IIt’s time for my 7th annual Japanese sunscreens ranking. I’ve chosen a variety of formulas for all budgets that I think suit a wide audience in this year’s run-down of my top five newly released SPF50+ PA++++ sunscreens of 2017.
Having normal (and very resilient) skin allows me to test a large variety of sunscreens, however what suits my skin/lifestyle/personal preference might be terrible for yours so please be sensible when following recommendations.
Details of each of the Japanese sunscreens are linked below. If you missed last year’s top picks, you can check it out here. So check out my picks below (in no particular order).
1) Parasola Illumi Skin UV Essence
Warm weather is here and if you hunting for products that will get your legs into presentable condition lightning fast, then this colour-correcting sunscreen should be on the to-try list. I dub this “K-pop idol legs” in a tube. It’s loaded with good-for-skin ingredients (3 types of vitamin C, Job’s tears, ceramide, and hyaluronic acid just to name a few!) to make sure skin is fully moisturised and healthy looking. Its blue-lavender tint and luminising effect really do noticeably brighten up skin tone and create the illusion of slimmer legs. (You can use this sunscreen on the face — I haven’t done so — but it’s really intended for your limbs.)
2) NIVEA SUN Creme Care UV Cream
Think of this as a rich, nourishing, dry-skin moisturiser cream with added sun protection. It makes your skin all plump and supple, and gives it a gentle youthful sheen that sits beautifully underneath makeup. The superb UV protection is the icing on the cake! If you hate Nivea Creme’s signature scent, this isn’t for you — this smells exactly it.
3) Sports Beauty UVWear Super Smooth
A sunscreen milk that gives superb long-lasting UV protection that is suitable for everyday wear and the outdoors. True to its claim, it absorbs super quickly, feels unexpectedly lightweight, and leaves a really silky-smooth finish yet it doesn’t feel drying on the skin.
4) ACSEINE Super Sunshield Bright Veil
Acseine makes brilliant alcohol/chemical-free sunscreens for drier, sensitive skin, but since I only pick from new launches for my annual top list, it sadly, until now, never had any qualifying contenders. This is the same as Japan’s cult favourite Super Sunshield EX — very lightweight, non-sticky, non-greasy, waterproof — but with an amped up instant skin-perfecting effect. Its soft-focus pigments blurs the surface and gives that “lit from within” effect. (Hover over image below for ingredients.)
5) Skin Aqua UV Super Moisture Milk
This has an invisible finish and a to-the-point formula that ideally suited for drier skin. It’s not as lightweight as the Sports Beauty sunscreen mentioned above, but it does have a more hydrating feel. If you have no problem with dryness, you may find that you can skip moisturiser altogether.
