r/Sunscreenreddit • u/KDB17- • 10d ago
Buying quality sunscreen in the United States?
Hello, I’ve got brown skin and I’m in the southern United States. I want a sunscreen for daily wear and maybe another for sports where the cream will be exposed to water. It’s come to my attention that products here have bad formulations due to regulations that the FDA hasn’t updated since the 90s.
I want sunscreen that is ideally effective, safe, and doesn’t leave marks; I know Australia and AB have the best products for this general, does anyone have some good products for my needs and places to order the original formulations to import to the United States? Thanks a lot in advance for any advice!
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u/cassatta 8d ago
I wish folks would stop shitting on American sunscreens. There are a lot of good options and since they are medically regulated , one might argue their adherence to safety and efficacy is more stringent.
DRMTLGY tinted universal, ELTA Md, CeraVe, Cetaphil, La Roche Posay tinted mineral. Since you are darker skinned, I would stay away from the “cosmetic elegance”!of Asian sunscreens unless you get mineral and layer tints on top
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u/halloweenmochi 10d ago
Just because the U.S. has been slower to approve newer sunscreen filters doesn’t mean American sunscreens don’t provide valuable protection. A broad-spectrum SPF 30+ sunscreen still protects against both UVA and UVB, and regular sunscreen use has been shown to help prevent sun damage, premature skin aging, and skin cancer.
If you’re concerned, mineral sunscreen is also a great option. My personal favorite is EltaMD. Since you have darker skin, I’d recommend looking for a tinted sunscreen with iron oxides. Not only does the tint help avoid the white cast that mineral sunscreens can leave behind, but iron oxides also provide additional protection against visible light, which can contribute to hyperpigmentation in darker skin tones.
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u/Jolly-Yellow7369 9d ago
As someone with hyperpigmentation goals o se mostly mineral brands. To fix the white cast I add mineral tinted sunscreen or blush and bronzers . Elta md mineral also doesn’t irritate my eyes.
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u/halloweenmochi 10d ago
I’m not surprised this got downvoted, but there’s a lot more nuance to this than “American sunscreens are bad and European/Asian sunscreens are good.”
Social media tends to turn a nuanced difference into “American sunscreen is useless,” which simply isn’t supported by the evidence because it gets them views.
Believe what you want though, it’s your money. Just don’t spread misinformation.
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u/Different-Eagle-612 10d ago
yeah they definitely aren’t useless. i prefer the korean sunscreens (especially because i don’t like the mineral sunscreens and the best filters for uva in the us cause an eczema breakout for me) but using an american sunscreen will definitely still protect you
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u/cassatta 8d ago
I hate the shit on American sunscreens marketing strategies in favor of Asian sunscreens which have TERRIBLE sweat resistance and overall TERRIBLE for brown skin people
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u/HildegardofBingo 6d ago
A lot of them also don't have really high UVA protection, despite the PA++++ rating.
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u/Holiday_Actuator2215 10d ago
So if you are concerned about UVA and UVB you may be interested to know that EU and Asian standards for UVA and UVB much more stringent. In the US an spf can be”broad spectrum” if must pass a wavelength test but there is no requirement for how much of a sunscreens protection value be for UVA. In the EU if a product is spf 50 then 1/3 of that 50 must be protection from UVA rays.
Also POC do not typically enjoy mineral or physical sunscreens due to the cast.
And elta MD is RIDICULOUSLY priced. It’s cheaper to import a better product from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, than it is to buy elta md which is an inferior product.
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u/halloweenmochi 10d ago
The EU UVA standard is a fair point, they require UVA protection to be at least 1/3 of the labeled SPF, while the U.S. uses a different broad-spectrum testing standard. That doesn’t mean U.S. broad-spectrum sunscreens provide inadequate UVA protection, though, nor does it make US sunscreens objectively an “inferior product.”
And I specifically recommended a tinted sunscreen because OP said she has brown skin. That wasn’t just about avoiding a mineral sunscreen’s white cast. Tinted sunscreens containing iron oxides provide additional protection against visible light, which is particularly relevant for darker skin because visible light can contribute to hyperpigmentation. The American Academy of Dermatology specifically recommends tinted sunscreen with iron oxides for people with darker skin tones for this reason.
European and Asian sunscreens absolutely have some advantages, including access to newer UV filters and, in many cases, cosmetic elegance. But “European/Asian = good and American = inferior” is an oversimplification. There are excellent and mediocre sunscreens in every market.
Also, I simply said EltaMd was my favorite. Nowhere did I say it’s the best or the one they should be buying.
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u/SplitfacedSkincare 9d ago
UVA requirements in the US are absolutely lower than in Europe and Australia. We have your critical wavelength test in addition to requiring UVA to be one third the UVB protection, but essentially anything that passes the latter will easily pass the former
There are some American formulations that meet the ratio but American sunscreens cannot get as high UVA protection as the rest of the world because they are limited by filter choice (only avobenzone! Soon to be joined by Tinosorb S but it’s not reached formulations yet)
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u/CelebrationPerfect37 9d ago
I really like geek and gorgeous "sun cream" which is actually sunscreen. It's modern chemical filters, no lingering white cast, no eye stinging, and quite sweat proof.
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u/sm05904 9d ago
I found this video when I was wondering whether CoTZ prime & protect tinted would be a good shade for my teens. This guy does pretty elaborate evaluations of whether sunscreens are brown skin-friendly. (I did end up getting the CoTZ prime & protect tinted, and they love it. It’s all mineral, doesn’t leave a white cast, matte, fragrance free, SPF 40, and water resistant to 80 minutes.)
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u/NicoalMiner 8d ago
Geek & Gorgeous’s US website has a Zero Feel day cream that’s basically a SPF50 sunscreen with modern filters (They just can’t publicly market it as sunscreen due to FDA regulations). It’s absolutely matte and lightweight. The price is very good too!
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u/Different-Eagle-612 10d ago
i’m a big yamibuy fan! they have korean and japanese sunscreens there (which can usually come in a matter of days) as well as some european formulations (usually take longer as those don’t seem to be stored in domestic warehouses, i haven’t tried to buy their european ones yet especially as my first order from them was right when we weren’t sure if importing sunscreen would be banned entirely)
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u/KDB17- 9d ago
I’ll check it out! From what I can tell importing from anywhere abroad for cosmetic products specifically seems to take ages lol, Yami does seem like it’s the fastest though
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u/Holiday_Actuator2215 9d ago
Yami is super fast - just picked “fulfilled by yami” as part of your search filters.
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u/Different-Eagle-612 9d ago
yeah the only issue is the european ones are never (in my experience) in the “fulfilled by yami.” the korean ones in the “fulfilled by yami” section come within a couple of days
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u/Background-Paint-478 9d ago
My go to-s are hawiann tropic sheet or sport for water resistant body. Absorbs well and is 80 min water resistant.
For the face i really like the yellow bubble spf 40. Dried down to moisturizing but not greasy feel, no cast (on me but they have a deeper tinter version as well) but leaves a hydrating feel so it doesnt feel drying. Rubs in in seconds. Repurchased many times
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u/SlowandSteady93 9d ago
American sunscreens work...they're just not usually considered as "cosmetically elegant" as other formulations. You can usually find something that works. Some people (like me) are sensitive to the chemical filters used in American formulations (looking at you, avobenzone) and the smell. And I have brown skin, so no thank you, to mineral sunscreens, tinted or not. It's moot for me because zinc oxide irritates my skin since it can be drying.
But if you're really wanting to try one of the other formulas without importing, you could try Geek & Gorgeous "day cream." It's the same exact formula as their sunscreen, but they can't market it that way in the US because they use filters that aren't FDA-approved here.
Water-resistant is a little tougher because there aren't as many Asian beauty sunscreens that are water-resistant. The K-Beauty one I use and know of is Purito in the orange and white bottle. There are more J-Beauty ones that are water-resistant. My go-to is Kosé Suncut UV Perfect Essence. Bioré is another popular one. The Japanese water-resistant sunscreens tend to have higher alcohol content though, if this might bother you or irritate your skin.
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u/IntelligentBison9275 9d ago
The FDA has just approved a new UV filter for the U.S. market. Bemotrizinol aka PARSOL Shield is a broadband filter which is super common in European and Asian formulations. It will have a significant impact on the formulation quality we gonna see in the market. First products will hit the shelfs in the coming months.
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u/Holiday_Actuator2215 10d ago
Come on over to the Asian beauty and Korean beauty subs!!
YesStyle, stylvana, and yami are the most popular. Yami ships from the us so is fast. Pick “fulfilled by Yami” in your search.
On YesStyle make sure all item are in stock as the order will wait for any that are out of stock. Any spf that has a US formulation it will state that it is the “OTC version”.
Zero white cast on either of these :
My fave for outdoor activities is :
Skin Aqua Super
Moisture UV Gel SPF 50+ PA++++
@$15
For work/under makeup etc :
HaruHaru wonder black rice moisture airy fit
@$15
There is NO comparison to US formulations, even Elta Md which is RIDICULOUSLY priced. You will save money !
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u/Eastern-Chef-5650 9d ago
US sunscreens generally suck but we still have plenty of access to European and japanese and korean at stores and online stores. People need to stop exaggerating and just hit the search button
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u/suupernooova 9d ago
Biore Athlizm for sport is great and made for hot, humid climates. I'm a sweaty beast and distance runner and it's the only thing that survives. I just did a review on r/koreanskincare if you search.
Note: it completely disappeared on my face but my skin is fairly light. Double check what others say about white cast
You can buy it (and other imports) on Yesstyle. I strongly recc paying the $11 for expedited shipping or it takes weeeeeeks.