PURITO | COMFY WATER SUN BLOCK

This review was originally part of my blog article titled, New Sunscreens I'm Crushing on for Fall - Best Mineral Sunscreens for Face from Farmacy, Purito and More! You can still catch the full piece here.

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I’m a long-time fan of Purito, having first reviewed the clean, natural Korean skincare brand in an article titled, Brands I Love: Purito, the Best Clean Skincare from the World of K-Beauty, which you can catch here.

There are so many products from Purito that I love and that have become regular go-to’s. Among them the Purito From Green Cleansing Oil and the Purito Galacto Niacin 97 Power Essence. I reach for both of these with glee multiple times each week.

But Purito’s silky niacinamide serum, the Galacto Niacin 97 Power Essence, seems like a gift from the future! I can imagine Uhura using it on the Starship Enterprise to unclog her pores and keep her complexion clear. It contains a 92% concentration of nourishing fermented ingredients with a conservative level of 5% niacinamide. It’s one of my favorites and one of the best natural niacinamide serums for face.

When it comes to sunscreens, hands down, my favorite sunscreen products come from the worlds of K-beauty and A-beauty.

Purito’s Centella Green Level Safe Sun has been a fave of mine over the past year or more. It’s one of the best clean sunscreens for face that I’ve come across. But there’s a catch. It’s not a mineral sunscreen, it’s chemical; and I generally prefer mineral formulas over chemical ones.

For some time, I’ve had my eye on the Purito Comfy Water Sun Block — a clean mineral sunscreen for face formulated with both Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide for an ultra-protective formula with an SPF 50+ and a PA++++ value, the highest UVA rating.

I know that most of us in the West have been conditioned to rely on the SPF value of a sunscreen product. And most of us understand that at minimum, we need to use an SPF 30 each morning — but an SPF 50 is ideal, effectively blocking 98% of UV rays. As I understand it, the FDA doesn’t allow a claim above SPF 50, so a plus symbol is used to indicate that the UVB protection exceeds 50. It could actually be SPF 51 or SPF 101!

The PA value, on the other hand, specifically measures defense against the more insidious, skin-aging UVA rays; but it’s not recognized by the FDA. I believe it’s a rating system that was developed by the Japanese equivalent to the U.S. FDA — and is recognized across Asia. That’s why you always see it in both K-beauty and A-beauty products.

What does PA mean in sunscreen?

There’s an excellent piece from the Paula’s Choice Research Team titled, What Does the PA+ Sunscreen Symbol Mean? on the brand’s website here.

The SPF rating on a sunscreen bottle stands for Sun Protection Factor, a measurement of how long you can stay outside during the day and be protected from the sun’s burn-causing UVB rays (assuming you’re applying sunscreen the right way). UVA rays are present, too; this is where the PA+ rating system comes into play.
Some sunscreens include PA+ rating on their products. The letters “PA” followed by plus signs (PA+, PA++, PA+++, and PA++++) on a label are a rating system developed in Japan to represent how much UVA protection the product offers.
The sun’s UVA rays do not cause sunburn; rather, they cause skin to turn brown. UVA rays are known as the sun’s silent killers because you don’t feel them affecting skin. Despite the lack of pain associated with UVA rays, they penetrate deeply into skin, causing a somewhat different type of damage than UVB rays.
This is what each PA rating means:
PA+ = Some UVA protection.PA++ = Moderate UVA protection. PA+++ = High UVA protection.PA++++ = Extremely High UVA protection.

The Purito Comfy Water Sun Block is the lightest of the products I’m reviewing in my seasonal sunscreen collection. So while it’s not one of the heavier sunscreens that I’m focused on for the change of seasons, not every day is chilly.

What’s the difference between mineral and chemical sunscreens?

For some real insights, there’s an excellent article by the Paula’s Choice Research Team titled, Mineral vs. Synthetic Sunscreen Ingredients available here. In the piece, the experts explain the differences and benefits between mineral and chemical sunscreens — and even dispel a myth or two:

“The two types of sunscreen ingredients are mineral and synthetic [chemical], and both are equally protective. Further reassuring is that each can be included in formulas created for every skin type. For example, if you have normal to oily skin, there are weightless, non-greasy options; if you have normal to dry skin, it’s possible to find skin-smoothing, hydrating SPF products.
What’s the Difference Between Mineral and Synthetic Sunscreen Ingredients?
The differences aren’t about which type is more effective; rather, it comes down to personal preference and how sensitive your skin is—mineral sunscreens are considered the most gentle options.
Mineral sunscreens: There are only two mineral sunscreen ingredients: titanium dioxideand zinc oxide. They work in skin's uppermost layers to both absorb and, to a lesser extent, deflect and scatter the sun’s harmful rays. These mineral ingredients are sometimes referred to as physical sunscreens or physical blockers, although that’s not a factual representation of how they work.
Synthetic sunscreens: There are over 30 synthetic sunscreen ingredients, all of which absorb into the top layers of skin, where they work similar to mineral sunscreens: by scattering and deflecting the sun’s harmful rays, and by converting UV rays into heat and “deactivating” them. (Don’t worry, you won’t feel a thing.) Common synthetic sunscreen ingredients include oxybenzone, octinoxate, octisalate, and avobenzone. These are sometimes labeled “chemical sunscreens,” which is both misleading and false. All skin care ingredients, even water, are chemicals.

Today, for instance, it’s in the low 80s in NYC. Here it’s possible for us to experience hot, summery days sporadically well into October. And I know, too, that not everyone’s skin is like mine. If you’re oily all year round, or during most of the year, Purito’s Comfy Water sunscreen is one of the best mineral sunscreens for oily skin.

True to its name, it’s got a super-lightweight texture, though it’s no where near as watery as the Rohto Skin Aqua Super Moisture Milk. Speaking of Star Trek, I often joke that the Skin Aqua milky sunscreen feels like it’s formulated with alien technology! (Hey, can someone beam me down a case of it?!)

Comfy Water is much more down to earth. It’s got what I estimate to be a 3%-5% concentration of pore-clearing, skin barrier-strengthening antioxidant niacinamide. And it’s a fantastic formula — definitely one of the best natural mineral sunscreens I’ve come across.

The Purito Comfy Water Sun Block is available on the Yesstyle website where it gets 4.5 stars out of 5. I love how well this one reviewer sums up her experience with Comfy Water — and sunscreens in general:

“A wonderful build-able product.
I have dry, sensitive, and acne prone skin that does not react well to fragrances or chemical type sunscreens. A lot of safe mineral sunscreens I've tried have been heavy with either oils or silicones, so I inevitably break out (not to mention look like a ghost the whole day); thankfully this one is so lightweight I haven't had issues like that at all. It spreads very smoothly like a light lotion, and the white cast is minimal even for my olive-tan skin tone! I'm so glad to have given Purito a chance!”

In addition to the much-welcome Niacinamide, Comfy Water contains a skin-strengthening blend of Madecassoside, Asiaticoside, Madecassic Acid, and Asiatic Acid — all components of the super-soothing centella asiatica plant. Seriously, good stuff, Purito!

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Purito Comfy Water Sun Block SPF 50+ / PA++++ for $14.90 here.

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