As I am currently in Indonesia, I wanted to try some local brands. There are a lot of new products to try out, but this one stands out to me the most. This product has a light texture, sans alcohol, good for water and sports activity, and an affordable price point. Here is my Wardah UV Shield Active Protection Serum review.
The Brand
Founded in 1995 by Nurhayati Subakat, Wardah is female owned, and right now, one of the biggest cosmetic manufacturer in Indonesia. It initially focuses on the Muslim market, being one of the first with a halal certificate.
In a very simplified form of what halal means in the ingredients list: it wouldn’t have substance derived from pigs, and it won’t comprise any alcohol.
Wardah SPF50 PA++++ UV Shield Active Protection Serum
On their website, the Wardah Active Protection Serum promises:
- Broad Spectrum Protection
- Waterproof sunscreen for sport and other activity
- Non Comedogenic
- 0% alcohol
- Light and non-sticky
Ingredients
The key ingredients in Wardah Active Protection Serum SPF50++++ (apart from the sunscreen filters, that is).
- Bisabool oil for soothing properties
- Glycerin for moisturizing
Note that it has no alcohol in the formulation, but it has fragrance in the ingredients list (although the scent isn’t prominent).
Sunscreen Filters
| Sunscreen Filter | Type | Spectrum | Remarks |
| Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate / Uvinul A Plus | chemical / organic | high UVA protection (320-400 nm) with peak protection at 354nm | high photostability, can be used up to 10%, available elsewhere but the US & Canada |
| Tinosorb A2B / Tris-Biphenyl Triazine | chemical / organic | most efficient UVB and UVA2 filter | highly photostable and has high SPF performance at low concentrations, only available in the EU (as 2016) |
| Uvinul T 150 / Ethylhexyl Triazone | chemical / organic | photostable UVB filter | oil soluble, odorless & colorless powder, available elsewhere except the US & Canada |
| Octisalate / Ethylhexyl Salicylate / Octyl Salicylate | chemical / organic | UVB (280-320 nm) with peak at 306 nm | not a strong filter, used with other filters to solubilize. |
| Tinosorb M / Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol / Bisoctrizole | chemical / organic | broad-spectrum (UVA & UVB, 280-400 nm, peak at 305 nm & 360 nm) | highly photostable, not available in the US, can help stabilize other filters (eg Octinoxate) |
| Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine / Tinosorb S | chemical / organic | broad-spectrum (UVA & UVB, 280-400 nm, peak at 310-345 nm) | very photostable, available elsewhere but the US |
From the sunscreen filters list, it looks like they got all the modern sunscreen ingredients. Very promising for their broad spectrum claim. What I also found interesting is, Indonesia allows these modern sunscreen filters!
Application
At the time of writing, I don’t have the weighing scale or measuring spoon with me. So you’ll have to bear with the two fingers rule for now (I will update later here if it turned out to be not sufficient).
The consistency of Wardah UV Shield Active Protection serum is very runny and light. On application, the sunscreen feels like having a lot of moisturizing agent on.
On my face, the Wardah sunscreen spreads easily with a pleasant emollient texture. It feels super moisturizing, especially in the hot and humid tropical Indonesian weather.
You can still see some white cast here, but it goes away completely after a few minutes. What doesn’t go away? The sticky feeling!
Comparison
Consistency-wise, it looks a lot like Anessa Perfect UV sunscreen (my review here), without the gritty feeling. It is definitely more moisturizing, but also a lot stickier.
The feel on the skin with the Anessa one is much more comfortable to wear, while the Wardah one stays sticky and it gets worse after an intense run under the sun.
However, to be fair, Wardah isn’t the stickiest sunscreen I’ve ever encountered (it’s V.Sun Catch the Sun). I also haven’t tried it out in my regular Berlin habitat where it’s dry and colder. Everything gets stickier when I tried it out in Indonesia, so maaaaybe it is actually not that bad?
Performance-wise, it seemed to hold up well in the pool and on the running track, although I could see some serious tanning there. Keep in mind, Jakarta and Bandung could have an UV Index of 11.
The Review: Wardah UV Shield Active Protection Serum
It really is a decent sunscreen. One I would happily carry around with me on an active day, because:
- Reasonably priced at Rp 73.500 / $ 5 / 4.5 € for 35 ml.
- Small bottle, simple to put in my bag
- Great filters
- No alcohol,
- Waterproof for sports.
The downside:
- The stickiness feeling really doesn’t go away.
- I would only wear this for sports.
- In my swim session I could see the goggle mark on my face. It might not be the filters so much as my hesitation to re-apply.
Checklist
Review
Verdict
In the end, the rating for me is between OK and Like. I opted for like, because when you combined the price and what you get, it is good. This is definitely one of the better sunscreens I tried this year.
One more caveat? I’m not sure this is available easily outside Indonesia.
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.
