Saturday, May 4, 2019

Hanyul White Chrysanthemum Matte Sunscreen Stick SPF50+ PA++++

After being so impressed with Mentholatum Skin Aqua Perfect UV Stick, I left it in the car for use on the go because it's so hubby-friendly. For something else to put in my bag, I picked this 17g tube of Hanyul White Chrysanthemum Matte Sunscreen Stick SPF50+ PA++++.

Of the gazillion Korean sun sticks out there, I pick this one because it kept popping on different blogs and vlogs' list of "best Korean sun sticks," like this youtube video for example. Same with Mamonde Everyday Sun Stick and a few others from Laneige, etc., which I'll post soon.

My first impression of this sun stick was positive. After all, it contains 17g of product, 70% more than Skin Aqua Perfect UV Stick, but is housed in a smaller tube, both slimmer and shorter than Skin Aqua, and it's oval versus Skin Aqua's cylindrical shape. Packaging may not be a big deal to some folks, but I needed something that'll fit in my bag, which Hanyul does and Skin Aqua doesn't. Hanyul retails for 23,000krw (about $19.78) but you can actually find it for less on E(vil)bay of all places. I got mine for $16.35 with free international shipping from Korea.


Here's a funny story for you. I was browsing Hanyul's official product page for this sun stick and was really confused when I saw pictures of what looks like chamomile instead of chrysanthemums. Then I remembered that my mum gave me a bag of what she called loose leaf "chrysanthemum" tea that looked nothing like chrysanthemum and instead resembled chamomile. When I asked her for a link to buy more, she indeed sent me a link to chamomile tea. So I looked it up and came across one of Anna's old blog posts that questioned this very oddity, and she ended up doing all the research and found out the answer. Spoiler: no, it's not chamomile but is indeed a variety of yellow chrysanthemum, Chrysanthellum indicum, that resembles chamomile.

Anyway, the moment I uncapped the twist-up tube though, all my good first impression were gone: this sunscreen stick has an overwhelming flower scent that reminds me of--drum rolls please--a funeral wreath. Sure, some folks may like the scent but I hate it. Funny enough, in her blog post Anna complained about the same scent in the serum she bought also, so at least I'm not the only one.

Also, just so we're clear the only places I would use a sun stick by itself, be it Japanese or Korean-made, are the back of my hands and the top of my feet where exposed. For everywhere else, I use these sticks as on-the-go-touch-up only, on top of my usual sunscreen layer.


Anyway, the Hanyul formula is pretty good, although not as pleasant on the skin as Skin Aqua. It's definitely thicker in texture and a touch pastier, both of which makes perfect sense: the stick is totally white and opaque and doesn't have that translucency Skin Aqua does. Here's a list of ingredients with English translations that shows octinoxate (에칠헥실메톡시신나메이트) and titanium dioxide (티타늄디옥사이드). 

Finish wise, Hanyul isn't as elegant either. Despite the "matte" in its name, it does leave a very slight sheen which I actually don't mind but may be other folks do. There's also a very slight white cast that's not discernible once set. Overall, I like the sunscreen stick enough but can't stand the scent, so I passed it on to my mum who doesn't mind the icky flower fragrance. Will not repurchase because of the fragrance alone. Yuck.

2 comments:

Citrine said...

Oh I totally see why your mom's confusion. Some of the lightly Sweet 菊花茶from China are either the one like mini version chrysanthemum or chamomile but they are both called 菊花. I prefer the long with stringy petals those, they smell better...

D. said...

Hi Mina,

I still don't know if the loose leaf tea my mum gave me is chrysanthemum or chamomile ^.^" After brewing, it has a really mild taste and fragrance, so I *think* it's chamomile but I'm not sure.

Cheers,
D.

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