At this point (December 4th, 2020) I can’t recommend Purito’s Centella Unscented sunscreen anymore. After some discussion about how it’s possible for the sunscreen to achieve its SPF50 rating with a low amount of two filters, Incidecoder’s founder send two samples to two independent labs (one in Poland, one in Germany). The results were a much lower rating of SPF19. This could be a batch issue or something else (and doesn’t mean that all Asian sunscreens are bad, obviously), but I wouldn’t feel comfortable right now to use it.
Sunscreen is hard. To wear a product every day on your face you’ve to REALLY like it, and – sigh. I mean: you’ve to think about various filters and which ones are acceptable to you, and then texture. OMG texture. I like mine thin and liquid, but that nearly always means alcohol. Then there’s fragrance, and microplastic, and animal testing, and sustainability. HARD. And into this comes my Purito Centella Unscented sunscreen review.
What I want to say is, sunscreen is the one area in which my beliefs and concerns are often thrown out of the window. This is because my number one sunscreen requirement is: do I enjoy using it 365 days a year? If not, it’s not for me. That’s the reason my No. 1 fave is still Isdin’s Pediatrics Fusion Water (review), ALTHOUGH it’s neither sustainable, nor has my fave filters AND includes fragrance. Still, I genuinely like using it.
Purito Centella Unscented sunscreen review
It’s a slightly different case with Purito’s Centella Green Level Unscented Sun SPF50+ PA ++++ (which I will henceforth shorten to CGLUS) that I really, really wanted to test. It sounded awesome on paper.
What is it?
“A water-based sunscreen formulated with Centella extracts and mild ingredients to help reduce skin stresses, which protects against UV rays and harmful environments without stickiness nor white residue left on the skin. It does not contain any essential oils and artificial fragrance.”
+Essential oil free
+Safe ingredients for all skin types
+UV shield + brightening + anti-wrinkle
+calming & moisturising
+no-sticky & no-white cast
Per Purito
Ingredients
Water, Butylene Glycol, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Glycerin, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Acrylates Copolymer, Silica, 1,2-Hexanediol, Niacinamide, Dibutyl Adipate, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Cetearyl Olivate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Sorbitan Olivate, Glyceryl Stearate, Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, Sorbitan Stearate, Centella Asiatica Extract (4315ppm), Madecassoside, Asiaticoside, Madecassic Acid, Asiatic Acid, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Disodium EDTA, Adenosine, Hyaluronic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopherol
Filters
This is a chemical sunscreen, and its filters are Uvinul A Plus (diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl hexyl benzoate) and Uvinul T 150 (octyl triazone). The PPD is (via Labmuffin, who has this info directly from Purito) between 20-22. Incidecoder tells me that both Uvinul sunscreen agents are incredibly photostable, meaning they don’t break down after exposure to UV light. Uvinul A plus is an UVA filter, while Uvinul T 150 is an UVB filter.
With – Without
No fragrance, no essential oils, no ethyl alcohol. Yay! (It also uses EWG rated components for people who care about that.) CGLUS/Purito is also cruelty-free.
The formula also contains some ‘nice-to-haves’, like Hyaluronic Acid (very low amount) and Niacinamide (2%, which is a rather significant amount). Of course, then there’s the ingredient that gives CGLUS its name: Centella asiatica and four other of its extracts (madecassoside, asiaticoside, madecassic acid, asiatic acid).
Centella Asiatica/Gotu Kola/Tiger Grass has been used in Asian folk medicine for a long time, but there’re few studies about its properties in skincare. It’s said to be great for wound-healing, eczema relief and has soothing properties.
For whom?
This is a formula geared towards sensitive skin that’s on the drier side. It feels very moisturising due to its high amount of glycerin and other humectants. The inclusion of soothing Centella asiatica and brightening Niacinamide makes me think that Purito manufactured this for sensitive, outbrake-prone skin.
How does Purito Centella Unscented perform?
Let’s first talk about my routine. I usually use a very hydrating toner (Hadalabo/cosrx), and some type of serum (right now it’s often Paula’s Choice’s Azelaic Acid Booster which is a very silicone-y product) under my HG moisturiser (Beyer + Söhne Hautcreme+). My skin is rather dry and sensitive this winter. With this combo I’m happy (and my skin too). Isdin’s PFW performs really well over this. Purito’s CGLUS gives me a so-so result.
Consistency
It’s a thick lotion, and on me, it never absorbs properly. It takes quite some time to apply the recommended amount to my face because of that. When wearing it solo, I can feel a slight stickiness to my skin for the whole day.
Strangely, no matter its slight stickiness, I haven’t had any problems with layering foundations over it, IF I wait some time after initial application. It doesn’t pill if I’m careful. That’s not due to CGLUS, but to the super silicone-y Paula’s Choice Azelaic Acid. Nearly everything pills applied over that one due to its consistency.
Application
I also have to be very, very careful when applying it, because it’s the first sunscreen that makes my eyes burn. I’ve to give my eye area a wide berth when applying, and that’s not ideal. No idea what’s the reason for that, but it’s really, really, annoying. (It doesn’t burn my eyes when I do a full face of makeup, especially with under-eye primer and concealer. I guess they prevent the sunscreen from moving around?)
Purito Centella Unscented – worth it?
I really wanted to love it because of its gentle formula and great filters, but I don’t like using it because of its texture (I can’t imagine how that slight stickiness will perform during summer’s hot and humid weather) and its tendency to seep into my eye area and burn my eyes.
Where to buy
If my Purito Centella Unscented sunscreen review turned you off, I got my 60ml/2 fl oz. tube at Roseroseshop (via Ebay) for about $14. In Germany, you can get it at Lovemycosmetics, while in the US, there’s Beautytap. Otherwise, there’s of course retailers like Jolse and YesStyle that carry it.
Please note that this post is not sponsored in any way. We buy products ourselves, with our own money, and don’t accept exchanging goods or money for reviews. We are completely independent, and our reviews reflect that.
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