[Product Question] Best $/oz high PPD - UVA protection daily sunscreen?
Hi all,
The last time I was researching high UVA protection / PPD sunscreens was 2 years ago.
I'm looking for something that meets the following criteria:
- No extreme white casts like physical blockers (zinc/titanium)
- Minimal to no fragrance
- Looking to keep costs down
Last time I went with the Bioderma Photo Max 50 - $42 for 400ml, which is around $3/oz or 10cents/ml.
Any better options now? This is already ~ 3x the cost of typical sunscreens in the USA, so I don't want to go any higher.
Posted Mar 10, 2017, 7:16 PM UTC
135
There are tons of Japanese ones that meet your criteria (I think). At least in terms of cost... the one I can definitely vouch for is the Biore UV Perfect blue one. (Sorry for the eBay link, just happen to be on there now). I use it and it has a great finish: almost "talc-y," like a primer. And although I'm not sensitive to scents so I wouldn't take special note of it, and live in Portland where it has been raining for the past 5 months straight and therefore have not really used it, I don't think it has any major scent.
The other one AB's rave about is the Shiseido Senka Anti-Aging one.
But IMO Japanese (and some Korean, like Missha's) sunscreen is the only way to go.
Thanks, but it doesn't seem to meet the price criteria. From that ebay link the product is $10/40ml, which would be around $100 for 400ml, or 2.5x the price of the bioderma photoderm stuff.
We're talking $1-2/oz for US sunscreens, $3/oz for the bioderma, and nearly $7.4/oz for that one, not including shipping. Too large of a differential to me.
Sorry, GP. You can get them on Rakuten or Amazon.jp for about $5, but you'll pay for shipping. Still cheaper,, so long as you stay under 2kg and order from someone who uses SAL shipping.
The other one that comes to mind is Sun Bears Super Strong Plus, which is what I'm going to buy next; other than the SPF and no scent, and being even cheaper than the Biore, I can't say much about it except it gets excellent reviews and is designed for sensitive skin (children, etc.). Here's a review (her site is great for all things Japanese).
GL!
Thanks for the extra info. Sun Bears seems to be a physical blocker... though maybe since it's a blend it may not have as much white cast?
No idea, you might be right. But it is popular with women who wear makeup, so if there is any way that you could find it cheaply (e.g., if you live somewhere where there's a Japanese grocery, etc.--in fact, that's probably the best way to find something cheaply), it might be worth a try.
I'd browse Ratzilla's recs on sunscreen and then go to Amazon Global (amazon.jp ?), and, assuming you're using Chrome, do a "translate page" to see what prices are. I promise you, they're super duper cheap, and the shipping is pretty reasonable. There are posts on the AsianBeauty subreddit with tons of info on shopping on Amazon.jp. Rakuten Global is much more difficult, and the only seller that uses SAL (Master of Beauty?), is just horrible to navigate.
And there are tons of HG skin products there, too, like the Kikumasamune High Moist Lotion or Hada Labo, which you might want to consider.
Also, keep in mind that today only eBay is offering 20% off all beauty and clothing purchases over $25 (total buy). I don't know the code off the top of my head but it's posted on AsianBeauty and I'm sure you could google it.