Anua vs Abib Heartleaf Sunscreen: Only One Prints a Number
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Two Korean sunscreens sell you the same plant. Only one of them tells you how much of it you’re getting.
That turned out to be the least interesting difference between them.
The short version: in an Anua vs Abib heartleaf sunscreen comparison the labels split on two things you can check. Anua prints 30% heartleaf and puts it second on the list.[1] Abib puts heartleaf third but doesn’t print a number, and has alcohol fourth.[2] Both are flagged free of fragrance. If your skin reacts to alcohol, that single position decides this for you, and no amount of calming branding changes it.
What am I actually choosing between?
Here they are side by side, from the ingredient lists.
| Anua Heartleaf Silky Moisture | Abib Heartleaf Sun Essence | |
|---|---|---|
| Heartleaf position | 2nd, printed as 30%[1] | 3rd, no percentage given[2] |
| Alcohol | No drying alcohol, alcohol-free flag[1] | 4th on the list[2] |
| Fragrance | None, flagged free[1] | None, flagged free[2] |
| UV filters | Five[1] | Six[2] |
| Ingredients in total | 40[1] | 38[2] |
Two things worth pulling out of that.
Only one of them lets you check the headline claim. Both sell heartleaf. Anua prints a number next to it, which means the claim is verifiable. Abib doesn’t, which doesn’t make it false, only unverifiable from the label. Our actives piece explains why a place on the list is not a dose.
Alcohol is the split that will actually affect you. Fourth on a list of thirty-eight is high. Whether that’s a problem is individual, but it’s the one difference here that changes how a formula can feel.
Which one should I pick for reactive skin?
If alcohol has caused you trouble before, the Anua is the one that removes that variable.
That’s a narrower claim than it sounds. Removing a variable isn’t the same as being gentler, and nothing we’ve read lets us rank these two on irritation. Start with our sensitive skin piece, not a two-product comparison.
Does the 30% mean the Anua works better for me?
No, and that’s a different question from whether the number is useful.
A printed percentage tells you the claim is real at that dose. Whether heartleaf at that dose changes anything on your face is a separate question, and we have not found an answer to it. What the number does is let you compare like with like instead of comparing two marketing paragraphs.
Will either of them cast on me?
Both carry filters that can, and neither is a mineral formula.
Tinosorb M is on the Abib list and not on the Anua list.[1][2] INCIDecoder notes that it can leave a cast that shows on darker skin tones.[2] If cast decides this for you, we compare the whole category in our white cast piece.
Which one should I buy?
Anua Heartleaf Silky Moisture Sun Cream if you want the heartleaf claim you can verify, no drying alcohol on the list, and one fewer filter to react to.[1] Check the price on YesStyle.
Abib Heartleaf Sun Essence Calming Drop if the alcohol doesn’t bother you and you want the shorter list and the sixth filter. Our full review has the complete ingredient order.
One Korean reviewer wrote up the Anua on its own. There is no Abib in it, and nothing about sensitive skin, so read it as one person on how the Anua feels to wear.
Both are flagged free of fragrance, which is worth more than it sounds if smell is what makes you skip application. What that flag covers is set out in our fragrance-free piece, which also reads the Abib list.
FAQ
Is the Anua better for me than the Abib?
Only on one checkable axis: the Anua has no drying alcohol on the list where the Abib has alcohol fourth. On everything else the lists are closer than the branding suggests.
Does the 30% heartleaf in the Anua do more for my skin?
We cannot say. A printed dose is something you can check on the label, not a result on your skin.
Will one of them cast on me more than the other?
The Anua, on the label. It doesn’t carry Tinosorb M, and the Abib does.
Can I use either one if fragrance bothers me?
Yes. Both carry a fragrance and essential oil free flag.
Should I pick a sunscreen for its heartleaf at all?
We’d pick on the filters, the alcohol and the finish first. Heartleaf is the reason these two get compared, not the reason to buy either.
Sources
Ingredient lists (INCIDecoder, read directly):
[1] Anua Heartleaf Silky Moisture Sun Cream : Houttuynia Cordata Extract is second and printed as 30%; five UV filters at positions 5 (Ethylhexyl Triazone), 6 (Terephthalylidene Dicamphor Sulfonic Acid), 16 (Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate), 17 (Polysilicone-15) and 29 (Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine); no Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol; carries alcohol-free and fragrance and essential oil free flags, with Cetearyl Alcohol at position 13 as the only alcohol listed; 40 ingredients listed: link
[2] Abib Heartleaf Sun Essence Calming Drop : Houttuynia Cordata Extract is third with no percentage printed; Alcohol is fourth; six UV filters including Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol; carries a fragrance and essential oil free flag; INCIDecoder describes Tinosorb M as a filter whose cast can bother darker skin tones; 38 ingredients listed: link
