Are Korean Sunscreens and Korean Brands Trustworthy?
Lots of people enjoyed the Reel I posted last week, so I thought I would share a deep dive on the Consumer Reports testing of sunscreens from popular American and European brands. Many made the quick leap and assumed “I’m only using American and European sunscreens from now bc they’re SAFE.” I thought it was very interesting that some of these brands have products out there that have also failed 3rd party testing per Consumer Reports.
While Consumer Reports doesn’t release the exact SPFs from their testing, a 1/5 “Variation from SPF” rating means the products were tested at BELOW 50% of the advertised SPF rating. Yet these brands have yet to come out and address it. Where is the energy and backlash for these brands? At least Korean brands are addressing consumer concerns.
Many of the sunscreens in this carousel are still available for sale right now, despite 3rd party testing showing the tested SPF has come back at less than 50% of the SPF advertised.
SPF testing is difficult and inconsistent across brands, labs, and countries. As consumers, we need to push for more transparency from brands and consistent testing practices from the industry.
What to do now? If you are experiencing tanning, brown spots, or sunburns while wearing your current sunscreen, I recommend switching to one with a higher SPF rating where you don’t experience any of the signs of sun damage previously listed. This may take some patience and product testing to find the right one for your skin.
If you are spending a lot of time outdoors, use a water-resistant sunscreen in combination with a hat, UPF protective clothing, and seeking shade when the sun as at its brightest.
For those of us spending most of our time indoors, I’m going to continue using my favorite Korean and Japanese sunscreens (some brands that work for my skin are Neogen, Cosrx, Dr. G, Suncut, Anessa, and Canmake) as I have not noticed any increased tanning, brown spots, or sunburn on my skin when using these.
If you’re feeling confused and shocked as a consumer, I highly recommend watching @LabMuffin’s video on SPF testing on Youtube – she breaks down the issue of SPF testing and why 3rd party testing comes back with different results sometimes. At the end of her video, she quotes a study done in Australia on people who were only using SPF 16 over 4.5 years. Even though this is lower than the gold standard of SPF 30-50, SPF 16 still provided lots of protection.
What sunscreen are you currently using?
