If you are looking for everyday sunscreens that are lightweight, pleasant to use and work as a makeup base Japanese sunscreens are the best for sure.
You will see that some of the sunscreens that I will recommend have alcohol. I strongly encourage you to no use any product with alcohol on your face unless it is sunscreen. I am sensitive to alcohol but those are fine for me. Obviously, I will only present you SPF50+ PA++++ sunscreens. The higher the better whatever your skin color is!
Anessa sunscreens
Anessa is probably the most famous Japanese sunscreen brand and this is not for nothing. My first trip to Japan was in 2006 and sunscreens were everywhere! I was shocked. Anessa is owned by Shiseido and lots of their technology is found in Anessa sunscreens.
Anessa Perfect UV sunscreen skincare milk SPF50+ PA++++
The Perfect UV sunscreen skincare milk is the most popular and it is not for nothing. Anessa sells it as having the highest protection and for outdoor activities. It is a milk (in the Japanese sense) that uses Zinc oxide (UVB, UVAII, UVAI), octinoxate (UVB), octocrylene (UVB), titanium dioxide(UVB, UVAII), Uvinul A plus (UVAI) and Tinosorb S aqua (UVB, UVAII, UVAI). There is a lot of redundancy in the filters which I am all about.
The formula is lightweight and creates an almost invisible veil on the skin with a beautiful finish. It dries pretty mat. For normal to oily skin it is perfect. You do need a good moisturizer for dry skin though. It is sold for outdoors activities and it has the strongest UV ray cutting power in the Anessa range according to Anessa.
It works beautifully under makeup and it is very waterproof for a very long time (tested for 80 minutes). In my experience, even 4 hours after one application I still had the waterproof film. This being said if you are under direct sunlight reapply every 3 hours at least.
I am sensitive to octocrylene and octinoxate but had surprisingly no issue with it. I suspect that the filters are encapsulated. This Anessa features the patent Aqua booster technology. When you sweat or you are underwater the SPF increases. It also has a friction proof technology that I am inclined to believe it is working. The waterproof film still holds when I rub my fingers on top.
Overall it is an amazing sunscreen. Be aware that it has alcohol and perfume. There is a tiny white cast barely visible.
Anessa Perfect UV sunscreen skincare mild milk SPF50+ PA++++
The mild milk is the declination of their perfect milk for sensitive skin, children and babies (not newborn). According to Anessa, the protection is the same as the original version.
It is also a milk that uses Zinc oxide (UVB, UVAII, UVAI), Titanium dioxide (UVB, UVAII), Uvinul T150 (UVB), Uvinul A plus (UVAI) and Tinosorb S (UVB, UVAII, UVAI). Again, there is redundancy in the filters. Anessa has removed octinoxate and octocrylene. I suspect that the mild milk contains a higher concentration of Zinc oxide as it has a more significant white cast.
The mild milk is fragrance, alcohol, and irritant-free. It is a waterproof sunscreen with the aqua boost technology.
The texture is lovely and runny. I find it a tad more moisturizing than the original version and it needs time to set (around 10 minutes). The finish is slightly dewy and almost greasy upon application. You can put makeup but it is less elegant than the original version.
Anessa whitening UV sunscreen gel SPF50+ PA++++
This sunscreen has no white cast and is meant to brighten the skin tone. I like it because it is ideal in a routine to fight hyperpigmentation because it has my beloved tranexamic acid. Tranexamic acid is an excellent ingredient to fight hyperpigmentation.
The filters are Octinoxate (UVB), Tinosorb S (UVB, UVAII, UVAI), Uvinul A plus (UVAI) and Uvinul T150 (UVB). The filters are excellent.
The texture is a gel that is moisturizing. If you have oily skin don’t use any moisturizer. It is a bit tacky and the finish is a bit dewy. In a humid climate is not ideal. You can powder it once it sets on the skin.
I recommend it for everyday use especially to fight hyperpigmentation. It works pretty good under makeup and it is waterproof.
Watch me talk about it.
Thank you for your time.
☀️🔫 Where to get them
Anessa perfect
Anessa perfect
Anessa Whitening UV Sunscreen Gel SPF50+ PA++++ https://amzn.to/30KnKeI
Cyrille
