Biore Aqua watery essence. Every.single.person in my life who hates sunscreen (and won't wear it), is changed by this product.

I personally love it because I can put it on like a moisturizer by itself or I can apply it over my oil step. Either way it just soaks it in beautifully and it is a very effective SPF. It's also a Japanese product so it has much better sunscreen standards than the US.

Recently ordered this online a few weeks ago. I’ve used it for a couple of weeks now, and overall loving this sunscreen!!

It’s broad spectrum, so it protects against both UVA and UVB rays, with a 50 SPF punch!

I have darker tan skin, and this left absolutely ZERO white cast. I have fairly sensitive skin, but this didn’t burn or tingle at all. No breakouts from usage either.

There IS a quite strong scent, which really caught me off guard initially. It almost has a chemically/alcohol-y scent. Luckily it goes away after a few minutes, but it knocked me off my feet the first time I opened the bottle! I thought my sensitive skin would HATE this scent, but it’s completely unbothered. It doesn’t make my eyes water either.

It feels softly natural on my face, not matte nor dewy.

Has anyone tried the Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Gel? ... Edit: It works well for me, I didn't break out and it kept my skin pretty moistured and didn't irritate my existing closed comedones. The alcohol smell is really strong but dissipates really quickly. Great purchase for both quality and quantity. Thank for all of your help.

hi i just recently watched a very thorough video on sunscreen and sun protection, and i was very surprised that biore uv aqua rich performed the best out of all the products:

https://youtu.be/JckfmlbU5C8?si=4aNJbgUsatBgiC4A

i also own the sunscreen, i use it as my daily. I have combo skin, and usually when u start to sweat and oil up i just wipe a little around my eyes since it hurts when it gets to my eyes. but overall it's pretty good, going to stock up plenty more of this soon as well

I have tried SO MANY sunscreens. Nothing NOTHING beats the Biorè UV Aqua Rich watery essence. First of all, no white cast. Secondly, it has passed the UV Test so there is guaranteed protection which i the MOST important criterion to me but even among the small list of approved sunscreens, this is the only one which meets all my criteria including easy availability. Thirdly, it is easily available on Nykaa and many a times it is on a considerable discount too. Fourthly, it is waterproof I would also like to repeat, there is absolutely no white cast (although the skin does shine but that is still more presentable than a white cast and also looks glowy and good sometimes). Yeah I also use up one tube every 20-25ish days but it is cheaper than some other good brands. The alcohol smell does come through but it has never caused a problem to my skin tbh.

Looking into Bioré UV’s Aqua Rich sunscreens… thoughts on the Watery Essence versus the Watery Gel? I have oily skin ... [Several comments below where people discuss the differences between the types and which they prefer.]

Often [the difference between the types] just the consistency.

I like the “Water Essence” the most. Feels like a face moisturiser.

I’m currently trying out the “Aqua protection lotion”, it’s more watery but still good. I prefer the watery essence tho, it’s thicker.

The tone up one leaves a white cast to make you look whiter, not create for those with darker skin tones, not even that nice of lighter skin tones 😂😂

Their red one I believe is anti aging or something like that?

They have a spray one which is very lightweight.

From the ones I’ve tried, only the tone up one leaves a white cast ! I love the Biore sunscreens, I have darkskin and these days my skin is very dry. The Watery Essence and Aqua Protection Lotion ones are the best for my skin type BUT I still need to have a moisturiser in before or else it feels dry quickly.

I compared the 2023 and 2025 versions of Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence -- same iconic sunscreen, but a few formula changes that make a subtle difference.

☀️ Formula Differences: The 2025 version has a few changes: it added silica, dipropylene glycol, isohexadecane, and ascorbyl glucoside, while removing some emollients and silicones like dimethicone and hydrogenate polyisobutene found in the 2023 version. These changes could possibly result in a more lightweight, less emollient feel overall.

☀️ How It Feels on Skin: I applied the 2023 version on the left side of my face and the 2025 on the right, using the full recommended amount. At first, they felt and looked nearly identical. Both sides look dewy. But once they set, I noticed the 2023 side felt a bit more emollient to the touch. As someone with oily skin, that side started to feel a little greasy, while the 2025 reformulation feels just a bit less emollient.

☀️ Final Thoughts: They smell the same and feel very similar overall, but that very slight difference in feel makes me prefer the 2025 version..

Biore UV Aqua Rich, new formula 👎🏻👎🏻 Review When I was in Japan I bought a bunch of UV Aqua Rich watery essence, only to find that they’ve changed the formula. It feels very oily now and breaks me out. It also feels somehow gritty, so much that I don’t even like wearing it on my arms. Shiny too, like it has silica in it?

The old version was my grail. It felt very light and watery. I didn’t mind that it was alcohol based, it seemed to absorb very fast, leaving my skin hydrated but not oily, with no residue.

Looks like they brought Biore Aqua Rich to the Americas. Has anyone tried this American formulation?...

[Follow on comments discuss the differences and preferences between the Japanese and American formulations.]

I just wanted to share this comparison since I bought one from Japan last year. The Japanese Biore is on the left, and the Canadian version from Costco is on the right.

The Japanese version is lighter in shade and more translucent compared to the Canadian version, which is whiter in color. I haven't noticed any white cast so far. The Canadian sunscreen has the typical sunscreen smell, while the Japanese version, on the other hand, has a stronger alcohol smell.

I prefer the Japanese sunscreen because it feels more watery, unlike the Canadian one, which is thicker in texture.

Overall, I don't mind getting the Canadian version from Costco because it's more accessible, cheaper to buy in bulk, and it doesn't leave a white cast like the Japanese version. But I'll definitely buy the Japanese sunscreen if I visit Japan again.

So I recently got curious and decided to compare the ingredients list of two Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence sunscreens, both in the same 2023 packaging (the light blue gradient tube). One is the Japan version, and the other is what's being sold locally here in the Philippines. ... I thought they’d be identical since the packaging looks the same. But when I compared their ingredients, there are some minor differences:

Methacrylate Crosspolymer: - JP version uses Methacrylate/Sodium Methacrylate Crosspolymer - PH version uses Lauryl Methacrylate/Sodium Methacrylate Crosspolymer (probably a minor difference)

Emulsifier - JP: Sorbitan Isostearate - PH: Sorbitan Distearate (tends to be a bit richer/emollient-feeling)

Extra Additives in PH version - Tocopherol (Vitamin E) - Methylparaben (extra preservative). This makes sense for our climate tbh since it’s hotter and more humid here.

I honestly didn’t expect the formulations to differ at all. I assumed it was all just the same Japanese-made stuff being distributed regionally, but looks like the PH version is tweaked for local conditions probably for shelf stability and slightly different skin needs. ...