This Sunscreen Changed My Mind About Korean Sunscreens: Earth’s Recipe Waterful Sun Gel

A long-time devotee of Japanese sunscreens tries the Earth’s Recipe Waterful Sun Gel for the first time. And basically her world is turned upside down. OK, we exaggerate a bit, but really, she is — shall we say — officially obsessed with this Korean sunscreen. Here’s why.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: I’ve never been a huge fan of Korean sunscreens.

GASP. I know. It’s a shock. But all of the Korean sunscreens I’ve tried have been either:

1. Too greasy, heavy, and do not wear well under makeup, or

2. Leave that awful white cast

So I’ve always used Japanese sunscreens from Bioré or Nivea because they are lightweight, non-greasy, and have always worn well under makeup for me. For the longest time, I swore by the Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ PA++++, and after they switched up the formula, I moved on to the Nivea Sun Protect Super Water Gel SPF 50+ PA+++, which is also amazing. I’ve been using the Nivea sunscreen for a year now!

But then I received a package from Beautytap with my new holy grail sunscreen: the Earth’s Recipe Waterful Sun Gel SPF 50+ PA+++. HONEY, LET ME TELL YOU. It was love from the first try.

Earth’s Recipe is a brand that prides itself on creating natural yet effective skincare. They are cruelty-free, and the sunscreen itself is free of parabens, mineral oil, and artificial or synthetic dyes. It’s a sunscreen that the whole family can use (yes, even that boyfriend who thinks that sunscreen doesn’t matter *cough*).

Summer is just around the corner, so if you’ve been slacking on using sunscreen because you’ve been inside all day during the winter, this is your time to finally GET. IT. TOGETHER so you can play in the sun! This particular sunscreen protects against both UVA and UVB rays with an SPF50+ rating, so you can go lounge at the pool guilt free — no premature aging, wrinkles, and sunspots over here, folks!

The Earth’s Recipe sunscreen uses a very special water — Harrogate sparkling water from the UK, to be exact — as one of its main ingredients. Apparently, the carbonation in the water is very important as it helps to both reduce clogging and and at the same time unclog pores. What a concept! Also, the sparkling water has high silica content, which means that it helps plump and hydrate the skin without that unnecessary greasiness a lot of sunscreens have. Again! WHAT A CONCEPT.

It is a milky white color, and has a slightly creamy texture, despite the name being “waterful gel.” It reminds me of a very lightweight, water-based lotion. It’s so hydrating, that to me, it feels more like a lotion than it does a sunscreen. The sunscreens I’ve loved in the past usually have a high alcohol content to get that lightweight feel, which ends up making your skin produce more oil if you aren’t careful about what products you’re using beforehand.

That isn’t the case with the Earth’s Recipe sunscreen. If you’re on the oily side, you may find that this sunscreen can cover both your hydration and sun protection needs in one go. It plays well with the other products in my routine, absorbs quickly, doesn’t leave a greasy finish, and doesn’t pill under makeup. I am in love 5ever.

It does have that slight “sunscreen” scent, but it doesn’t bother me and it fades quickly. When I posted that I was getting to test this over on my Instagram stories (follow me at @sheryllrenata), I had at least six messages from people raving about how much they love this sunscreen. But be warned, I also had a reader (and read some reviews) that this sunscreen must be used within six months or it starts to separate. If you’re using the recommended amount (¼ teaspoon) every day, then I don’t think this should be an issue at all!

Do you have a favorite Korean sunscreen? Let us know in the comments! We’re always on the hunt for that next holy grail product!

[Ed. note: This article was edited to remove the fragrance-free reference. We regret the error.]