Review: Biore UV Aqua Rich watery essence Water Base

Sunscreen can be troublesome sometimes. The texture may be too thick or too runny and may be hard to apply. They may also have weird scent or poor filters.

This product from Biore (again) is almost perfect. Almost.

Purchasing: Biore unfortunately cannot be purchased just as easily as other drugstore brands (although it is a brand common in Japanese drugstores). I bought this from sulit.ph for 900 php. It may also be purchased from online shops like sasa.com for 13 USD + potential customs hassle (in the Philippines). 

Packaging: The sunscreen comes in a simple, handy tube of just the right size for my bag. The dispensing tip performs fine and leaves little residue on the cap. Not much to say really, Biore is all about simplicity.

Texture: True to its name, the product has a watery texture, and initially is gel-like and "melts" as it is applied onto the skin. Application is very easy, which is why I use it often in the office since it would be properly applied in under a minute. It also has this cold touch to it, which feels refreshing and light on the skin.

Scent: Has slight, citrus-y fragrance. I am not really into using products with fragrances, but for this product, the fragrance is subtle and will go away in minutes. I quite like it, actually.

Ingredients: So far so good, right? When I first read some reviews on this product, it seemed too good to be true. A light, high SPF and PA rating sunscreen which is easy to apply and has perfect texture. Very good really, until you check its UV filter, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, which is not very photostable. Also, I the Uvinul A Plus is not enough as it only protects against UVA2 rays. So I am not a fan of the filters, and it would only use this indoors. I sit near a shaded window (at the office), but sunlight still enters through some of the slits, so I still need some protection.

Finish: The finish is perfect, as it dries matte but will not dry my skin out at all. It also feels very light on the skin, as if I'm not wearing any sunscreen at all. It does not leave any white cast. 

Will I buy again? I like this sunscreen. I like it in all aspects versus my HG sunscreen (also from Biore), except for the UV filter which is the most important ingredient of all. So although using it is a very, very pleasant experience, I will probably not repurchase because I need my sunscreen have photostable filters as I could have unscheduled jobsite visits.

Overall: 3/5