As Glow Recipe (and every skin-care obsessive) knows, wearing sunscreen daily is pretty much mandatory. Not only does it help prevent wrinkles and dark spots, but it also protects your skin from harmful UV rays, which can potentially cause cancer. As someone who is on prescription retinol and has received laser treatments, my skin is ultra sensitive to sun exposure, making sunscreen a nonnegotiable in my everyday routine.
But finding the perfect face sunscreen has always been a challenge. At times I've felt like Goldilocks, trying different formulas that were never just right. Some sunscreens had minimal white cast or residue but irritated my sensitive eyes. Others were too drying and left my skin feeling itchy and irritated. So when I learned the brand behind glass skin was launching its first-ever sunscreen, I knew I had to try it. Could this be the one? After all, the K-beauty brand has become a cult favorite for Instagram-worthy products that actually work (Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask, anyone?).
According to a press release issued by Glow Recipe founders Sarah Chang and Christine Lee, the Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Sunscreen SPF 50 took over three years to develop and is the brand's most requested product ever. In the press release, it was also stated that the product's Food & Drug Administration (FDA) SPF protection test results came in at 59, which is higher than the SPF 50 advertised on the bottle. (An FDA screening is a must for new over-the-counter SPF products being brought to market.) The formula also contains niacinamide, which helps reduce inflammation and minimize pores. Lastly, and most important for me, it promises zero white cast. So is the hype real?
In short: yes. The sunscreen comes in a cute pink tube—par for the course for Glow Recipe products—and smells like a delicious watermelon Jolly Rancher. I really like to pile on my sunscreen, so I squeezed out a good helping and applied it on my face. Not only did it quickly absorb, but it also left no trace of white cast. It went on completely sheer as promised.
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As it wore throughout the day, my skin didn't get the usual tightness and itchiness I've experienced with other sunscreens. The fruity smell also didn't bother me—some sunscreens tend to linger, but this one dissipated rather quickly and didn't make me feel like I was stuck in a candy bag. Even better, it didn't irritate my sensitive eyes at all.
At $34, this sunscreen is a must-have for anyone looking for great SPF protection—the cute packaging is a plus. The price fits squarely in with the rest of the brand's skin-care lineup, which runs from $22 to $60. Glow Recipe fans will be very happy, while converts are sure to be made from this new holy grail product.
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Ariana Yaptangco is the senior beauty editor at Glamour. You can follow her @arianayap.
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