Top Sunscreens 2024, Part 1: Japanese Sunscreens

I’m finally updating my top sunscreen recommendations!

My last list was in 2022, but honestly, I don’t feel like the sunscreens I’m adding this time are a huge step over those. But I do like giving people more options – in case you can’t get certain brands where you live, or you’re allergic to a particular ingredient, or they get discontinued (the bane of my existence – a few sunscreens that would’ve made this list were discontinued before I got around to this update!).

• Part 1 (this one): Japanese sunscreens
• Part 2: European sunscreens
• Part 3: Korean sunscreens
• Part 4: Australian sunscreens

The video is here – keep scrolling for the text version. 

Related post: Top Sunscreen Recommendations 2022

Background information

As usual, some important background info:

• These are daily face sunscreens. Most of these are not going to hold up to spicy laksa, doing burpees in the park, rapping really angrily…
• It’s also best to layer your protection. More cheese slices means a smaller chance of holes lining up. Sunscreen is one of the more error-prone forms of sun protection, so relying just on sunscreen probably isn’t the best idea. This diagram is from my book The Science of Beauty.

• This list is subjective. My skin is not your skin, my likes are not your likes, everyone is unique. Your best bet is to go with recommendations from people with similar skin to you.
• My skin is oily to normal, and it’s prone to clogged pores, especially with sunscreens. It’s also easily dehydrated, and prone to hyperpigmentation. Genetics plays a big part in this.

In general, my likes for sunscreens:

• Lightweight: My skin is oily, and I live in a place that’s generally hot and humid. I also walk really fast so I get sweaty.
• Nice under makeup: No pilling, no bunching up, not too much movement over time. I usually use a translucent powder over my makeup (Jurlique Rose Silk Finish Powder) which soaks up oil and shine, so shine and stickiness is not a dealbreaker for me.
• I also don’t like eye sting, but eye sting varies quite a lot from person to person.

This year’s list excludes mineral and hybrid sunscreens (they haven’t been on the same level), sticks and sprays (it’s hard to get enough o your face). 

The sunscreens listed here aren’t approved for sale in Australia – they were purchased for me in Japan.

Nivea UV Deep Protect & Care Essence

• SPF 50+
• PA ++++
• 80 min WR (JP)
• Filters: Octisalate, DHHB, Bemotrizinol (BEMT), Octyl Triazone, Polysilicone-15

Nivea UV Deep Protect & Care Essence is a new addition to my list, thanks to my husband who hauled it back from Japan for me!

It has a gel texture and a very light fresh floral fragrance. There’s a light, cooling sensation on application. This probably comes from the alcohol that’s quite high on ingredient list, but I can’t smell the alcohol when applying it, and I didn’t feel any burning on my face.

This is what 0.8 grams (the amount I need for my face size and one finger) looks like when applied on my face. It spreads nicely and dries down quickly, but it does get a little tacky and becomes harder to spread quite quickly if you go back to patches where you already applied. 

The dried down layer is very thin and comfortable. It looks clear and a bit glossy, but without a greasy shine. It’s easily mattified with a tiny amount of powder. There’s a bit of a pore filling effect and it feels very lightweight, even though it’s water resistant. The packaging says it’s recommended for sports, the pool and the beach – I assume this is with Japanese levels of sun and activity.

Note: Standardised water resistance labelling has been coming in for Japanese and Korean sunscreens. The standard is the same as the European water resistance standard: the SPF is allowed to drop by up to 50% after the stated immersion time, so in theory, the protection this sunscreen gave during testing could be as low as SPF 25 after 80 minutes.

Ingredients (auto-translated from the packaging): Water, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Ethanol, Butylene Glycol (BG), Caprylyl Methicone, Diethylaminohydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Diglycerin, Isopropyl Palmitate, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Disopropyl Sebacate, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Polysilicone-15, Dimethylsilylated Silica, Honeysuckle Flower Extract, Hydrolyzed Conchiolin, Tuberose Polysaccharide, Sodium Hyaluronate, Quince Seed Extract, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Acrylates/Alkyl Acrylate (C10-30) Crosspolymer, Lauroyl Lysine, Hydroxypropyl Methyl Cellulose Stearoxy Ether, Dilauramidoglutamide Lysine Sodium, Alkyl (C30-45) Methicone, Olefin (C30-45), Silica, Titanium Oxide, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, BHT, Methylparaben, Fragrance

Bioré Aqua Rich Watery Essence 2023

• SPF 50+
• PA++++
• 80 min WR (JP)
• Filters: Octinoxate, Octyl Triazone, DHHB, Bemotrizinol (BEMT)

Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ is very similar to the Nivea sunscreen – my best friend brought this back from Japan for me. Both are made by the same parent company Kao (Nivea Japan is a joint venture between Nivea and Kao), they have the same ratings for everything, and they have very similar filters.

Like every version of this sunscreen I’ve reviewed for the last decade (I think there’s been 4?), this newest version of the Biore sunscreen is fantastic. It’s very affordable and wearable for most people – an excellent introduction to Asian sunscreens. 

This is 0.8 grams applied to my face, and allowed to dry down:

This has a gel-cream texture and gives a light, cooling sensation when you apply it. It has a very light, slightly powdery fragrance. After drying it has a lovely pore-filling effect with a bit of shine that’s easily mattified with powder. 

Ingredients (auto-translated from the packaging): Water, Ethanol, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Isopropyl Palmitate, Lauryl Methacrylate/Sodium Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Diethylaminohydroxybenzoyl Hexylbenzoate, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Dextrin Palmitate, Butylene Glycol, Xylitol, Acrylates/Alkyl Acrylate (C10-30) Crosspolymer, Dimethicone, Alkyl Benzoate (C12-15), Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Propanediol, Glyceryl Behenate, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Cetanol, Agar, Sorbitan Distearate, Isoceteth-20, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Stearoyl Glutamic Acid, Arginine, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Royal Jelly Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium EDTA, BHT, Fragrance.

Comparison

Both the Biore and Nivea sunscreens are very lightweight, and have the same SPF, PA and water resistance ratings. Both sunscreens seem to have very similar film forming technology.

But there are a few subjective differences!

• I found that Biore has slightly more of an alcohol smell during application, but it didn’t really bother me, and the alcohol didn’t irritate my skin.
• Biore doesn’t dry down quite as fast as Nivea.
• Biore is a bit oilier while Nivea is more matte. This was the real point of difference for me – my skin is oily, so I prefer the Nivea. 
• If I try very hard and massage my face a whole bunch after the sunscreens have dried down, I can get the Biore to pill a bit, but not the Nivea. I’ve never had an issue with either one pilling under makeup, so this is probably only worth noting if everything pills on you!
• There are also some packaging differences. Biore comes in a larger package (70 g) with a flip-top lid, while the Nivea is smaller (50 g) and has a twist-top lid.

Links to all of my top sunscreen recommendations are here.

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