Review: Etude House Be Clear Moisturizer SPF30 PA++

Finals are coming up so I will be in hibernation, but before that I thought I'd make this post. I've been looking more into moisturizers with SPF because summer is coming along and I don't want to get tanned. I have oily/combination skin, so I really want something light. Last summer, when I went to Asia for a little more than a month, I tried Hadalabo Shirojyun Arbutin Whitening UV Milk SPF20 which didn't really live up to its "milk" name because it was pretty greasy and made my face pretty oily after several hours. I got a sample of the Skinfood Gold Kiwi No Sebum Matte, which was on the other extreme, because it felt like I was putting white flour on my face.

Description (taken from eBay):

• Contains mulberry extract, which makes skin clean and transparent
• Removes dead skin cells with dark tone and wastes effectively and supplies plentiful moisture
• A double function moisturizer (whitening + skin protection) which makes the skin clean and fair
• For skin whitening, moisturizing, and sun protection
• Dispense lotion onto clean hands. Use hand to apply generously to all areas of face and neck

My impression:

I basically want a sunscreen that I can put it on top of my morning cream, Missha Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Cream, which is pretty oily but works pretty well on brightening my face instantly and for the rest of the day so I can't not use it. Since my face is oily, the snail cream is oily, I need a sunscreen that is as light as possible so it doesn't break me out, but not to the point that it just gives me a white matte face like Skinfood Gold Kiwi No Sebum Matte.

This sunscreen is indeed lighter than your usual sunscreens that are of the SPF 25-40 range. Because of that, if I put too much on, I will leave a white cast on my face that doesn't rub off. It's still better than Skinfood Gold Kiwi No Sebum Matte, but I need to be careful. I put only a green pea size amount, perhaps even a bit less than that. I guess that's just an inevitable fact of sunscreens. If I want a light moisturizer, I'm going to have a cream that leaves on a white cast very easily. If I want a cream that I can spread easily without having that white cast, it will need to be oilier in texture.

I don't mind putting just a pea size amount on, in fact it saves me money, the only thing I'm worried about is if such a small amount will work on my face. There is enough to spread throughout my whole face, but it is definitely a thin layer. The sun isn't that crazy yet so it's been working, but I guess the test will come in June/July whether such a small amount will be effective at minimizing my tan (and I tan very, very easily).

I've read reviews saying that it whitens your skin, but the only whitening I've found was the usual white matte color on your face that you get when you put any kind of sunscreen on. I don't think that's the whitening everyone thinks about when they read "whitening" on the claims and it's definitely not a natural, desirable whitening that people (in general) want on their face. So I'm not going to count that as whitening.

As for moisturizing, I use this on top of my day cream so I don't think it's useful to say whether this is moisturizing enough. But since this is known as a light moisturizer, I wouldn't recommend it as the only moisturizer to use for those with dry skin.

[Update Jul 15 2013]: It is a light weight sunscreen for sure in that I don't feel like my skin is suffocating, and it is absorbed quickly with no stickiness. But I do still feel that I'm putting sunscreen on my face. It's not as light weight as Missha All Around Safe Block Mild Essence Sun Milk. When I put that on, I really forget that I have sunscreen on my face. It's that light. So I think I'll be sticking to Missha All Around Safe Block Mild Essence Sun Milk despite its toothpaste smell (you can read more about that in my review here).

Summary:

Light-weight, fast absorption, no white cast, no stickiness
No greasiness, no breakouts, no extra oil production
No whitening effect other than your usual sunscreen white cast
$18 for 120ml on eBay

Grade: 4/5 because it's light but not as light as Missha All Around Safe Block Mild Essence Sun Milk and I don't see any whitening properties.

Value: 4/5 because it's pretty cheap for 120ml

Repurchase? No, I'll be sticking with Missha All Around Safe Block Mild Essence Sun Milk