The Sunscreen Project, Part 32: Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF 42 PA+++, No. 23

I've always been fascinated by Asian cosmetic, skincare, and beauty products in general. It may seem ironic, but despite being Asian, I haven't used a lot of Asian skincare products. Perhaps it's something about me being in America, perhaps it's me not being exposed to Asian brands other than perhaps Shiseido and Dr. Jart+, but anyway the mystical East has always been a fascination.

I had been looking for a BB cream, and I knew that after the couple I tried from Sephora, I wanted to try one directly from Asia. One that wasn't told at Sephora.

Thus, voila!

FTC: I purchased this product with my own money. I am not compensated for any reviews.

Missha is a Korean company that specializes in beauty products. The Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream was touted to be best offered by the company. Seeing rave reviews across most of the entire WWW made me even more inclined to get it.

It was $30 for 50 ml on the site, but I decided to get mine on Ebay instead. $15, including shipping!

I got shade No. 23 because it seemed closest to bloggers and YouTubers with a skin shade similar to my own. This was especially because it seemed that No 23 was also good for yellow skin toned people (and I believe, as of right now, that my skin tone is yellow).

Of course, here's the ingredients list, from MakeupAlley: 

Water (Aqua), Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Cetyl PEF/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Zinc Oxide, Dimethicone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butylene Glycol, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Arbutin, Magnesium Aluminium Silicate, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Hydrolysed Collagen, Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Squalane, Caviar Extract, Adenosine, Algae Extract, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Fagus Sylvatica Bud Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide 3, Chamomila Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Fragrance (Parfum), Triethanolamine, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Benzyl Salicylate, Hydroxycitronellal, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool, Citronellol. MAY CONTAIN [ /-; Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)]

A cursory glance shows that there are a lot of silicone-based ingredients that provide a silky finish. Skin protectants such as dimethicone are also present. There isn't a separate part of the list for the "active ingredients" but I can see on the list that zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are present. Yay for zinc oxide!

Thus, every morning for 1.5 weeks, I applied two squirts of this product (that came with a pump). What did I find?

Pros:

• Provides high UVA and UVB ray coverage (SPF 42, PA+++)
• Fit my skin tone very well, even better than the Smashbox, Shiseido, and Dr. Jart+ ones I tried earlier
• Provides medium coverage
• Lasted 8 hours
• Did not make me break out
• Since it is a physical sunscreen (with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide), you will start receiving UV ray production immediately upon application (do not need to wait ~25 min for protection to start like you do for chemical sunscreens)

Neutrals:

• Originally had a more grayish tint upon initial application, but then blended in my face well
• Has a light scent, which may be a turn-off for some folks
• Has a lot of oils and plant extracts that some people may find irritating

Cons:

• A bit thick for my taste, being thicker than the other BB creams I've tried [feels like a zinc oxide sunscreen (which it basically is!)]
• Slightly drying to my skin (which has become more dry throughout this past 1/2 year)

Bottom line? This is the best BB cream I've used yet. I think I'll probably buy 1 tube per year or something to use. I definitely recommend this to people of all skin types who aren't allergic to the plant extracts in the ingredients list. I hope that starting in MS-2 year (2nd year of medical school) I won't have to go into Gross Anatomy lab as much (perhaps 1x/week instead of 5) so hopefully my skin won't be as dry for this. Yahoo!