Review: It's Skin 2 PM Sunblock

In my quest to find a no white cast, can-be-applied-every-two-hours sunscreen, I've searched high and low thru COSDNA (here's how I use COSDNA to find products with a small, pre-determined ingredient list), various Korean cosmetics shops in malls (while shamelessly reading ingredient lists and not buying if I did not like the UV filters) and blogs. I was looking for a sunscreen which does not contain titanium dioxide and had no denatured alcohol in it. 

Thanks to COSDNA, I was able to find a sunscreen from Korean skin care brand It's Skin. It's Skin's 2 PM Sunblock fits the bill of not having white cast and alcohol, but can it be more than just a pretty ingredient list? 

Image from en.koreadepart.com

Price and Availability: I bought two of this sunblock from roseroseshop.com for around 35 USD (around 1500 pesos), including shipping. The price is acceptable, as most Korean sunscreen I've used are priced within an average of 700 pesos. Unfortunately, importing anything here (legally) in the Philippines is a big blow for the wallet, and I ended up paying, in all, 2400 pesos. There's an It's Skin kiosk in SM Megamall, but last time I checked they do not have this product. So, yes, for meager Filipinas, this product is quite expensive and inaccessible.

Texture and Scent: 2 PM sunblock's viscosity is midway between a normal alcohol based sunscreen like Biore's UV Perfect Face Milk and a usual thick sunblock like Too Cool for School's Jean George Llong Sunblock. So while it is not as flowable as a Biore sunscreen, it is still easy to spread. Patting it around the area of application hastens the process. 

While the texture is good enough, the fragrance is reminiscent of shampoo, which may be off-putting for fragrance-sensitive individuals. I've been using this sunscreen for weeks and I still am not used to the shampoo-y smell.

Ingredients (from cosdna.com): This sunscreen uses Zinc Oxide, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate and Ethylhexyl Salicylate as its UV filters, making this a physical/chemical sunscreen. 4 of the 10 top ingredients by quantity are moisturizing, making this sunscreen ideal for users with dry skin. 

It's supposed to look pea-sized.

Finish / Effect: Because this sunscreen is so moisturizing, it leaves a dewy film which may be too much depending on a user's preferences. Personally, I sometimes use an oil blotting sheet 15 minutes after application and prior to putting a BB cream to minimize the shine. Fortunately, this extra moisturizing does leave my skin feeling softer. And with no Titanium Dioxide filter, there is no white cast at all. Nice!

I adore the finish of this sunscreen, but it unfortunately stings when applied near the eye area. I suspect it's the Ethylhexyl Salicylate, a filter I've encountered with MISSHA's All Around Safe Block Essence Sun, a sunscreen which also made me literally teary-eyed.

Rating: It's Skin's 2 PM sunblock has no white cast, is quite moisturizing and is surprisingly light for a non-alcohol based sunscreen. However, the cost of importing this product is daunting (because Bureau of Customs), and in effect is not very affordable. While I can let the shampoo scent go, the fact that it stings when used near the eyes is definitely a disadvantage.

While I can recommend this product, especially to those with drier skin types, MISSHA's product is much cheaper at 8.80 USD (versus 2 PM's 14 USD) and is equally moisturizing. I guess my hunt will still continue...

Ingredients: 5/5

Value for money: 3/5

Performance: 3/5

Overall: 3.6/5