Purito
More about PuritoThe story behind Purito Read the full story
In late 2020, one of K-beauty's most beloved sunscreens became a cautionary tale almost overnight. Purito's Centella Green Level Unscented Sun had everything the internet wanted — featherlight texture, no white cast, a 'clean' minimalist formula, and an advertised SPF 50+. Then the founder of an ingredient-analysis website looked at the formula, noticed it relied on just two UV filters at modest percentages, and grew skeptical. She commissioned independent in-vivo and in-vitro testing at European labs. The verdict: an SPF of roughly 19, a fraction of what the label claimed. The fallout was swift and severe.
Purito, a Korean brand launched in 2013, had grown popular precisely by doing the affordable, gentle, ingredient-forward thing well, and the sunscreen had become a genuine cult favorite among skincare enthusiasts worldwide. The controversy didn't just bruise the brand; it triggered a broader reckoning over how SPF is tested and claimed across the Asian sunscreen market, with several other products drawn into the scrutiny.
To its credit, Purito's response was relatively responsible: it apologized, offered refunds, pulled the product, and eventually returned with a reformulated hybrid sunscreen. The episode also surfaced a real and thorny truth — that SPF testing methods vary by country and laboratory, and results can differ depending on protocol, which complicates assigning blame neatly.
The honest read: Purito makes genuinely nice, affordable formulations, and the rest of its range — toners, serums, gentle cleansers — never carried the same baggage. But the sunscreen affair is now a permanent part of its story and a useful lesson for anyone who treats a 'clean,' cosmetically elegant SPF as automatically trustworthy: sun protection is a medical claim, not an aesthetic one, and a beautiful formula tells you nothing about whether it actually shields your skin. The brand has worked to rebuild trust, and for non-SPF products it's a reasonable, budget-friendly choice — but its history is a reminder to buy sunscreen on evidence, not vibes.
- Founded
- 2013
- Origin
- South Korea
- Heritage
- Established
- Type
- K-beauty
- Verdicts
- 5 Strong choice · 20 Good choice of 47 assessed
- Top-rated
- Purito Mighty Bamboo Panthenol Serum
- Website
- Official site →
- Amazon
- Brand store →
All Purito Products
More about Purito
Launched in 2013; the brand's credibility was tested in December 2020 when independent lab testing found its flagship SPF 50+ sunscreen measured around SPF 19, after which Purito issued refunds and reformulated.
It does not publish independent clinical studies of its broader range.