In January 2024 I decided that I was going to start to wear sunscreen on my face every day. Ambient radiation is no good. Helios wants to kill you. These are truly the last days. Et cetera.
What holds one back from wearing sunscreen every day is that American sunscreens are shit. They do the job, but they feel heavy, leave a white cast, and are generally not the sort of thing you can throw on and forget about. As such, connoisseurs of anti-radiation face-armor opt for products from Asia. I have spent the past 19 months purchasing a number of different bottles, tossing something on my face every day, and spelunking the depths of /r/AsianBeauty and the related corners of the blog-o-sphere for data on previous engagements.
First, Asian sunscreens generally come in one of three types: Essence, Milk, or Gel. Milk is so-called because it comes out similar to milk: white and runny. Essence is squeezed out of the tube with a viscosity and consistency reminiscent of the typical American product. (If we were sticking with the diary analogy, I’d call this one Greek yogurt). Gel is somewhere in between the two (low-fat yogurt?). Milk tends to be the most durable. Essence is more moisturizing. I like both Milk and Essence, and have no time for Gel.
The Internet will tell you that the best (or “HG” in Youth-speak – eventually I learned that this is an abbreviation for “holy grail”) sunscreen is Shiseido Anessa Perfect UV Sunscreen Milk from Nippon. This is the one I bought first. I did not like it initially, but I tried it again after a few months and decided that The Internet was correct. The problem I first had was that I was not applying enough. A lifetime of shitty American sunscreens had trained me to apply as little sunscreen as possible. After a few months of playing around with products that are actually good, I figured out the proper amount (the two finger thing is a good guide, but the runniness of Milk-variants require a little more), and, lo, when applied properly and in the correct amount, Shiseido Anessa Perfect UV Sunscreen Milk does work great. It is one of the few that stands up well to sweat and Extreme Activity™. Unfortunately, it is expensive. So I save this for when I know I’m going to be out all day, sack deep in ball sweat.
For every other day of the year, I have settled on Rohto Mentholatum Skin Aqua Super Moisture UV Essence. I can toss this one on in the morning, forget about it a few minutes later, and – as long as I don’t get wet – it works all day. (All of these things say you’re supposed to reapply every couple hours, but I rarely think to do that.) This one is cheaper than the Anessa, so I can apply it everyday without feeling like I’m breaking the bank.
One of these two products goes on my face every morning, as well as my neck and ears. It covers the whole face. If I’m outside in the sun, I probably have a hat covering my forehead and sunglasses covering my eyes, but I still up-armor the whole face. It doesn’t matter what the weather is, or what my plans for the days are. Developing the habit is the key to preparedness. On sunny days, the same product goes on my arms. I don’t believe in body-part-specific sunscreen, though my extensive research has shown that some Beauty Bloggers disagree with me.
I order this stuff from both YesStyle and Stylevana, and have had good experiences with both. I gather that Jeff Bezos will sell you some of these products, but I don’t trust his store for anything I’m going to put on or in my body.
My notes on all the products I’ve tried are as follows.
Shiseido Anessa Perfect UV Sunscreen Milk
- Gold bottle.
- Minor scent, but fairly unoffensive.
- No sting.
- Great sweat resistance, if applied properly.
- Forget its on a couple minutes after application.
- Great daily wear, but expensive.
- Great for high exertion.
Rohto Mentholatum Skin Aqua Super Moisture UV Essence
- Blue bottle.
- No scent.
- No sting.
- Great daily wear.
- Forget its on a couple minutes after application.
- Does not hold up to sweat. Not appropriate for high exertion.
Rohto Mentholatum Skin Aqua Super Moisture UV Milk
- No scent.
- No sting.
- Great daily wear.
- Forget its on a couple minutes after application.
- Minor resistance to sweat. Not appropriate for high exertion.
- Small bottle and milk-type requires higher volume for coverage, so more expensive than Essence-type equivalent.
Rohto Mentholatum Skin Aqua Super Moisture UV Gel
- Blue bottle.
- No scent.
- Minor sting.
- Does not hold up to sweat. Not appropriate for high exertion.
- Slight sheen.
- Slightly inferior to Essence variant.
Rohto Mentholatum Skin Aqua Super Moisture Barrier UV Essence
- Gold bottle.
- No scent.
- No sting.
- Great daily wear.
- Goes on a little thicker than the non-Barrier blue bottle one.
- A little more “dewy”, but not shiny.
- Requires more scrubbing to remove.
- Minor resistance to sweat. Not appropriate for high exertion.
Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence
- Blue bottle.
- No scent.
- Stings around eyes.
- Would be good for daily wear, but for sting.
- This + wind = tears
- Minor resistance to sweat. Not appropriate for high exertion.
SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water Fit Sun Serum
- No scent.
- No sting.
- Goes on super light, immediately disappears.
- Vanishes at the first hint of sweat or moisture.
- Would be great for daily wear, but for complete lack of water resistance.
Purito SEOUL Daily Soft Touch Sunscreen
- No scent.
- Goes on a little thicker than others.
- Dewy. A bit of a shine.
- Not great for daily wear due to shine.
- Very slight tackiness when I touch my face throughout the day.