I said I would never recommend a sunscreen not approved in Canada, so here’s me not recommending it, but sharing that I bought it, and it was an impulse purchase on no food after a morning of swimming. I stopped into my local Korean store to grab groceries, and they now have a beauty section right at the front of the store. Not only do they have sunscreens, but they have TESTERS! You can try the sunscreen on yourself and see if you like the texture or if it leaves a white cast. I dotted on both of these, thought they were fine, and bought them.
I had heard of the Biore sunscreen because it was trending a few years ago so I grabbed the Aqua Rich and the Barrier Me. You can see that the Barrier Me is a mineral sunscreen but when I tried it in the store there was no noticeable white cast on the back of my hand. I paid about $18 for each sunscreen and that’s less expensive than some mineral options at Sephora, and about on par with some of the drugstore options available now. Apparently, my prices are fine, especially when you factor in that I didn’t have to pay for shipping and I was already at that grocery store.
Also, note that both of these sunscreens have PA+++ or PA++++ written on them – this means that they offer protection from UVA rays and is a system used in Asia. In North America, they use the words “broad spectrum” to denote that sunscreen offers UVA and UVB protection.
In the end, Asian sunscreens offer a light texture and they have some sun filters that haven’t been approved yet in other places. Really, North America has the least amount of approved sun filters and nothing new has been introduced for a long time which is why people turn to sunscreens from other countries. I’m not recommending that you go out of your way to get these – in the end, the best sunscreens are ones you can afford to use LOTS of. If you’ve tried these or have suggestions, maybe a different brand to look for, let me know!
