actually almost used up the full tube. I did notice as the weather turned warmer this started to give me little raised bumps on my chest. It’s pretty hydrating and I’m not sure what did that but they went away when I switched sunscreens. I would reuse this one in the winter but skip it in the warmer months. Review HERE.

I got the Priori Tetra fx251 Sunscreen Lotion with a social media giveaway. I always wanted to try something from the line. This is such a high tech sunscreen. It’s mineral and SPF 50. This is a tinted lotion style product. This helps protect against infrared and HEV (blue light). It also has antioxidants and a DNA Enzyme Complex to help repair skin damage. Because it’s tinted there’s no white cast and it can serve as a tinted moisturizer so it can be a one stop shop. I find it not as drying as other zinc containing mineral sunscreens (zinc dried me out) and it’s alcohol free. I’m really impressed with this stuff. Though it’s quite pricey.

Purito Centella Green Level Safe Sun was one of the best sunscreen discoveries I made in a while. This is a chemical sunscreen and it’s SPF 50+. This has no white cast and it feel so light and airy. It’s not too moisturizing and is never greasy. It looks like a cream but has the hydration level of a fluid. This also has niacinimide, centella asiatica, hyaluronic acid & vitamin E. It’s also cheap and alcohol/silicone free. Seriously the best cheap sunscreen I’ve come across in ages. Next I decided to try Ultra Violette Queen Screen due to all the Instagram fuss. This is a chemical sunscreen with an SPF of 50+. It has a liquid texture and comes in a luxe heavy weight glass dropper bottle. This also has Australian kakadu plum which is high in natural vitamin C. For being so light and fluid this sunscreen packs a hydrating punch. I think I’ll like this a bit more in the winter as I tend to like a more water-light feeling sunscreen in the heat. I’ll really enjoy this in the cooler and winter months this year. It is alcohol free.

REN sent over their new Clean Screen Mattifying Face Sunscreen. It’s mineral and SPF 30. This also has antioxidant protection from yellow passion fruit seed extract while rice starch helps absorb oil and balance shine. This one is alcohol and silicone free. It’s a thick cream and does leave some white cast. I don’t really need a mattifying sunscreen as I’m not oily like I used to be so it’s not a big draw for me. Though it wasn’t as drying as I thought it would be for a matte. I’ll be using this one as a body sunscreen this summer, it’s not bad just not my favorite consistency for a facial sunscreen.

Next I got Ayuna VELO in my Beauty Heroes subscription box. This is a 6-in-1 protector of these skins barriers: anti-pollution (marshmallow root), antioxidant (chamomile, argan & vitamin E), light (mineral sunscreen), water (trehalose), lipidic (glycolipids) & postbiotic (lactobacillus & coconut ferment). I heard it was SPF 30 and it has a tinted color. It’s also alcohol and silicone free. This one doesn’t dry me out like other mineral sunscreens can but it can pill a little. It’s got a medium weight cream texture. So let it set before moving onto makeup. I like it, this has the typical Ayuna scent which I adore. It’s really expensive, I just can’t justify the price I prefer to splurge on their creams.

I grabbed two Korean sunscreens off Amazon recently to round out my testing for now. I liked the Missha ones I got last year so I grabbed the All-around Safe Block Aqua Sun Gel. It’s a chemical sunscreen, has SPF 50+ and does have alcohol. This does have some silicone but it’s at the end of the inci list and you can’t tell at all to be honest. This has a very lightweight fluid gel cream texture, has no white cast and it feels a bit refreshing to apply. It’s the most lightweight of all the sunscreens in this line up. The alcohol in this one can dry me out a touch so I use a hydrating primer and foundation over this to balance. I like my Missha Essence sunscreen more but this is a nice one and it’s cheap.

I’ve been wanting to try ANESSA sunscreens for a while. The Essence UV Sunscreen Mild Milk was an excellent choice. I’ve been quite enjoying it. This is a chemical sunscreen with SPF 35. It’s fragrance & alcohol free. This is a Shiseido sub-brand and I’m glad it works for me as the Shiseido sunscreens kill my skin with their SD-alcohol 40. For one reason they like that type and my skin hates it. Denatured I’ll take it, SD-40 turns me red and fully irritates me. The mild versions are fragrance and alcohol free so I find them perfect for me. This one has no white cast and has a fluid emulsion texture. It’s actually a touch hydrating but nothing heavy or greasy. I’ve been reaching for this one a ton and can see myself repurchasing. This has some Aqua Booster technology which looks like it helps keep it intact after water contact and doesn’t rub off easily. You can read more HERE.

Overall Missha is the lightest, followed by Purito. If you want lower hydration look at these two. Anessa is kind of like the medium one with Ultra Violette & Krave being the most moisturizing. I would put those two as cooler or winter sunscreens. Priori is the lightest of the minerals. REN may be thick but it’s not greasy or heavy, Ayuna is a bit more moisturizing even though it’s lighter in texture. I would repurchase the Anessa, Purito and Priori for sure. Jury is still out on Ultra Violette and Krave. I like them but the heavier hydration makes them more unusable for me in the Texas heat & humidity.

 

Top to Bottom-REN, Priori, Ayuna, Krave, Purito, Anessa, Ultra Violette, Missha:

You may enjoy last years post HERE and HERE (two parts). I’m still a huge fan of Julisis, CosRX, Alastin, Dr Jart+, Make P:rem (just ordered a new big one for summer and the UV fluid is a summer staple, all time favorite) & Missha Essence.

The 2017 post is HERE. Make P:rem and Dr Jart+ are the two I still enjoy.