To be honest, I’ve always been quite intrigued with Yadah’s skincare line. It’s not the most raved about brand, I think, but it does pride itself on being “natural” and sensitive skin-friendly, so that certainly got my attention. However, since I try not to spend impulsively in general (although I do have strong urges… don’t we all?) I couldn’t really find a reason to purchase anything from the brand because I had other products to use up first. So when I received this in a gift exchange among friends last year, I was very excited.

Claims:

Combining the superior quality prickly pear cactus extract (over 50%) that is naturally grown in the clean environment of organic farms in Iksan, Jeonlabuk-do, Korea and capsules with BMF (Botanical Moisturizing Factors), Yadah Oh My Sun Slush gently helps to soothe and protect the skin against sun damage without white turbidity.

+ Prickly pear cactus instead of water! Effectiveness of prickly pear cactus:

• Soothing effect: Contains flavonoids which have excellent soothing and anti-
• inflammatory effect. It soothes sun-baked skin and eases stress!
• Moisturizing effect: Natural moisturizing agents in prickly pear cactus penetrate
  deep into the skin.
• Revitalizes the skin: It contains 5 times as much Vitamin A & C as aloe. Recharge
  energy and vitality to your skin!

+ Contains moist aqua capsule:

• Moisturizing and cooling effect UP! Stickiness DOWN!
• Lightweight and moisturizing gel with amazing absorption into the skin.
• The moment you apply it, transparent aqua capsules burst and you can see the water drops!

+ Natural plant ingredient provides dense nutrition and creates green-protection from inner skin to protect the skin.
6 Free System: It does not contain parabens, denatured alcohol, benzophenone, mineral oils, talc and colouring.

Ingredients:

Opuntia Ficus-Indica Extract, Homosalate, Butylene Glycol, Octocrylene, Behenyl Alcohol, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Seedcake Extract, Bambusa Arundinacea Juice, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Methyl Mathacrylate Crosspolymer, Silica, Water, Caprylyl Glycol, Tromethamine, Dehydroxanthan Gum, Gellan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Madecassoside, Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum).

Star Ingredients:

Opuntia Ficus-Indica Extract: Commonly known as prickly pear cactus extract. Used as a humectant as it has exceptional water-binding properties. Also rich in vitamins A, B and C which are essential in anti-aging and may also aid in preventing free-radical damage.

Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice: Also known as birch juice, an ingredient rich in nutrients and a potent mixture of amino acids which is largely used in current cosmetics formulations as a replacement for water. May aid in moisturising, anti-aging and stimulating cell turnover without irritating sensitive skin.

Portulaca Oleacea Extract: Skin soothing, thus may assist in reducing wounds and inflammations. Also may be used as anti-aging and brightening purposes.

Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Seedcake Extract: Generally acts as a skin conditioning and thickening agent in skincare formulations. May also aid in moisturising and due to its structure and function, is considered to be a Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF). Improves appearance of dry skin and may aid in fighting wrinkles due to its naturally anti-aging properties.

Bambusa Arundinacea Juice: Anti-inflammatory, hydrating, rich in antioxidants and able to speed up wound healing process. Also a great ingredient in sun screen formulations as it may enhance sun screening abilities.

Madecassoside: Derived from the Centella Asiatica plant. Has strong anti-inflammatory effects, and stimulates fibroblasts that create collagen, hence strengthening the skin’s structure. Also contributes to anti-aging as it is an effective antioxidant.

Based on the ingredients, it can be observed that this is a purely chemical sunscreen with chemical filters such as Homosalate, Octocrylene and Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane (AKA Avobenzone). Hence, if sensitive to any of the chemical filters mentioned (or chemical sunscreens in general), please steer clear of this product.

Volume: 50ml/1.69 fl.oz.

How to use:

After washing face, apply a liberal amount of the product evenly to the desired area as a final step in your skincare routine.

My Skin Type: Sensitive (prone to redness), Combination, Acne-prone, Dehydrated

Yadah Oh My Sun Slush SPF50+/PA+++ Review:

While the outer packaging of the Yadah Oh My Sun Slush sunscreen is a basic rectangular cardboard box, the actual product is housed in a matte opaque lime green tube with a glossy black twist off cap. I must admit, though, that the illustration on both the box and tube is pretty cute in that offbeat quirky way – the slushy design definitely brings about summer vibes.

Also, it’s interesting to note that while the plastic tube does bear a recycling symbol familiar with some K-Beauty products, there is also a perforated line on the back of the tube – perhaps as a guideline on where to cut the tube open to empty out its contents completely before disposal?

Anyway, twisting open the cap, I was caught a bit off guard by the strong scent. I’m not so sure on how to describe it, but if anyone’s familiar with Huxley products (which has prickly pear cactus extract as its most used ingredient as well), the Yadah sunscreen smells almost exactly the same.

It’s kind of an odd sweet-herbal scent, and unfortunately does take a bit of time to dissipate both when swatched and also when worn on the skin; so probably something to take note of for those weary of scents.

However, that’s not the only irksome part of this sunscreen, unfortunately. To dispense the product, you’d have to squeeze the tube, but what I quickly learnt to also do was to vigorously shake the tube beforehand to properly mix the product.

Otherwise, you’d be stuck with some product separation at first squeeze… which is definitely not the most desirable outcome. I do think this might be due to the “slush”-like texture they were going for which when spread on the skin becomes more of a light watery gel. Once fully spread and patted well onto the skin, the product often leaves my skin feeling cool and moist to the touch upon application before settling into a more velvet-like finish.

For people of color, the sunscreen leaves little to no white cast depending on what you layer beneath it. But more often than not, any semblance of a white cast disappears if you allow the sunscreen a few minutes to set, so that’s good.

Finish-wise, this also depends on your previous skincare layers, but often I do notice that it gives off a bit of a glow – not in the oil-slick kind, but more a subtle, natural sheen to the skin akin to a satin/dewy finish. However, due to this glow, skin texture issues (ie. bumpy skin, large pores, etc.) do seem to be a tad more prominent, in my experience.

In terms of how it layers under makeup… this completely depends on your makeup application technique. While I usually pat on both skincare and cosmetics, I did end up observing in horror some pilling occurring when I was rubbing on primer or swiping on base makeup.

I also noticed that if I had any dry patches that even more pilling would occur – often leaving me to wipe off the little white balls of pilled product with tissues before reapplying my base makeup. Fortunately, pilling doesn’t really occur if you choose to pat instead of rub/swipe, so yeah, it really depends on how you apply your makeup.

A point I’m aware of now with sunscreens though is how they should be absorption-proof to avoid potentially harmful UV filters from penetrating into the skin. Unfortunately, as mentioned in my previous review on the Omi Menturm Verdio UV Moisture Milk (to serve as a comparison), this particular Yadah sunscreen does show signs of possibly absorbing into the skin instead of forming a protective film, so in the long run, this might not be the best sun protection product.

Overall, I find this just an okay product and would probably give it a rating of 2.5-3/5 in terms of overall feel. I may have brought about more cons than pros in my review, but I do find it a decent pick – though the fact that it might not be absorption-proof does stick in the back of my head a lot these days and impaired the rating a bit (although I do admit I still need to find more research on the claims for further verification).

Also, I do think this sunscreen would work better with drier skin types or for those in drier climates as it can be a tad too moisturizing for those with combination to oily skin. In fact, due to how rich it is, whenever I feel like using this product, I often just apply it after toner, skipping moisturizer completely. However, as always, YMMV!