I’m a big sunscreen devotee, as you might know if you’ve seen any of my many posts and videos on chemical vs physical sunscreen, wearing sunscreen with makeup, what SPF means, why you shouldn’t DIY your own sunscreen, and how much sunscreen you need for your face. Recently I’ve landed a few sunscreens that I’ve been really pleased with, here they are!
A refresher on my wants:
- High UVA protection: Australia doesn’t allow brands to show their exact UVAPF values (only “broad spectrum” is allowed), so I usually just look at the filters to try to gauge this. I prefer the newer filters (Tinosorb S & M, Mexoryl ingredients, Uvinul A Plus).
- White cast: Needs to be minimal. My skin is NC20 for reference.
- Ease of application: It has to feel nice on my skin.
- Eye comfort: I need to apply sunscreen near my eyes since that’s where I can see the wrinkles gathering. My eyes are pretty hardy thanks to years of wearing contact lenses, but they’ll still water a bit with some sunscreens.
Canmake Mermaid UV Gel
Canmake Mermaid UV Gel SPF 50+ PA++++ (around $11 for 40 g) was an impulse buy for me. I swore I’d stop buying sunscreens until I used up my stash, since I’m paranoid enough to only use unexpired sunscreen, but curiosity got the better of me.
I personally really dislike silicone-heavy sunscreens. I don’t like how they feel like they don’t sink into your skin and you can’t apply a generous amount of sunscreen, and I hate that they make my skin look matte for about 15 minutes before suddenly turning 20 times more oily than before. Unfortunately most of the “cosmetically elegant” Asian face sunscreens have tons of silicones, but Canmake Mermaid UV Gel has them quite far down the ingredients list. I’d also seen a bunch of good reviews (like this one from Vanity Rex), so I had to try it!