HERA Sun Mate Daily SPF35PA++ Review

I cannot overemphasize the importance of sunscreen. You HAVE to use it every day before you leave the house! I have even read that harmful sun rays go through windows and can reach you when you are in the office or home. For that reason I use sunscreen first thing in the morning every day. Sunscreen protects against aging, wrinkles and loss of elasticity. It really is a life saver. The only problem is that it is hard to find a good sunscreen that does not leave a white residue and does not make your face oily. 

After a long love/hate affair with La-Roche Posay Anthelios sunscreens which did make my face oily throughout the day, I decided to find something better suited for my already oily skin. After reading a lot of reviews I decided to try HERA brand sunscreen. HERA is a subsidiary of Amore Pacific, one of the major Korean companies. HERA is their high end brand but it is not ridiculously expensive. I ordered mine from this Amazon seller who delivered it really fast.

It comes in a big 70 ml tube typical of a sunblock.

It has a very nice smell right out of the tube, but when it goes on the face the smell dissipates really quickly. The consistency is very creamy and does not have any of the toughness of other sunblocks. The color reminds me of a tinted moisturizer.

However, when applied to the face the color disappears and it becomes completely transparent. It reminds me of a good creamy moisturizer in terms of how it feels on the face. 

I apply it all over the face, including my neck and around the eyes. I believe the area around the eyes is the most delicate and needs the most protection from the sun. However, my skin is rather tough and I never get any adverse reactions from products. If you have sensitive and thin skin around your eyes you might have some unwanted reaction. So, be careful.

It takes some time for this sunscreen to absorb, may be 10 minutes or so. I would say that it leaves a nice moisturizing layer on the skin. If I touch my face I feel that I have a product on. But it is not necessarily a bad thing - I like to feel hydrated. :-) It also gives the face a slight healthy sheen. It definitely does not leave my skin oily after a few hours like La-Roche Posay did. I do think, however, that this sunblock is more suitable for normal/dry skin, as opposed to oily one like mine.

I later found out that HERA has Sun Mate Airlight (SPF30/PA++) sunscreen which is specifically formulated for oily/combination skin. I might try it later to see if there is any difference. Meanwhile, I am very happy with this sunscreen and would definitely stick with it.

OVERALL: Highly recommended. Very moisturizing; does not make the face oily.

UPDATE: I don't think I will be repurchasing this product. First, I noticed that my face did get some color while I was outside wearing this sunblock.  This never happened to me when I used other brands. Second, it does give my face a feeling of being greasy, especially towards the end of the day. It does not necessarily make my face oily, but I just feel that this product sits on my skin without being fully absorbed.