[Review] Updated 2022 Sunscreen Reviews
I originally posted this in 2022 as two separate posts, but moving it here as part of my (even larger) Reddit migration. As it was two separate posts, I am editing it to flow better.
2023 Updates
I will write a more thorough review, but I am presently using the Anessa Day Serum (perfection) and the Perfect UV Milk on my body (because I don't love the texture). My SO still prefers the Biore UV Aqua Rich Aqua Protect, but because he is an avid golfer and it is summer and the sun is fierce. I've given him the Suncut Prodefense UV Milk to use during this time. He's a bit tan from golf so there is a tinge of white cast on him, but not nearly as bad as western-sunscreen-white. I haven't used the Biore Aqua Rich Aqua Protect on my hair as much as I like, but every time I do, I really enjoying using it for that purpose. There is also a mist version that others have recommended for that purpose as well.
I will still always recommend the Suncut Prodefense UV Milk to anyone looking for a waterproof, tough outdoor/sports all-over sunscreen. It is amazing for that, truly. Absolutely overkill for lower UV days/seasons, but if you're going to the beach, this is the sunscreen friends. I originally said it was a good old-version Anessa Perfect UV Milk dupe, and after countless uses on my face, I retract that statement. It does have quite a bit of alcohol in it, so repeated, daily use of it on my normal to dry skin in a dry climate definitely weakened my skin barrier. Every once in a while is completely fine, but not a daily face sunscreen. My SO is finishing up my 2nd bottle of the Prodefense, I have a third unopened one in my backup stash.
I do still miss the old Allie UV Facial Gel, but honestly the Anessa Day Serum is chef's kiss and does not clog my eyes (spoiler: it might be the unicorn 5/5 for me). In general I'm peeved that Allie is leaning so heavily into the whole "reef safe" fearmongering angle in their marketing, but I do begrudgingly love their Color On UV (in orange).
I am ~NW25, dehydrated normal to dry skin living in a costal desert
environment. I don’t burn easy, but do tan fairly easily. Very picky about the texture of my skincare. Finish for a
sunscreen is ideally slightly hydrating and/or moisturizing depending on
the day and my mood honestly.
July 2022 Sunscreen Review
Texture shot. Note: I was running low on the Suncut so the texture isn’t as pretty here
TL;DR:
- Allie Extra UV Facial: 4.5/5
- Allie Chrono Facial Gel UV EX: 4/5
- Allie Chrono Gel UV EX: 4/5
- Suncut Prodefense Toughness UV Sunscreen Milk: 4.5/5
- Biore UV Aqua Rich Aqua Protect Lotion: 4.5/5 (though a little too early to be definite. It seems to work well in my hair, which gives it a .5 boost)
I also want to note my rating takes into consideration where I get it from and the price. There are several local indie stores around me that have a heavy selection of Japanese products so I don’t need to order online too often. Ordering online doesn’t necessarily mean cheaper, but it definitely means a bulk buy and a longer wait which I hate to do now because I’m so spoiled.
Mid-spread
Right after application. I did spread the two Allie Chronos more around my arm because I didn’t give them enough space.
2 min after application. The Suncut and Biore UV are invisible at this point.
13 min after application. The Allie Chrono Facial Gel has more whitecast of the three.
It is a lot of sunscreen for the space, but the result is true to what I notice normally.
Allie Extra UV Facial (Combo Sunscreen)
Was my HG before Allie chrono-ed everything, so this is now discontinued, though I still compare most sunscreens to how much I love this. The packaging and the texture is luxe, like a high-end brand’s product that I definitely should be paying 2x the price for. The cream is gloriously thick and goes onto the skin like a perfect moisturizing primer. A bit of a whitecast for me at first but mostly disappears within a few minutes. My face looks and feels smoother with this on and my pores look blurred. The scent is almost nonexistent. If you tried really hard, you can smell alcohol, but it’s never noticeable. The reason it’s not a 5/5 for me is because it took me a while to realize that if/when it gets in my eye, it doesn’t sting, but my eyes feel clogged and stuffed and heavy. When I realized this, I tried my best to keep it away from my eyes, but sometimes it still gets in there. Also, it can feel very enveloping on the face. There is no question this sunscreen is protecting you, but it can also feel like your skin isn’t able to breathe and can get annoyingly hot in summer; which is nice when it’s super dry and hot, but not normally. This is my last tube – I had to keep myself really hard from writing this in past tense. Goodbye magical sunscreen.
Price: $27.46/60g (Kireistation). Ratzillacosme: 2100yen in Japan
Allie Chrono Facial Gel UV EX (Combo Sunscreen)
For those who don’t know, the Chrono is Allie’s turn at “reef-safe” sunscreen. At first I thought this reformulation was good. I liked the new tube (it has the same tip as the old Nuance Change), everything felt sleeker and even the packaging was living up to their whole “caring about the environment” vibe. But after using it for a while, I gradually realized it fell short of its predecessor in a lot of ways.
The product itself doesn’t feel nearly as luxe. This may be due to their choice to replace the collagen with hydrated silica. It doesn’t go onto the skin as smoothly either. It is slightly less moisturizing and has a near-imperceptible grainier/streakier finish than its predecessor that does disappear with some continued spreading. The whitecast stays more obvious for much longer, and it doesn’t have the smooth finish/pore blurring properties as the old Facial Gel. The smell is the same as the previous formulation, if you try really hard, you can detect some alcohol, but it’s not noticeable on.
Price: $27.20/60g (ImageBeauty). Ratzillacosme: 2310yen in Japan
Was my HG before Allie chrono-ed everything, so this is now discontinued, though I still compare most sunscreens to how much I love this. The packaging and the texture is luxe, like a high-end brand’s product that I definitely should be paying 2x the price for. The cream is gloriously thick and goes onto the skin like a perfect moisturizing primer. A bit of a whitecast for me at first but mostly disappears within a few minutes. My face looks and feels smoother with this on and my pores look blurred. The scent is almost nonexistent. If you tried really hard, you can smell alcohol, but it’s never noticeable. The reason it’s not a 5/5 for me is because it took me a while to realize that if/when it gets in my eye, it doesn’t sting, but my eyes feel clogged and stuffed and heavy. When I realized this, I tried my best to keep it away from my eyes, but sometimes it still gets in there. Also, it can feel very enveloping on the face. There is no question this sunscreen is protecting you, but it can also feel like your skin isn’t able to breathe and can get annoyingly hot in summer; which is nice when it’s super dry and hot, but not normally. This is my last tube – I had to keep myself really hard from writing this in past tense. Goodbye magical sunscreen.
Price: $27.46/60g (Kireistation). Ratzillacosme: 2100yen in Japan
Allie Chrono Facial Gel UV EX (Combo Sunscreen)
For those who don’t know, the Chrono is Allie’s turn at “reef-safe” sunscreen. At first I thought this reformulation was good. I liked the new tube (it has the same tip as the old Nuance Change), everything felt sleeker and even the packaging was living up to their whole “caring about the environment” vibe. But after using it for a while, I gradually realized it fell short of its predecessor in a lot of ways.
The product itself doesn’t feel nearly as luxe. This may be due to their choice to replace the collagen with hydrated silica. It doesn’t go onto the skin as smoothly either. It is slightly less moisturizing and has a near-imperceptible grainier/streakier finish than its predecessor that does disappear with some continued spreading. The whitecast stays more obvious for much longer, and it doesn’t have the smooth finish/pore blurring properties as the old Facial Gel. The smell is the same as the previous formulation, if you try really hard, you can detect some alcohol, but it’s not noticeable on.
Price: $27.20/60g (ImageBeauty). Ratzillacosme: 2310yen in Japan
Allie Chrono Gel UV EX (Combo Sunscreen)
Allie’s replacement for the previous Extra Gel UV. I had a bottle of the old version that I used a year and a half ago and based on my memory, I think texture-wise the Chrono Gel UV EX is closer to its predecessor than the Chrono Facial Gel is. I actually like the finish of this over the Chrono Facial Gel; it feels a little more moisturizing which is weird since the previous versions had the Facial Gel much more moisturizing than the Extra Gel UV. It doesn’t have the weird grainy/streaky finish the Chrono Facial Gel has, but the smell of the alcohol is stronger than the Chrono Facial Gel, to the point where it smells soapy to me. It does disappear for me after a few minutes, but it’s not nearly as pleasant as I would like. The whitecast is similar to the Extra UV Facial IMO (not as strong as the Chrono Facial), but it doesn’t blur/smooth the skin as the Extra UV facial did. I finished a tube while on vacation (used it for face and body) and I’m not quite sure if I will repurchase again after I finish the tube in the picture. It’s not a bad option but the smell is a deterrent for me. I also think subconsciously I’ll hate seeing “Allie” around and not have it work as well as the Extra UV Facial did.
Price: $31.45/90g (ImageBeauty). Ratzillacosme: 2310yen in Japan.
Allie’s replacement for the previous Extra Gel UV. I had a bottle of the old version that I used a year and a half ago and based on my memory, I think texture-wise the Chrono Gel UV EX is closer to its predecessor than the Chrono Facial Gel is. I actually like the finish of this over the Chrono Facial Gel; it feels a little more moisturizing which is weird since the previous versions had the Facial Gel much more moisturizing than the Extra Gel UV. It doesn’t have the weird grainy/streaky finish the Chrono Facial Gel has, but the smell of the alcohol is stronger than the Chrono Facial Gel, to the point where it smells soapy to me. It does disappear for me after a few minutes, but it’s not nearly as pleasant as I would like. The whitecast is similar to the Extra UV Facial IMO (not as strong as the Chrono Facial), but it doesn’t blur/smooth the skin as the Extra UV facial did. I finished a tube while on vacation (used it for face and body) and I’m not quite sure if I will repurchase again after I finish the tube in the picture. It’s not a bad option but the smell is a deterrent for me. I also think subconsciously I’ll hate seeing “Allie” around and not have it work as well as the Extra UV Facial did.
Price: $31.45/90g (ImageBeauty). Ratzillacosme: 2310yen in Japan.
Suncut Prodefense Toughness UV Sunscreen Milk (Combo Sunscreen)
I reviewed it [in more detail below], so I’m not going to go into too much detail, but it's a shaka-shaka type and has a nice satin finish and is incredibly waterproof.For now it’s looking like this will be my main sunscreen. I like sunscreens that to have a multipurpose function (eg: Allie Extra UV facial was also a good primer), and since this is so tough, it’d be nice to not need to have a second “outdoor” sunscreen on hand. [See above for 2023 correction.]
Price: $22/60ml (KireiStation). I’ve only seen it on KireiStation at a reasonable price - Ebisu Life in Flushing has it for $30.99 which is wild. Ratzillacosme: 2000yen in Japan.
I reviewed it [in more detail below], so I’m not going to go into too much detail, but it's a shaka-shaka type and has a nice satin finish and is incredibly waterproof.
Price: $22/60ml (KireiStation). I’ve only seen it on KireiStation at a reasonable price - Ebisu Life in Flushing has it for $30.99 which is wild. Ratzillacosme: 2000yen in Japan.
Biore UV Aqua Rich Aqua Protect Lotion (chemical/organic sunscreen)
I usually prefer combo sunscreens, but I was curious about this since it first started off as a limited edition, but got brought back as a more permanent new product. It’s a shaka-shaka type in a pretty bottle with an orange tip. The smell is similar to the Suncut Prodefense Toughness UV in that it smells like floral mixed with traditional sunscreen. I’ve only had it on my face once, so this is more of a first impressions review, but it’s very comfortable on and very hydrating, so I would imagine this would also work well for dehydrated-oily skinned folks too. I bought it mainly for my partner to use while playing golf since the finish is invisible and is also water resistant, so it would be nice if he could use it and I can use it as a winter sunscreen. Also...
I was complaining to u/zzoom_zoom that my hair wasn’t loving the harsher summer sun and got to talking about sunblock for hair and…long story short: I put it on the ends of my hair and it is amazing. It disappeared into my dark brown/black hair, made it soft, and my ends felt hydrated. I’ve only put it on my hair twice so far, but I kind of look forward to days where I’d need be out longer and so I can justify putting it ion my hair.
Price: ~$17/70ml (SHIBUYALA). I can’t remember the exact price, but I remember it being around there because it made me feel better about the impulse buy. Ratzillacosme: 830yen in Japan.
I usually prefer combo sunscreens, but I was curious about this since it first started off as a limited edition, but got brought back as a more permanent new product. It’s a shaka-shaka type in a pretty bottle with an orange tip. The smell is similar to the Suncut Prodefense Toughness UV in that it smells like floral mixed with traditional sunscreen. I’ve only had it on my face once, so this is more of a first impressions review, but it’s very comfortable on and very hydrating, so I would imagine this would also work well for dehydrated-oily skinned folks too. I bought it mainly for my partner to use while playing golf since the finish is invisible and is also water resistant, so it would be nice if he could use it and I can use it as a winter sunscreen. Also...
I was complaining to u/zzoom_zoom that my hair wasn’t loving the harsher summer sun and got to talking about sunblock for hair and…long story short: I put it on the ends of my hair and it is amazing. It disappeared into my dark brown/black hair, made it soft, and my ends felt hydrated. I’ve only put it on my hair twice so far, but I kind of look forward to days where I’d need be out longer and so I can justify putting it ion my hair.
Price: ~$17/70ml (SHIBUYALA). I can’t remember the exact price, but I remember it being around there because it made me feel better about the impulse buy. Ratzillacosme: 830yen in Japan.
February 2022 Sunscreen Review
TL;DR:
- Suncut Prodefense Non Chemical UV Sunscreen Milk: 3.5/5
- It is one of the best physical-only sunscreens I’ve tried though you really have to want to make it work as your outdoors-heavy sunscreen (it’s worth the effort for the extra PA+ over Sunprise for me).
- Suncut Prodefense Toughness UV Sunscreen Milk:
Good Anessa dupe IMO if you can tolerate the fragrance.[See above for 2023 correction]- Both live up to beach sunscreen levels, especially for AB sunscreens.
Non Chemical texture and application
Toughness texture and application
I wouldn’t normally put that much on one hand, so it does look really bad when I do a comparison for the non chemical whitecast vs. toughness:
Comparison of finish between the two taken right after application of Toughness.
So I oil cleansed and applied 3 drops of nonchemical on my left hand for 1 coat:
(L) this is first coat of three drops. (R) still has Toughness on.
Then another coat of 3 drops of nonchemical and took:
(L) 2nd coat, 3 more drops (6 drops in total, 1 more than what I had in the video, but I wanted to make it even)
(R) still has Toughness on.
This is 10-15 min after 2nd coat:
(L) Non Chemical (R) Toughness
Suncut Pro Defense Non Chemical
I bought this knowing it’d leave a whitecast. I actually wasn’t even going to try it, but curiosity got the best of me and I also have a soft spot in my heart for Suncut because Suncut Perfect Gel was my first HG sunscreen that made me think/understand regular sunscreen application is doable. But I’ve “graduated” to using Allie as my regular now, so I really wanted to make one of the Pro Defenses work to have a Suncut in regular rotation again.
It’s a “shaka shaka”-type and it comes out incredibly, lusciously runny. (I can’t find the original AB link/discussion to this video, but I can’t stop thinking “shaka shaka” whenever I shake it).
It’s a “shaka shaka”-type and it comes out incredibly, lusciously runny. (I can’t find the original AB link/discussion to this video, but I can’t stop thinking “shaka shaka” whenever I shake it).
Pros:
- For being a mineral sunscreen it is miraculously not drying at all. Dare I say, even comfortable. And I am very sensitive to textures.
- No smell.Well-priced for the amount (although buying it in a local store outside of Japan is a different story).With the amount of white cast, I have zero doubts this is above and beyond the labeled protection.Waterproof. Insanely so.
The cons are heavy. They’re workable for some, but you have to really want to make this sunscreen work for you. Meaning I would heavily NOT recommend this for everyday use. Nothing about it will be worth it. This is going to the beach/going on a hike/bike ride, etc. type of sunscreen. It is waterproof like crazy, so it’d probably do well for swimming too.
Truthfully, I would also NOT recommend this for someone in their early- to mid-20s (unless they’re super serious about sun protection). Because you have to work so hard to make this sunscreen work for you, it’s not a good one to be using early in your skincare/sunscreen journey. It will make you hate sunscreen.
Truthfully, I would also NOT recommend this for someone in their early- to mid-20s (unless they’re super serious about sun protection). Because you have to work so hard to make this sunscreen work for you, it’s not a good one to be using early in your skincare/sunscreen journey. It will make you hate sunscreen.
Cons:
- Whitecast. When I first tried it, I was confused why it didn’t get labeled as a tone up sunscreen and then I realized it was because it actually does fade a bit after a few (long) minutes. With this amount of white cast too, it’d be super easy for someone to not use the recommended amount of sunscreen, so be careful. Some parts of my body might be up to 2 shades lighter than NW25 and it blends to almost nothing in those areas. Areas that are ~2 shades darker than NW25, do leave a slight white cast but it’s barely noticeable for me after following the below. But honestly for anyone more melanated, I don’t know if the below suggestions will work for you; I actually doubt it will.
- To minimize whitecast:
- Make sure your skin is properly hydrated/moisturized. I assume for us the face is expected, but when I use this on my body, I usually respray my kiku and then let it dry for a minute or two before applying this. (I realized how important prior proper moisturization was when I wrangled my partner to use the Sunprise Mild Airy, promising it didn’t leave a white cast but it left an atrocious white cast on him).
- You have to break up the recommended amount into at least 2 applications. I actually use a little less than the suggested 1/2tsp amount for neck+face when using this because I think my face is a wee smaller than the average the 1/4tsp suggestion was based on, but not much less than 1/4 tsp.
- It can get messy to apply. It really is runny so work quickly to apply it. If you really care about white cast or staining your clothes, wait about 20 min, it really does mellow out pretty nicely. There is still a white cast, but it’s not tone-up level for me. If wearing darker clothes, put it on after you’ve applied and waited for this to dry. You have to try to wash your hands as best you can too before grabbing the shirt. And do your best to minimize the friction of the shirt against your sunscreened face/body.
- It is the biggest pain to remove. Which is great because it means it’s really waterproof, but in all sincerity, such a frickin pain. Some first cleansers I’ve tried don’t even do work on removing it (the Chifure washable cold cream, sadly). It is literally concentrated ajumma-at-a-Korean-bathhouse-level of serious scrub with an Italy Towel when I put it on my body.
I covered myself in this during this summer for multiple long-ish excursions under the sun, including beach trips, and I always came back without a hint of a noticeable tan. So the serious cons of all of this isn’t the worst thing for me, though I totally understand people who hate this.
Suncut Pro Defense Toughness Milk
Got this after using 1.5 bottles of the Non Chemical and just didn’t want to deal with the whitecast anymore. Since it’s the same line, I figured it might be as tough, but sans the white cast since it’s a combo sunscreen.
Also a “shaka shaka” type and like the Non Chemical also runny. I think I’ve seen it mentioned as a slightly cheaper Anessa dupe somewhere; or I’m conflating that thought with this video since he tested it with Anessa and it held up about as well (as with any of these sorts of tests, take it with a grain of salt) and also because the container is gold. I’m simple like that.
Also a “shaka shaka” type and like the Non Chemical also runny. I think I’ve seen it mentioned as a slightly cheaper Anessa dupe somewhere; or I’m conflating that thought with this video since he tested it with Anessa and it held up about as well (as with any of these sorts of tests, take it with a grain of salt) and also because the container is gold. I’m simple like that.
Pros:
- Amazing texture. I have tried Anessa exactly once so my memory is a little fuzzy, but from what I can remember about it, this dries down very slightly more moisturizing than Anessa. I’m usually one who prefers a dewier finish, but this leaves behind a satin finish that I really appreciate.
- Well-priced for the amount (although buying it in a local store outside of Japan is a different story). Seriously worth it as a dupe for Anessa if you love Anessa but hate the price.
- Just the tiniest bit of whitecast at first application on me and disappears completely (similar to how Allie UV Extra Facial Gel is for me).
- Waterproof. Like the Non Chemical, just body wash did not cut it for removal.
I went in looking for a body sunscreen, but I’ve used it on my face more than I have on my body, so I’d say it’s good for both.[See above for 2023 correction]
Cons:
- It’s a weird fragrance. Something between a mix of floral, menthol and old-fashioned sunscreen. It does disappear after a few minutes though. But if you have a more sensitive nose, this may not be for you.
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