Kose Cosmeport’s SUNCUT sunscreen line has always left me baffled. Why does each product have so many names? Take this for example, there’re officially 4 names for it!
We have “Suncut Cool Water Splash UV Protect Gel” printed in English on the bottle. Flip the packaging over, it says at the very top in Japanese, “Suncut Ultra UV Water Splash Gel” — but the bottom says its retail name is “Suncut Sunscreen Gel S”. On its media release and website, it is listed as “Suncut Sunscreen Gel 50 (Water Splash)”. Bloody hell. I’ve gone with the fifth option: a bastardised mish-mash of all 4.
The selling point for the sunscreen gel is that it’s supposed to feel refreshing on the skin, like a splash of cool water on a hot summer day. It does feel like a splash of water on the skin when you apply it — that is, if the water is room temperature. It’s light and goes on totally transparent, but I don’t find it more cooling than normal “watery” gels and essences. In fact, when I forced a blind, split-neck test on my human guinea pig of Suncut’s Water Splash and Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Gel, Biore came out as the one with the longer-lasting refreshing, cool feeling. (The Biore doesn’t claim to be cooling!)
That aside, this is your standard-issue, easy-on/easy-off sunscreen gel that best suits everyday wear. I do rather like this, mainly for the ease with which is spread over my skin. It feels fresh and lightweight, non-drying (on my normal skin), and works well on bare skin as well as over moisturiser. I’d say that it looks and feels virtually the same on my skin as the 2017 formula of Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence. It’s fragrance-free and citrus-free, so those with allergies might prefer this. Kose Cosmeport should have left out menthol or increase the amount. As it stands, it makes no difference to the cooling effect (or lack thereof).
Suncut Ultra UV Protect Gel (Water Splash) — or whatever name you want to call this — is US$19.50+ at Amazon.com HERE. You can also find it HERE at Amazon Japan for ¥972 (international shipping via AmazonGlobal).
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