i only bought two sunscreen when i was in japan last time. i didn't know that one of them was in travel size, so i was running out of sunscreen before any holiday time. i was hoping i could go somewhere to buy another sunscreen (i usually buy my sunscreen on my holiday abroad, usually in japan or hongkong). luckily, the kids need to get vaccinated and it wasn't available here so we have to go to the nearest country, singapore. and sunscreen is definitely in my have-to-buy list. when i went to watson, i noticed senka sunscreen, this yellow tube and the other one in blue chubby bottle. there were newer version of biore sunscreen too, but i didn't grab that one since many people complained about the new formulation and praised senka one instead. so i wanted to try it myself.
this is the description from amazon website: an anti-ageing japanese sunscreen gel made with mineral water from mount fuji. the sunscreen features a newly developed, mineral water based "agar gel" formula that applies and feels like a beauty serum on the skin. it contains PA ++++ UVA protection to protect against dark spots, loss of firmness, and other sun damage. it also uses a blend of coenzyme q10 and hyaluronic acid to keep skin hydrated. the moisturizing gel leaves the skin feeling smooth and refreshed. double as a makeup base. removable with face wash (not waterproof).
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| the packaging |
the packaging: i think every japanese sunscreen has similar packaging like this one. cardboard backing and just cover the sunscreen with plastic. at the back of the cardboard there's description and ingredients list and fortunately since i bought this in singapore, the description is in english. the sunscreen itself is in yellow plastic tube with screw top. it has spout to dispense the product out. the back of the bottle has japanese description so no telling what it's about.
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| the tube |
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| back of the tube |
the scent: i thought it might be scentless just like most japanese product, but one day i sniff quite hard and i can smell this synthetic scent, almost like plastic. quite unpleasant for a product that i have to put on my face.
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| the spout |
the product: the sunscreen is yellowish cream, pretty thick compared to my several previous sunscreens. strangely, one day i forgot to shake it (before this i use anessa sunscreen that has this ball inside so automatically i start shaking it before using it) and the sunscreen came out with some oil separated from the cream. after that, i always remember to shake well before pushing the sunscreen out. the sunscreen spread well to my skin and take a while to be absorbed.
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| the sunscreen |
the result: this sunscreen is pretty thick so it takes awhile to be absorbed. then it doesn't turn matte instantly. at first it will leave this watery traces that seems like forever to be gone but it will turn semi-matte if you wait patiently. although this is pretty thick, i'm amazed that this sunscreen doesn't make me greasy, only on my nose, but not too much. not as much as face shop sunscreen that makes me super oily. it sits well under makeup too.
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| the watery trace immediately after blending the sunscreen |
until now, i'm not convinced about this sunscreen. the oil separation from the cream makes me reluctant to use this sunscreen at first, but shaking it well seems to overcome the problem. and i've been used to using more liquid sunscreen so i need adjustment using thicker sunscreen. at first i don't even use the minimum amount that is required for sunscreen to give its protective capability, but as time goes by, i'm getting used to it and slowly i use more than i first did. unfortunately, recently i read another senka sunscreen review by fiddysnail, and she mentioned that a sibling from this sunscreen (the one in a blue bottle) contains alcohol and that causes her breakouts. now, i never had problem with alcohol in my skincare though, but i compare the ingredients from both sunscreen and it appears both contain alcohol in quite high concentration, so if you're sensitive to alcohol, you might want to steer away from this sunscreen. as for me, i also use another daiso serum that contains alcohol and i'm currently testing the ordinary lactic acid, so i need to figure out which one causes me breakouts since i've been experiencing breakouts too. until then, i won't decide about repurchasing yet.
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