Physical and Chemical Sunscreen from Dear Klairs, Full Comparison

Sunscreen is the most important anti aging skincare product that everyone should have in their skincare routine. UV rays from the sun accounts for up to 80% of visible signs of aging in the skin such as wrinkles, hyperpigmentation and even skin cancer. Luckily we can protect ourselves from these damages by applying sunscreen religiously every single day and practicing safe-sun habits.

A good sunscreen is one that you want to apply every single day

To get a full protection from sunscreen we have to apply them liberally and reapply them often throughout the day especially when you are sweating or exercising. For first application in the morning, at least a quarter-sized amount for just the face, or around ½ teaspoon for both face and neck (although this may depend on the size of your face). That sounds like a lot, right? That is why it is important to find a sunscreen that compliments your skin type and feels comfortable on your skin. Lucky for us that each of this sunscreen formulation is getting better and better making it one step easier for us to find the ‘perfect’ sunscreen for our skin.Sunscreen can be categorized into two types based on their UV filters. They are commonly referred to as chemical and physical sunscreen. Each type of this sunscreen has their own characteristic and may fit better for one skin type than the other. Dear Klairs came out with both types of sunscreen Mid Day Blue UV Shield as the physical sunscreen and the Soft Airy UV Essence as the chemical sunscreen. Let’s take a closer look to each of this sunscreen to find out which one will fit you best.▶ Read the Klairs Physical Sunscreen vs Chemical Sunscreen: Battle of the Best https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgAALZVMYBA

My experience and review

I have personally been using the Dear Klairs, Soft Airy UV Essence Sunscreen for more than a year and it has been my holy grail sunscreen. However, when times my skin is sensitive and feeling super oily, I tend to reach out for a physical sunscreen. That’s why I am so excited when I found out that dear klairs launched their first physical sunscreen.I have been experimenting with two of these sunscreen and tried a split-face test with it. Just to put in context, I have oily-combination skin with the oiliest area being the T-zone and along the forehead area that are accentuated during the hot summer season.

Texture

Both sunscreens have light gel-cream texture. Soft Airy UV Essence with their off-white cream feels more like a burst of water that spreads a lot easily, meanwhile the Mid Day Blue UV Shield with their slight blue tint to it (from the natural extract of Guaiazulene) have more of a creamier body. Both blend pretty well on the skin but it takes longer to blend out the Mid Day blue UV Shield. chemical and physical sunscreen insert imatge 3

chemical and physical sunscreen insert imatge 3

Scent

In terms of scent, both of these sunscreen neither have an overpowering scent nor anything that lingers. However, the mid-day blue UV shield has more of a powdery scent to it. Soft Airy UV Essence sunscreen has orange oil on the bottom of their list, meanwhile the mid-day blue UV shield contains fragrance in it which I can totally understand since it is hard to formulate a sunscreen without leaving an undesirable scent. If you are very sensitive to any of these ingredients, please do keep that in mind.

Finish

The Mid Day Blue UV Shield sunscreen has a semi-matte finish to it just as it claims and leaves a slight white cast with a tone up effect on my medium skin tone (I usually wear shade number 25). While the Soft Airy UV Essence just blends seamlessly without any whitecast with dewy and glowy finish. At first application, they both feel light yet hydrating on the skin. None of them pill under makeup nor oxidize throughout the day. chemical and physical sunscreen insert image 4

chemical and physical sunscreen insert image 4

However, as I wear it throughout the day I can notice a big difference in terms of hydration, the Soft Airy UV Essence feels a lot more moisturizing and can be used alone as a moisturizing sunscreen. Meanwhile, with the semi-matte finish of the mid-day blue UV shield, the sunscreen can somehow accentuate any dry patches around the edges of the nose making it necessary to use another occlusive moisturizer beforehand to avoid it from happening.

Final verdict

None of this sunscreen causes any negative reactions on my skin, which is a major plus. Overall, I do think both of them are great sunscreen with unique characteristics that can fit better for a specific skin type and preferences. I personally like my sunscreen to be moisturizing at the same time (doesn’t accentuate dry patches), zero-whitecast and feels comfortable throughout the day. With that criteria in mind, I still reach out for the Soft Airy UV Essence because my skin appreciates the texture and totally seamless finish more than the mid-day blue UV shield that leaves a slight tone up effect. Moreover, since I have dry patches on some areas of my face, the Soft Airy UV Essence can help keep that flakiness away. The Mid Day Blue UV Shield will most probably suit anyone with an oilier skin spectrum, who lives in hot and humid weather. Their semi-matte finish will definitely help control shine throughout the day. Moreover, their tone-up effect can help brighten overall complexion so one’s can skip any BB cream or color correcting products, making it one step easier to get ready in the morning (if it’s what they prefer). Which one do you think is more suitable for your skin and sounds more like the dream sunscreen?