Etude House Sunprise Mild Water Light + Mild Airy Finish SPF50+/PA+++ Sunscreen Review

I think at this point, I’ve embraced the wordy, long titles for my blog posts, maybe I’ll make it my signature schtick.

Anyway, finally a review on my absolutely favourite sunscreens! After the Neutrogena incident, I realized that sunscreen is (obviously) important in protecting your skin against the sun but it shouldn’t be at the expense of your skin health (read: your skin is attacked by acne and irritation).

If you’re like me, you don’t really know the jargon found on sunscreen bottles. So, before we jump into it, I just want to give a little breakdown on a few things.

• SPF (sun protection factor) measures how well the sunscreen blocks ultraviolet B-rays (UVB). SPF 50 blocks 98% rays. (30 blocks 97%).
  • Even though there is only a 1% difference, I still prefer SPF 50 and I still make sure to keep my sun exposure limited, especially with all of the harsh treatments in my skincare routine (that leave my skin vulnerable). 
  • This M.D wrote a great article regarding SPF 50+ and how higher SPF creates a “false sense of security” because people assume their skin is safer with the higher number.
    • So in conclusion, limit your exposure to the sun (this is my favourite excuse when I don’t want to leave the house). Don’t use anything lower than SPF 30 and just because you use a higher SPF, doesn’t mean your skin has more protection! Don’t throw caution to the wind and spend hours outside without reapplication or other sun protection because you think SPF 50 or higher means you are more protected.
• You will find PA+ (protection grade of UVA system) on Asian sunscreens. This measures how well the sunscreen blocks ultraviolet A-rays (UVA). This scale was taken from the Persistent Pigment Darkening (PPD) system. Basically, it means that it measures how long it will take our skin to darken under the sun’s rays.
• PA+++ means you have the highest protection (compared to PA+, PA++) against strong UVA rays.
  • Here is a snippet of a fantastic article talking about the reason why Japanese and in this case, Korean sunscreens carry the PA label and why some North American brands don’t.
    • “PA is based on the PPD test or the persistent pigmentation darkening test. It measures the multiple increases of UVA a person can theoretically be exposed to without tanning or darkening of the skin,” Ko explained. “The PA system ranges from PA+ to PA++++. PA++++; the maximum rating means it has a PPD value of 16. This means that a person can theoretically withstand at least 16 times more UVA radiation before tanning with the sunscreen on compared to without.”

So these sunscreens offer you the highest protection against intense UVA rays (PA+++) and 98% UVB rays (SPF 50+).

What’s terrifying is that before writing this review, I had no idea about the PA system and I’m kicking myself for never doing the research until now. I worry more about pigmentation than any other sun exposure concern and I’m happy that I now know what to look for when purchasing a sunscreen. Yay for informed consumerism.

Now onto the review!

The Specifics: 

Skin type: Combination (more oily in the summer, drier in the winter).

Skin condition: 

Mild Water Light (MWL) was tested twice: when my skin was in good condition and on a day when my skin was dehydrated and fatigued. 

Mild Airy finish (MAF) was tested twice: when my skin was in a good condition and the day after my skin was breaking out and very irritated from the Neutrogena sunscreen.

Skin prep: Double cleanse, toner, serums, eye cream. 

What is it?:

MWL: is a transparent, thin moisturizing chemical sunscreen that leaves the skin hydrated and dewy while offering your skin protection against UVB and UVA rays. 

MAF: is a transparent, milky and thin chemical sunscreen that is safe for sensitive skin and has a matte finish and protects your skin against UVB and UVA rays.

Ingredients: MWL and MAF. 

Packaging: Both are packaged in a light pastel green plastic tube. The MWL comes in a squeeze tube and the MAF comes in a thicker straight tube. Both have a squeeze bottle end and the shape of the tube works for the texture of each sunscreen. There are green leaves on the front of the tubes because there are 20 kinds of vegetable ingredients in the formula ranging from,

“dwarf ground sedge extract and sunflower seeds for UV protection, acai berry and acerola to reinforce vitality of skin, Portulaca oleracea, Centella Asiatica, and mistletoe leaves to relax skin and aloe vera, cactus, and hyaluronic acid to hydrate skin.” —Etude House

Affordability: I bought both sunscreens from eBay, paying $14 CDN for MAF (1.85 Fl.oz./55 ml) and $11 CDN for MWL (1.76 oz./55 g/55 ml). 

I used to use La Roche Posay’s Anthelios Ultra-fluid Lotion SPF 60 and it cost $30.45 for 50 ml and I hated how heavy it was.

For $33 CDN, I could buy three MWLs, getting 150 g/ml!

I think the sunscreens are well worth it and affordable. They protect against UVB and UVA rays and both are great for sensitive skin too!

Smell: They don’t have that obnoxious chemical smell we associate sunscreens to have.

MWL has a faint lotion, fresh greens and lemon scent.

MAF has that same lotion scent but with stronger fresh greens and acidic lemon scent.

The fragrances aren’t overpowering at all and I only catch a very subtle hint of a sunscreen smell from MAF upon application but it dissipates quickly. 

Texture: MAF has a milky, creamy and watery finish (but is ‘thicker’ compared to MWL). 

MWL has a very thin and milky consistency; it’s definitely not a gel texture like Etude House claims it is. It’s a watery lotion.

Finish:

MAF absorbs easily into the skin, instantly mattifying and smoothing the texture of the skin. It isn’t heavy or greasy and is lightweight; it also doesn’t leave a white cast or streaks on the face.

This sunscreen is harder to use because of the mattifying texture. There’s a learning curve to using MAF (compared to the ease of MWL). I found that I had to wait for 5 to 10 minutes between applying this sunscreen, a primer, and then my foundation and I couldn’t use a foundation brush. I had to use a sponge because this sunscreen will cause all of the layers on your face to slide and smudge. It doesn’t pill immediately, as long as you are gentle and careful when applying your makeup.

This sunscreen is so mattifying that your skin won’t produce extra sebum and it will control your sebum production. That being said, it will cling to any dry patches or dry areas on your skin, even areas you didn’t think were dry. 

MWL is a very lightweight liquid that absorbs instantly into the skin and it doesn’t leave a greyish or white cast behind. It leaves the skin hydrated and dewy but not greasy or tacky. I have combination skin and this sunscreen doesn’t exacerbate my sebum production and my t-zone doesn’t produce more sebum either.

This sunscreen is a neutral, lightweight layer; when I layer makeup on top of it, there is no pilling, shifting, rubbing off, or settling into my pores/fine lines. I skip the moisturizer and this is hydrating enough that my face doesn’t miss that extra layer and my makeup sits perfectly on top of it. 

Both aren’t tacky, greasy or heavy and they will not leave your face a greyish white mess. You don’t have to vigorously rub in the sunscreens (compared to the Neutrogena one) because they won’t leave a white film/stain on your skin. These are so easy to work with (MWL being the better of the two), by themselves or under makeup.

Gone are the days when I actually skipped sunscreen (horrified gasp) because I didn’t want to worry about break-outs, looking greasy, makeup melting off or shifting, or having a vampiric white face. Not anymore! 

If you look around my mouth and chin area, you can see flaking/pilling. This was at the four-hour mark.

How do they layer?: MAF doesn’t layer well. It clings to dry spots and though it smoothes and mattifies the skin when you first apply it, as you layer on your makeup, the texture of your skin will be noticeable. If you aren’t careful, your makeup will slide around, rub off (if you touch your face roughly) and will look terrible if you don’t wait between layers.

MWL is more elegant. It sinks into the skin and instantly hydrates, leaving a dewy finish to your makeup. It doesn’t pill and you don’t have to be careful when applying makeup, compared to MAF. I have combination skin and this doesn’t make my t-zone appear greasy, nor does it cause my makeup to shift or ‘melt’ away as the hours go by.

Wear test: As you wear MAF, your dry patches will become more and more apparent and around your mouth and chin area, it will appear as if your skin is flaking. It wears well for 2 hours and then will start to pill and cause your makeup around your mouth to flake. This only happens around your mouth though and everywhere else, your makeup wears well. 

MWL wears perfectly. It’s basically a moisturizer, meaning that it has no effect on your makeup and your makeup will be pristine, even by the 5-hour mark.

What I love: I love MWL! The formula is perfection and it leaves my skin so dewy and beautiful, my makeup wears well on top and I don’t have to wait between layering products. There isn’t a learning curve or caveat when using MWL and it’s my favourite compared to MAF. 

Even though I don’t love MAF, I do love the texture and how it seemingly mattifies and smoothes the skin. If you have perfect skin, you can get away with wearing just this sunscreen because of the smoothing effect. I also love that because of the texture, a little goes a long way and I’ve used this sunscreen 4 times, applying a generous amount and I still haven’t hit the halfway mark in the tube!

What I don’t love: I don’t love the fact that I have to order these online, waiting a month or two to receive it in the mail. I wish they were more accessible. Aside from that, I really don’t love MAF. 

I’m forcing myself to finish the bottle because I don’t want to waste the product but I absolutely hate how it wears as time passes. I use this sunscreen when I have quick errands to run and plan on returning home by the 2-hour mark.

Possible dupe: Clinique and La Roche Posay make pretty good sunscreens but Clinique makes your face appear greasy and La Roche Posay irritates my skin and clogs my pores. 

I don’t have possible dupes but I will update this post once I try other K-beauty and J-beauty sunscreens.

Repurchase: I already plan on reordering MWL. I will not repurchase MAF. 

Recommend: I recommend MWL but not MAF. 

Final thoughts: I love MWL and I wish Etude House would sell it by the bucket. I plan on repurchasing MWL but also trying Etude House’s other sunscreen offerings. Even though I don’t like MAF, I appreciate how both of them aren’t irritating (I’ve worn them on broken, irritated, and breaking out skin) and they don’t clog the pores, or make me look like a greasy, white cast mess. 

Rating:

MAF: 3/5 (underneath my makeup)

Updated rating as a sunscreen topper: 4/5

MWL: 5/5

Thanks for checking out my review!

Update (June 12, 2019): I just reapplied MAF on top of my makeup (was wearing sunscreen underneath as well) and though it’s not ideal, it worked wonderfully. And because of the matte finish, my face isn’t greasy and my makeup didn’t slide too much. My makeup and face look fine! So I’m definitely going to keep MAF for a sunscreen topper when I need to reapply. Underneath the makeup however, it’s still too drying for me.

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Note: I am not affiliated, sponsored or paid by the brand or any other company to write this review. I am just a person online giving my opinion.