Sunscreens can be expensive, and some formulas aren’t the best for oily and acne-prone skin. That’s why knowing your ingredients and knowing how to choose a brand that works for you is important. When it comes to choosing a sunscreen, it's best to find something that will not only protect your skin but nourish and soothe it. Thankfully, K-beauty products are effective and inexpensive, and they're a great choice for acne-prone skin. Some would say even better than American products. But, why is this? In this blog, we'll talk about the differences between K-beauty and American sunscreens. Compared to American brands, why is K-beauty so much better at producing sunscreens that don’t sting the eyes or burn blemishes ?
#1 Korea is on the cutting edge of dermatology innovations.
The Korean FDA or "KDA" has more approved filters. Filters are the ingredients that fight against the sun’s UVA and UVB rays. In America, sunscreens are considered a drug. That means a lot of regulatory testing has to go into it. This is good, but there hasn’t been a new sunscreen filter approved by the American FDA since the late 90s.
So, because sunscreens in Korea are seen as cosmetics, Korean brands have a greater variety of filters to choose from.
#2 Korean Sunscreens are more gentle.
In the States, finding sunscreen is often a challenge for people with acne. Many fear that sunscreen will cause breakouts. Many American brands have formulas that are heavy on the face. Thankfully, K-beauty has some amazing blemish-prone sunscreens. Cassandra was actually able to travel to South Korea to produce a sunscreen with one of her favorite K-beauty brands. It took two years to create, and it was formulated with Muan red onion.
Istnree Purple Protector Onion Newpair Sunscreen - $20.70
This purple protector is not meant to clear acne. However, it’s made for oily, blemish-prone skin. If you don’t like things that sting the eyes or blemishes, and you want something fun to use, this is it! This sunscreen is purple, efficacious, and it’s not harmful for acne and blemish-prone skin.
#3 K-beauty makes excellent use of botanical extracts.
Some plant extracts are medically proven to help with things such as acne and irritation. But sometimes, they are not formulated into the product correctly. And sometimes, there is not a large enough percentage of the plant extract for it to matter. However, K-beauty makes excellent use of botanical extracts and truly uses them to heal and build the skin.
For example, Isntree's Newpair Sunscreen uses Muan Red Onions. Red onions can have healing properties, and they are actually used in things like theMederma Scar Cream! There’s evenscar cream from Derma E that has onion extract.
Onions are fantastic as a source of antioxidants and vitamin C, and they are blemish and scar-friendly. The Purple Protector’s formula is 5% Muan Red Onion. This SPF has B vitamins and silica to help wick oil away from the skin, and plus, it's purple!
The reason why Cassandra decided to make it purple was to promote better sunscreen application. When Cassandra applies sunscreen, she uses 2-3 fingers, but there are times when she definitely misses a spot. But because it’s purple, you can see where you’ve applied it!
It still blends in completely invisible, and it's amazing. The only problem is that it keeps selling out! It sold out within 20 hours on Amazon. You can get it on Stylevana, and you can also get it on YesStyle. Cassandra is so proud of this because it’s the sunscreen she wanted when she was younger.
This is not something that’s going to aggravate your skin or make it feel overly oily or greasy. It protects your skin during the day, but at nighttime, you want to make sure you’re removing sunscreen and makeup. We have another blog here, that shares a nighttime routine for doing this effectively.
Photocred: Everyday Health