Purito Daily Soft Touch Sunscreen: A Research Review (and the SPF Story)

You can’t really review the Purito Soft Touch sunscreen without talking about the SPF story first, because it’s the thing everyone brings up. Back in late 2020, an independent test found that a different Purito sunscreen came in far below its SPF label, and the brand pulled it. That history is exactly why a plain, research-based look at Purito’s current sunscreen is worth writing. A note on method: this is not a wear test. What we did do is check the ingredient list and the filters against the sources at the end, and separate the 2020 story from the sunscreen actually on shelves now. For the rest of our method, see How We Work.

TL;DR: The Purito Soft Touch sunscreen (full name Daily Soft Touch, labeled SPF50+ PA++++) is a chemical sunscreen with four modern filters, five ceramides, panthenol, and centella. The context worth knowing: Purito’s reputation took a hit in late 2020 when a separate product, the Centella Green Level Unscented Sun, tested around SPF 19 against its SPF 50+ label in independent labs. That was a different formula, and the brand pulled it and reformulated its range. If you want a comfortable daily and you understand that history, this one earns a look.

The Purito SPF story, and why it’s a different product

Here’s what actually happened, with the numbers. In late 2020, Judit Racz, the founder of the ingredient database INCIDecoder, paid independent European labs to test Purito’s Centella Green Level Unscented Sun, a sunscreen labeled SPF 50+ PA++++. A Polish lab returned an in-vitro result of SPF 15.8 and an in-vivo result of SPF 19 across ten people under the ISO 24444 method. A German lab returned an in-vivo result of SPF 19.2. All of them landed far below the SPF 50+ on the box ^[1].

Purito’s response was to stop selling that sunscreen along with two other sunscreens, and to post an apology. The brand said it had trusted the third-party manufacturer’s SPF claim and would check those details itself going forward: “We have put our trust on the manufacturing company, and accept the issue that has resulted” ^[2]. Purito then reformulated its sunscreen range.

The part that matters for this review: the product that failed the test was the Centella Green Level Unscented Sun, not the Soft Touch. The SPF 19 figure describes a discontinued formula, not the sunscreen you’d buy today. We looked at the wider question of whether you can trust the SPF number on a Korean sunscreen in our main Korean sunscreen guide.

One fair bit of context on SPF numbers in general: in-vivo SPF testing carries real variation between labs, because a trained evaluator has to decide when skin looks minimally red, and that judgment is subjective. For a product measured at SPF 30, the acceptable spread across labs can run from roughly 18 to 50 ^[3]. So numbers wobble. But a label of 50+ testing near 19 across multiple labs is well outside that ordinary wobble, which is why the finding landed the way it did.

What’s inside Purito Soft Touch sunscreen

Start with the fully verifiable part, the ingredient list. This one uses four modern UV filters: Uvinul A Plus (diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl hexyl benzoate), Uvinul T 150 (ethylhexyl triazone), Tinosorb S (bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine), and Tinosorb M (methylene bis-benzotriazolyl tetramethylbutylphenol) ^[4]. Those are broad-spectrum filters that are common in Korean and European sunscreens but not all cleared in the US, which we explained when the FDA approved its first new filter in decades. So this is a chemical sunscreen, not a mineral one.

Around the filters, the formula adds five ceramides (NP, AS, AP, NS, EOP), panthenol, centella asiatica, and glycerin ^[4]. That’s a barrier-support and soothing set, and it tells you who the sunscreen is aimed at before a single review does. The label reads SPF50+ PA++++.

Where it falls short

Two limits worth naming:

• It’s a chemical sunscreen, full stop. If you specifically want a mineral formula, the filter list rules this one out for you.
• The SPF history still puts some people off. This is a separate, reformulated product, but that hesitation is fair and worth naming rather than glossing over.

Is it your sunscreen?

It comes down to skin type and how much the brand history matters to you.

A good match if your skin is normal, dry, combination, or sensitive, you want a comfortable daily with a barrier-supportive formula, and you’re fine with modern chemical filters. Our sensitive-skin picks cover more options in the same comfort-first direction.

Look elsewhere if you have very oily skin and want a shine-free finish through a humid day; the method in our oily-skin guide points you at better-matched formulas. Same if you want a mineral sunscreen, or if the brand’s SPF history is a dealbreaker for you.

If you’d rather a different bottle

If you want a comfortable hydrating daily and the brand history gives you pause, a straightforward alternative is Round Lab’s birch juice sunscreen; we broke that one down in our Round Lab birch juice review. The Soft Touch also shows up as a daily option in our vacation kit guide.

FAQ

Is the Purito Soft Touch sunscreen the same one that failed the SPF test?

No. The 2020 SPF test was on a different product, the Purito Centella Green Level Unscented Sun, which came in around SPF 19 against an SPF 50+ label. Purito pulled that one, along with two other sunscreens, and reformulated its range. The Daily Soft Touch is a separate, later formula with four modern filters.

What filters does it use?

Four modern broad-spectrum filters: Uvinul A Plus, Uvinul T 150 (ethylhexyl triazone), Tinosorb S, and Tinosorb M. These are common in Korean and European sunscreens. It’s a chemical sunscreen, not a mineral one.

Is it good for sensitive skin?

Its base carries panthenol, centella, and five ceramides. Sensitive skin is individual, so patch test first.

Does it leave a white cast?

Possibly, on darker skin. One of its four filters, Tinosorb M, works as tiny particles and can leave a cast the way mineral filters do. As with any sunscreen, how much you apply and your skin tone affect what you see.

Sources

SPF story (verified 2026-07-18):
[1] Purito Centella Unscented Sun tests as SPF 19, INCIDecoder (Judit Racz commissioned the tests; Polish lab Ita-Test in-vitro SPF 15.8, in-vivo SPF 19 across 10 people under ISO 24444; German lab in-vivo SPF 19.2; published December 2020): link
[2] After Independent Testing Discovers Purito’s Mistaken SPF Claim, Beauty Independent (Purito halted Centella Green Level Unscented Sun, Centella Green Level Safe Sun, and Comfy Water Sun Block; official apology quote): link
[3] The variability of in vivo sunscreen sun protection factor values, International Journal of Cosmetic Science 2025 / PMC (evaluator judgment on erythema is subjective; for a measured SPF 30 the across-lab range can run roughly 18 to 50): link

Ingredients and filters:
[4] Purito SEOUL Daily Soft Touch Sunscreen, INCIDecoder (four filters: Uvinul A Plus, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Tinosorb S, Tinosorb M; five ceramides, panthenol, centella asiatica, glycerin; SPF50+ PA++++): link

Topics: Centella · Chemical Filters · PA / UVA Rating · Purito · Sensitive Skin · Tinosorb · All topics