REVIEW: Etude House's Surprise Mild Watery Light SPF 50+ PA +++
Sunscreen is by far one of the most important products in your skincare routine but for people with medium to dark skin complexions, it can be one of the most difficult ones to find. On this episode of Sunscreen for Dark Skin we are putting Etude House's Surprise Mild Watery Light SPF 50+ PA +++ to the test to see if it's Black Girl Approved.
As I'm rating this SPF I'm keeping 10 qualities in mind and at the end, I'm going to give it an overall rating out of 10.
Brand, Packaging, Price and Quantity, Ingredients, Application, Finish, Re-application, White Cast, Fragrance, Flashback
Sunprise
This is the Sunprise Mild Watery Light SPF 50+, PA +++ Sunscreen from Etude House. It is described as a non-sticky and water-soluble formula that applies smoothly on the skin, it is suitable for all skin types, and contains 20 kinds of vegetable ingredients. We'll talk about the product in more detail a little later, for now, let’s get into the application.
Brand [0.6]
Etude House is a household name in KBeauty. They sell everything from Makeup to skincare, hair and body, tools, and other lifestyle products. Their products are available on many popular Kbeauty retailers like Yesstyle and StyleKorean, and their own website provides international shipping making it every accessible. The only bone i have to pick with the brand is that it is not cruelty-free. There isn't too much known about their testing practices, but their Parent Company Amore Pacific does test on animals. That doesn't mean they necessarily follow the same practices because baby brands can have their own policies different from their parent companies, they just haven't been clear about it. But they do ship to China so you can draw your own conclusions.
Packaging [1]
I enjoy simple packaging. It has a twist lock cap and a little nozzle. This is very helpful because it is more of a lighter consistency SPF, so it helps manage how much product comes out. The nozzle makes it easy dispense the product using the 2 finger method, and makes it easy to get every last drop by allowing you to cut the tube and spoon out the rest.
Price and Quantity [1]
$15.99, drugstore - fair price, 50g standard. Let’s look at dollar/cost averaging so can figure out the cost per/use. You should be using 2 finger lengths of product for face and neck. 1/4 tsp = 0.04 oz
1.76 oz /0.04 = 44 days / 15.99 $0.36 every-time you use this.
You have to look at multiple SPFs to really gauge which one is the better buy. So make sure to subscribe and click the bell icon to be notified when I post my SPF recap. After reviewing 10 SPF I will be giving a final ranking to see which one is the best!
Ingredients (0.6)
I mentioned before that the product is described as having 20 different kinds of vegetable ingredients. The rule of thumb when it comes to choosing products is that the shorter the ingredient list, the better. But there is a lot to be said about when goes into the formulation, that the average consumer, myself included won't understand. So I'm going to be looking at their SPF factor and if anything stands out to me as potentially irritating.
The Highlighted ingredients
sunflower seed
aloe vera
portulaca oleracea (antioxidants, vitamin E, C and carotene - brightens skin tone and reduces sun damage)
acai berry (antioxidant, skin healing, anti-aging)
acerola (vitamin c, cherry)
Cactus
Centella
soybean lipids
dimethicone
cetyl alcohol
SPF Factor
SPF 50+ offers about 98% protection UVB
PA +++ so blocks around 90% of UVA Rays
Active Ingredients*
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate (octinoxate good sun protection, protects against UVB rays- not coral reef safe)
Homosalate - UVB protection
ETHYLHEXYL SALICYLATE - (UVB)
DIETHYLAMINO HYDROXYBENZOYL HEXYL BENZOATE (UVA)
I am not an expert on Coral reef so a good video to look at is Lab Muffin's SPF Busting Myths video.
It gives adequate protection, and doesn't have any irritating ingredients so this gets a point!
Busting Myths about Sunscreen by Lab Muffin Beauty Science
Application [1]
The product went on smooth, and light-weight. It really lives up to its name and feels like a wet moisturizer if that makes any sense. With little to no effort, it absorbs seamlessly into the skin
Finish [1]
As it is a watery/gel consistency it doesn't leave any greasiness or shine to the skin. It's not exactly mattifying but it gives leaves a skin-like texture. This will be lovely if you have oily skin. Right now my combination skin is leaning more on the dry side so I need to put a good moisturizer underneath. Otherwise, my skin feels a little dry.
Re-application [1]
Reapplication was easy, with no pilling on the skin. It still felt lightweight and soft. I really enjoyed the way this re-applied. Over makeup, I used a sponge to apply and it didn't really budge my makeup. I didnt feel the need to touch up with powder either.
Whitecast [1]
This gets a point as well as the SPF leaves no white cast!
Fragrance [0.5]
Does contain a few fragrant ingredients:
FRAGRANCE / PARFUM
Orange peel
lime oil
bergamot
lemon peel oil
eucalyptus oil
Not for a beach day but the fragrance isn't overpowering, its actually a refreshing scent and its not irritating
Under Makeup [1]
Wears very well even after a few hours, no need to blot or re-powder. Granted my skin is not super oily right now so we'll see how that goes in the summer.
Flashback [1]
Did not see any flashback from this product.
Overall rating of 9.1