Maybe it’s just me and my few loose screws, but as an owner of relatively sensitive skin, sometimes I get bored by my own skin and consciously go for something that would probably kill my skin (but perhaps not!). This review was born out of such an occasion.
Let’s get everything out of the way, shall we? Here are the reasons why, on a normal day, I would run for the hills and away from this sunscreen:
- high ethanol content,
- fragranced, and
- mentholated.
And yet, here I am. The plan was to test this sunscreen out for exactly a week, before moving on to the other sunscreens languishing in my stash (a NOV and a Coppertone). It has been a little bit over a week, and I’ve still got my claws sunk deep in this sunscreen.
General Information
Shiseido Perfect UV Protector SPF50+ PA++++ WetForce HydroFresh is a waterproof, mentholated sunscreen, containing both organic and inorganic UV filters. It costs JPY 4,500 for 50 mL of product.
This sunscreen is a variant of the Perfect UV Protector WetForce (HydroFresh refers to its cooling property).
Ingredients
Water, zinc oxide, ethanol, isododecane, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (octinoxate), caprylyl methicone, butylene glycol, bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine (Tinosorb S), sucrose stearate, PEG-60 hydrogenated castor oil, dimethicone, silica, ethylhexyl triazone (Uvinul T 150), dextrin palmitate, xylitol, diethylhexyl succinate, menthol, menthyl lactate, nylon-12, PEG/PPG-14/7 dimethyl ether, thiotaurine, Saxifraga stolonifera extract, royal jelly extract (1), Sophora angustifolia root extract, PPG-17, isostearic acid, triethoxy capryllysilanedistearyl dimonium chloride, (dimethylacrylamide/sodium acryloyldimethyltaurate) crosspolymer , sorbitan sesquiisostearate, succinoglycan, cellulose gum, citric acid, butylated hydroxytoluene, tocopherol, trisodium EDTA, stearic acid, sodium pyrosulfite, sodium citrate, Syzygium jambos leaf extract, fragrance.
The WetForce HydroFresh is an off-white, slightly thick liquid. It spreads easily and sinks in quickly, although it is not instantaneous. I detect no white cast on my NC20-25 skin. The finish is skin-like. In this warm and humid weather, the sunscreen is far from drying; however, I have no idea how it will perform in drier and colder months. It is relatively lightweight: not as weightless as the old Biore Watery Essence formulation, but slightly lighter than Acseine Super Sunshield Bright Veil and significantly lighter than Benefique’s sunscreen.
There are several interesting plant extracts included within the formulation. They are listed below, but I don’t put much weigh on skincare benefits from sunscreens, besides the obvious sun protection.
- S. stolonifera supposedly possesses anti-cancer properties (2).
- S. angustifolia has been reported to inhibit melanogenesis (3).
- S. jambos seems to have anti-oxidative properties (4).
This sunscreen contains fragrance, and the fragrance is mild to moderate in strength. To me, it smells of green florals, suspended in the salty, ozonic tang of marine breeze. It smells exactly like the tropical beach resorts of my childhood, and I love it. The scent dissipates after approximately half an hour of wear.
Overall, it’s very nice, but all of these will not induce me to seriously consider making this my regular sunscreen, not at JPY 4,500 for each tiny bottle. The cooling sensation that it gives, however, does push this sunscreen straight into “favourite summer sunscreen so far” status.
The menthol is slightly strong for the first couple of seconds after application, but it quickly mellows into a refreshing skin feel. Every movement seems to send a soft, gentle breeze blowing across my skin. I love putting this on my neck; it is the best repellent that I have so far against muggy Nagoya weather. While my colleagues are wilting in the heat and humidity, I hold my chin up high, borne aloft by the cool breath of HydroFresh.
To me, this sunscreen is a prime example of how the ingredient list is not the be-all and end-all of a product; formulation plays a major part, too. It’s hard to predict what one’s skin will like or dislike. Apologies to all the neglected to-be-tested-TM sunscreens, but this summer, I think you will only be prying this sunscreen off my cold (and mentholated) dead hands.
(1) This one annoyed me slightly. You might have known, but royal jelly is a break-out trigger for me, when it is present in a significant amount. I purchased this sunscreen in a hurry (it was near the store’s closing time), and I asked the sales assistant whether it contained ginseng (another trigger) and royal jelly or not. To be fair, her exact wording was, “I don’t think so.” Still, I got that cold dread dropping from my heart down to the pit of my stomach when I came home after a day of being slathered in this sunscreen, only to glance through the packaging’s ingredient list and see royal jelly being listed. The sunscreen has not broken me out yet, so I would assume that any royal jelly present is under my tolerance threshold.
(2) Chen Z. et al. (2008). Studies on the chemical constituents and anticancer activity of Saxifraga stolonifera (L) Meeb. Bioorg Med Chem.
(3) Singh S. K. (2013). The effects of Sophora angustifolia and other natural plant extracts on melanogenesis and melanin transfer in human skin cells. Exp Dermatol.
(4) Bonfanti G. (2014). Delta-ALA-D inhibitory potential and protective action of Syzygium jambos and Solanum guaraniticum leaf extracts on oxidatively stressed erythrocytes. Redox Rep.
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