Sunscreens You Should Care About, Part 1

On being quiet, sunscreen drama and my go-to's this summer from head-to-toe.

Heaven on earth sunscreens.

Years ago, during a difficult time, I reached out to a friend who is an expert in zodiac charts. Her reading? My life would be a long rollercoaster until my mid-50s. While I don’t know anyone with a completely serene life (in New York at least), her words have largely rung true. Blaming astrology for my absence aside, a lot has happened these last 8 months. Some great, some not so great. As someone trying to break the habit of measuring self worth through productivity, I’m proud of myself. I’ve managed to stay on the ride, feel good about how far I’ve come, all while outputting less. For me, this is a small miracle.

In producing less, I began paying more attention. Which led to a deep fatigue with the beauty and wellness industry – a logical symptom as they increasingly follows trends. Launches feel repetitive because they often are. Brands observe the success of others, analyze Google Analytics for search trends, and presto – another lip product is born. I don’t fault brands for this; capitalism thrives on unbridled growth, and social media feeds on relevance, timeliness, and algorithmic fit to drive sales. The result is a Venn diagram drowning in similarity. We're partly to blame, both ourselves and our systems. Ironically, despite owning what could be called lip balm generation wealth, I found myself buying two recent launches.

One category that has kept things interesting for me in skincare? Sunscreen. The most dramatic of all skincare products. For those who aren’t following the sunscreen telenovela, it’s an anomaly in the United States. Here, it’s regulated like a drug. In most other countries? It’s regulated like a cosmetic. This means that the United States regulates sunscreens more strictly, requiring more stringent safety testing to approve new filters. While brands, influencers and all sorts of characters on the internet will tell you the dearth of sunscreen innovation in the United States is all part of some conspiracy theory, the reality is boring. Bureaucracy, not a beauty cabal, is why a new sunscreen filter hasn’t been approved in the United States for the last twenty years. Even the claim that Europe has banned sunscreen filters that are allowed in the United States is easily debunked.

So, why do I fight for new filters?

• I’m vain. I like things to look good, preserve my skin and these newer, more innovative filters look *damn good.*

• I don’t enjoy crying. These new filters tend to not burn my eyes to the point where people ask me if I need help or to sit down, a rare occurrence when you’re on the subway in New York.

• My skin, while much improved, is still sensitive meaning it can get rashy from the older filters.

• I don’t want skin cancer which runs rampant in my olive-toned, easily tanned Italian side of the family tree. No one wore sunscreen, and almost all my uncles including my father have had melanomas removed. Ironically, no one in my super fair French side has skin cancer, but that also may be because none of them go near the sun.

The sunscreen that works best is the one you use. And those I look forward to reapplying? Those are the sunscreens that work the best. They happen to largely be European, Korean, Japanese and Australian brands. They feel like silk, don’t pill, have strong UVA and UVB and in some cases even visible light protection (that’s measured) and reapply easily. Here are my greatest of all time.

If you don’t want the details, here is my entire “top shelf.” Note: some of these links are affiliate, some are not. Body sunscreens are here.

Favorite all around sunscreen:

ISA KNOX - UV Sun Pro 365 Extreme Sun Fluid

• Type: hybrid sunscreen blending Zinc, Octisalate and Octinoxate with newer chemical filters like Uvinul A Plus and BEMT.

• SPF 50+ PA ++++ (gold standard).

• Cast: none.

• Eye sting: none.

• Fragrance? Yes, dissipates and doesn’t irritate sting

• Water resistance? Yes, which is why it beats out most other KBeauty sunscreens for me in the summer and is beach appropriate.

• Why I love it: it blends like butter, moisturizing but has some zinc so it sets beautifully under makeup (is a hybrid sunscreen), doesn’t leave any cast and when I met with LG, the parent company, they were surprised that I loved this product. Why? “Old ladies” like Isa Knox. My elders like this sunscreen? Sold. Another pro? Made my boyfriend wear this in Mexico and everyone remarked on how he and I did not get tan. A win.

• Where to buy: Stylevana (INF10CP gets you 10% off meaning 340mL is $58), Yes Style (no code or affiliate link).

Favorite City Sunscreen

Beauty of Joseon - Relief Sun SPF 50

• Type: hybrid sunscreen blending Tinosorb M with all the new filters on the market. This does not have *any* filters that are allowed in the US (probably why it feels like absolute silk when you apply with a beautiful finish and absorption that leaves skin dewy, plump and glowing).

• SPF 50+ PA ++++ (gold standard).

• Cast: none on me, if you are a Fitzpatrick 5 and above note that it may throw off your skin tone slightly and there is a minimal cast.

• Eye sting: none.

• Fragrance? none.

• Water resistance? none.

• Why I love it: the sunscreen that made me angry about sunscreen regulation in the United States. It’s incredibly reasonably priced, is so wearable, minimizes the steps in your routine, evens out skin tone, gives you a beautiful glow, I could wax poetic about this one. The only negative is that it doesn’t have water resistance but on every other front, it’s perfection. Also tested their sunscreen in Spain and Korea meaning there’s an extra layer of verification that you rarely get in the United States.

• Where to buy: Stylevana (INF10CP gets you 10% off and has the lowest prices), Yes Style (no code or affiliate link) and the iconic Olive Young (no code or affiliate link).

Purito Seoul Wonder Releaf Centella SPF 50 PA ++++

• Type: chemical sunscreen with all new filters that are not allowed in the US. This sunscreen is more suitable for oily skin types but as someone with dry skin, loved the finish, loved how juicy it went on and it’s fragrance free. Non sensitizing and good for acne-prone skin is a winning combination. Also packed with antioxidants.

• SPF 50 PA ++++ (gold standard).

• Cast: none.

• Eye Sting: none.

• Fragrance: none.

• Water resistance: none.

• Why I love it: It feels like an improved Biore Aqua Rich. This sunscreen is really suitable for oily skin types but as someone with dry skin, I loved the finish, loved how juicy it went on and it’s fragrance-free which makes it even more accessible. Non sensitizing and good for acne-prone skin is a winning combination. Also packed with antioxidants. Just an excellent formula and like Beauty of Joseon was tested in Italy and Korea for extra peace of mind that the protection you’re buying is what you’re getting!

• Where to buy: Stylevana (INF10CP gets you 10% off), Yes Style has some amazing deals (not affiliate just have seen some great pricing so check that out) and Olive Young (out of stock ATM).

Favorite Body Sunscreen:

Outside of using Isa Knox as a body sunscreen (I buy bulk!), I found a store that sells my favorite international sunscreens for body. Care to Beauty and I had a moment in 2018 (multiple packages never made it to me), but more recently their delivery has been reliable. Highly recommend everything here especially SVR, La Roche Posay and Vichy. This body sunscreen is a favorite. None of my Care to Beauty links are affiliate but I did verify these are the real deal. They’re also on sale, so now is the time to stock up.

Favorite Australian Brand

UltraViolette deserves a special shout out. I had issues in the past with sourcing from Harrods but have had luck recently. The Fav Fluid *is* my favorite because the texture and ease of application is so delightful but Supreme Screen is a classic for a reason.

A few parting notes:

• Just because your favorite sunscreen isn’t listed, does not make it bad. Either I haven’t tried it or I just don’t recommend it. If you love something and it’s working for you, please carry on!

• I like about 100 different sunscreens and do my best to edit my choices on my Shop My Shelf. Not all are affiliate links but many are.

• I do not buy sunscreen on Amazon. Too risky to have a fake.

• I do use American sunscreen and list them in my Shop My Shelf.

Comments are open to everyone, this is sunscreen after all.