UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ PA++++.

"This is in every single Japanese drugstore. A few years ago this was S tier, but now it's down to an A tier. It's a chemical sunscreen and it will sting your eyes, and as I get older my eyes get even more sensitive, and tons of reviews agree. It's around six bucks and the texture feels exactly like a lightweight lotion. I highly recommend it for dry or mature skin, but oily skin types might feel too greasy. It costs almost double at Olive Young in Korea, so if you're in Japan it's definitely worth picking up."

"Bioré has sunscreens in Japan which are very good and do contain the newly approved sunscreen ingredient. I have used many of those Bioré sunscreens in the past, including the Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence. [...] They were some of the first Japanese sunscreens I ever tried, and I really really like them. They do have a [...] light lemon citrus fragrance, not strong or headache-inducing, but if you're allergic to fragrance you would want to avoid them. [...] They're a lightweight, watery gel that's a lot more comfortable to use."

"I have the Biore UV Aqua Rich SPF 50 plus, which is the one that I use year round for touchups. It is so lightweight that I don't feel the need to immediately run off and wash my face and do everything again because I know reapplication is incredibly important, but having skin care plus sunscreen plus sweat plus another layer of sunscreen on your face is just not my favorite feeling. And with that, that works perfectly fine."

"This is one of the most iconic Japanese SPFs out there. It's really ultra light gel cream. It feels like skincare. It does not feel like SPF. It has really high SPF, really good protection with these advanced Japanese UV filters. Feels very hydrating and cooling like instant cooling application. Also wears really well under makeup. I would say it's great for oily and combination skin. It is alcohol based, so if you're somebody who has really sensitive skin or you're sensitive to alcohol, maybe she's not the one for you. The key ingredients here are hyaluronic acid, Royal Jelly Extract, and it has both of the chemical UV filters."

"The Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ PA++++. A cult J beauty favorite. It's a chemical sunscreen that's been reformulated a few times now. The current version whilst doesn't feel any different, just feels better in some way. Photostable chemical UV filters that provide broad-spectrum protection while being lightweight on the skin. What makes this stand out is the texture. It's that watery essence that just disappears into the skin, making it perfect for those who may be a little bit more oily and find reapplication of sunscreen throughout the day a bit of a problem. It contains hyaluronic acid for hydration, royal jelly extract, and citrus extracts for added antioxidant benefits. It's great for humid climates, oily skin types. It does contain a little bit of fragrance, however, which I don't love in my sunscreen, but I'm not really bothered by it to be honest with you. With these alcohol heavy sunscreens, which is very typical of Japanese sunscreens because it helps everything absorb quicker and has this cooling effect on the skin to sit in those humid climates, you need to add a little bit of something in there to take away that smell. If you're very sensitive, you might want to avoid this. I personally am easily sensitized and I'm fine with this one. Been using it for years on and off."

"This is a cult favorite, it is super lightweight, has wonderful filters that block UVA and UVB, it's broad spectrum, absorbs really quickly. It is also water resistant up to 80 minutes, so great to use especially during the summertime or if you're looking for a nice gel texture sunscreen that absorbs really quickly without leaving greasy residue. I highly recommend it if you're acne prone, oily, or have combination skin, or if you have more dry skin but looking for something that is not super rich and creamy during the summertime. This is what I typically use during the summer for my kind of dry combination dry skin. Aside from some unique filters that we don't have in the US, it also contains hyaluronic acid that helps to hydrate the skin, along with royal jelly that also helps to hydrate and moisturize the skin and support the skin barrier. It does contain fragrance, so if you are sensitive to that then you want to be careful, but otherwise it really is a lovely sunscreen, really a must try Japanese sunscreen if you haven't."

"It's the most liquidy sunscreen I've ever tried because it doesn't have that tack, and it's harder to apply. Normally I apply two finger lengths, but you can't do that with this. You almost have to apply it into your hand and dab it onto the face, so my application technique doesn't work very well. It also has a relatively strong fragrance, almost like a fresh kind of fragrance. I didn't hate this product, but I really didn't love it the way that everyone else had loved it. The spray version grips pretty well actually, the spray grips more than the lotion. The reason I say that is because a way that people go wrong with sprays is they don't rub it in. It's weird that it grips so much for a spray. The smell is subjective, but I think it's nice."

"The Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence is an SPF 50 sunscreen and is probably one of the most popular Asian sunscreens. It dries down pretty much instantly and it just works so beautifully for reapplication. It's also my favorite sunscreen for reapplying over makeup because you can kind of stipple or pat it on the skin without it building up or leaving a white cast. This is a chemical sunscreen and does have quite a high alcohol content, but I really think that adds to the performance of the product. Just note for people who are sensitive to fragrance, this does have fragrance."

"What I want from an SPF that I use every single day is I want it to be super light, I want it to be almost like a watery serum. This is the Biore UV Aqua Rich [...] Watery Essence. [...] I've created lots of videos and I've written about this in The Times, but I don't think I've ever spoken to you guys on YouTube about it. [...] Let me show you the texture. [...] I will actually apply that to my chest as well, which is the one place I always forget to apply SPF. It's an SPF 50, they have an SPF 30 as well. It goes in so quickly, it's super light, lightly fragranced, without a doubt for me the perfect texture. Never forget the backs of your hands. Look at that, absolutely beautiful, sinks in in seconds, and it's so reasonably priced. It's exclusive to Superdrug, previously you had to go to specialist sites like YesStyle to get it. [...] There's an SPF 32, I honestly can't tell that much difference in terms of texture, so for me I would always go for the SPF 50. It is slightly richer, by the way, than the original Japanese formula, still amazing. It comes from a company called Kao, that also owned John Frieda."

"Biore UV Watery Essence is another legacy product and I finally tried the 2025 version. Again, it's fantastic. The filters are the same as the 2023 one, which was in my last top sunscreens video, but there have been a few changes in the other ingredients. To me it's a little bit heavier, but not by very much. I had no eye sting, and I did have a little peeling at the edges, which I'm actually quite okay with because this is water resistant."