I have to be really honest here... I've actually been meaning to review the Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50 PA++++ for almost a year now. Last summer, when my cousin's wife's parents were coming to visit Canada from Japan, they were kind enough to bring me a tube of this sunscreen that I had been DYING to try for ages but had yet to pull the trigger on.
The reason that I really wanted to get my hands on this is pretty simple - it's one of the most talked about and widely lovely Japanese sunscreens that I'd seen and I really, really wanted to try a Japanese sunscreen. Why, you ask? Well, it's pretty simple. Here in Canada, as well as the US, our options for chemical filters are limited and, in my opinion, pretty outdated. Because sunscreen is treated like an OTC drug rather than a cosmetic, it has much stricter regulation and it really isn't easy to get new filters approved. For me, finding a chemical sunscreen option here in Canada is pretty difficult because the more common filters tend to cause irritation and break outs in my skin, so I tend to just stick to mineral sunscreens. Mineral sunscreens, though they do offer broad spectrum protection without irritation, can be tricky formulawise as well and can be an absolute nightmare for people of colour due to their strong white cast. Seriously, sunscreen is a bit of a minefield for me, which is why there aren't a lot that really stick in my collection.
Like I said, I've been using this for nearly a year now (almost exactly, actually) so I've definitely put it rigorously to the test and am ready to give my review. Keep reading for more!
