REVIEW Sunscreen
Hello!
If you're still searching for a good sunblock this post might help you out.
From left to right: Hada Labo UV Creamy Gel SPF50, Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Face Sunscreen SPF50, Olay White Radiance Sunscreen SPF50, Cetaphil SPF 50, Nivea Sun Whitening SPF50
I'll describe them by their texture, smell, finish on face, effectiveness, and price.
I will not talk about the packaging because they are all sturdy and decent, packaging-wise.
I was going to include Skin Aqua SPF50 UV Milk but I decided to make a separate review about it (later) because I love it too much.
By the way, all my sunscreens are SPF50 because I used to reside in Brisbane, sunshine state. True to its name, the sun is vicious. And because I commute by public transportation, I have to face the sunlight everyday, thus having to put a strong and longlasting sunscreen on my face.
But here in Indonesia, since I don't spend much time outdoor, I switched to my SPF15 Olay moisturiser that I reviewed here.
1. Hada Labo UV Creamy Gel SPF50
Texture: Like its name it's between cream and gel texture. It's moisturising like creams but not oily, really absorbable like gel. 10/10 for the texture because it's so pleasant to use.
Smell: Fragrance-free! I love how Japanese product always try to be simple but safe for sensitive skin. 10/10 for the absence of smell.
Finish on face: Because it is absorbed to the skin really nicely, it does not make my face look oily, and does not leave white cast, unlike what most sunscreens with high SPF does. It contains hyaluronic acid that moisturises skin and dimethicone that helps prepare the skin for makeup. Makeup glides on smoothly after applying this product! 10/10 for its finish.
Effectiveness: I used this for two months and my face did not get darker so I'll say it's effective. 10/10.
Price: It is very affordable. I bought this in Singapore (actually at Changi airport because I'm a loyal customer of SQ and everytime I got back to Indonesia I always bought one home) for SGD13 or around Rp 130.000,00. And for that price, this sunscreen is THE BEST BUY. 10/10 overall!
2. Neutrogena Ultra Sheer SP5F50 Sunscreen Liquid Lotion
Texture: Lotion! It is almost watery and I love it. Because it is absorbed to skin quickly, it does not make the face look oily. But it's not as nice as the Hada Labo one so 9/10.
Smell: Mild sunscreen-y smell. Not too overwhelming. Diminishes very quickly. So 9/10 for the smell.
Finish on skin: Even though it says matte look on the packaging, it actually is not. It does not have a matte finish but because it does not make the skin look oily and it is absorbed nicely, I'm giving a 9 out of 10.
Effectiveness: I got slightly more tanned when I used this so I assumed it needs reapplication, unlike the Hada Labo one. So 8/10 for the effectiveness.
Price: I completely forgot the price but I am sure it's not above AUD20. I bought it at Brisbane, this product last forever, a good buy, I must say. 9/10 for the price.
3. Olay White Radiance SPF50
Texture and finish on face: Creamy! It glides on smoothly and it's a good makeup base too. But it leaves a white cast if you use too much of it. 7/10.
Smell: Classic Olay fragrance. It stays for a while too even though the smell is not bad. I don't really like fragranced skincare so 7/10 for the smell.
Effectiveness: I can't say much about this because I don't use this a lot.
Price: Cheap. It's not even Rp 150.000,00 so I guess it's very affordable and it's pretty good too. I bought this at Guardian, it is available in every Olay counter so, easy to find! Price-wise: 10/10.
4. Cetaphil UVA/UVB Defence SPF50
It is a moisturiser with high SPF so it's basically a sunscreen.
Texture and finish on face: Very creamy so you'll have to apply it little by little, or else your face will look ashy. It definitely leaves white cast so 6/10.
Smell: It is fragrance-free! 10/10.
Effectiveness: It has the Mexoryl technology. To be honest with you I don't get what they meant by that but this sunscreen works very well. I used it on my feet too and it did not get more tanned. They have moisturising agents but they are at the very bottom of the ingredients list so I'd say it does not have much of an effect.
Price: Pretty high. I bought this in Brisbane but I forgot how much, I found the exact same one at Watsons Summarecon Mall Serpong and it was like more than Rp 230.000,00. It's not the most affordable sunscreen and it does not have the best texture and finish so price-wise: 5/10.
5. Nivea Sun Whitening SPF50
Texture and finish on face: Creamy, oily, ashy. I really dislike this sunscreen to be honest. 2/10.
Smell: Tacky fragrance. 2/10.
Effectiveness: Despite it being too oily and smells bad, this sunscreen does a good job protecting my face from getting more tanned. So 8/10 for effectiveness.
Price: Cheap. Hella cheap. I'm not exactly sure how much but I bought this at Guardian and I remember giving Rp 50.000,00 to the salesperson and got some change. So it's less than Rp 50.000,00. 9/10 for the price.
As you can see above, my favourite is the Hada Labo one but it is not widely available in Indonesia. You can get it in Singapore though, it's not far from Indonesia. But yeah, the other sunscreens are not bad too. For those residing in Indonesia, I highly suggest buying the Cetaphil one.
Hope you find this post helpful! Thanks for reading!