~Sunscreen Reviews~

It's summer, so I got bored and wanted to review sunscreen!! I'm very pale with a high risk of skin cancer. Sunscreen helps me go outdoors without burning and suffering, especially since I like to go on hikes :D

Review context: I try to wear facial sunscreen every time I go outdoors. I don't wear sunscreen indoors. I live in a very hot and humid (!!!) part of the United States (where tanning is also very popular practice). I buy international sunscreen in bulk through YesStyle. I don't wear makeup. Again, very fair-skinned and I BURN! I will usually wear a much cheaper "body" sunscreen on the rest of my body when I plan to be outside for an extended period of time. BTW, I've been wearing suncreen for years, so I've tried a lot (since maybe 2016?). My skin is "normal" but more on the dry side.

Most skincare stuff is overpriced and is pure marketing in my opinion. Cheap plain moisturizer in bulk, cheap plain cleanser in bulk, and then maybe active ingredient for acne or another skin issue if you have one? Like most health stuff, it comes down to lifestyle instead of fancy stuff people try to get you to spend $$$$$ for. Wear sunscreen, but buy something cheap and nice to wear!! Also wear a hat and stay in the shade in the summer heat too. (But take vitamin D!)

☀️TL;DR: buy the JAPANESE (!) formations of watery Japanese sunscreen in bulk for every day. Biore or the Skin Aqua stuff.☀️

BACK

☀️Beauty of Joseon - Relief Sun: One of the best sunscreens I've tried with a lotiony texture. REALLY soft and nice.
Beauty of Joseon - Relief Sun Aqua-fresh: Very similar to the OG BoJ sunscreen but watery.
☀️Rohto Mentholatum - Skin Aqua Super Moisture UV Gel: Okay, so I'm just going to keep it real with you guys. Buy this or the Japanese formulation of the Biore sunscreen in bulk as your sunscreen. They are both really cheap and very watery. They have alcohol but the smell goes away and it dries down. I got a 140g pump tube of the Skin Aqua stuff for less than 15 bucks. It's a huge tube and lasts me forever. It's much more cost effective than tubes of Korean sunscreen.
☀️Kao - Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence Sunscreen: The most kino suncreen of all time. Very effective. Cheap. Dries fast and barely there. Good for humidity. I got a combined 240g of this stuff for 33 bucks recently for 2026 and beyond (it doesn't expire for years + I buy in bulk + I want my sunscreen before any potnetial tariffs make things hard).
ROUND LAB - Birch Juice Moisturizing Sunscreen: Very nice sunscreen that's as good as the BoJ one. Maybe a little bit more lighter than the BoJ lotiony texture. Also good.
☀️Shiseido - Anessa Perfect UV Sunscreen Skincare Milk SP: Thick and heavy lotiony sunscreen. I can't wear this everyday, but this is great for breaking out if you are going to the beach or going on a long hike. It does not budge and is very water resistant. It CLINGS. You should reapply sunscreen, but this is a good one if you need something strong or worried about your sunscreen fucking up on vacation. More expensive too but very good for this use.
SKIN 1004 - Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum: Cheap but kind of overrated imo. There are better Korean sunscreens, and this one makes me feel more sticky than the others. But it's cheap, effective, and not a bad product!
Trader Joe's Daily Facial Sunscreen: The best American sunscreen I've tried. It's kinda like a gooey silicone gel. On the cheaper side too!
Nivea UV Super Water Gel: I bought this on Amazon, so I hope it wasn't a fake lol. Pretty good, similar to the Biore and Skin Aqua.
MISSHA - All-Around Safe Block Essence Sun: Bought this forever ago but I remember this being soft, silicone-y and lotiony that rubbed into skin nicely.
CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion: Probably the other best daily 'Merican facial suncreen. Thick creamy white lotion. Not terrible.