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First, the bad news: the sun that you know and love is trying to make you look older. Ask any dermatologist and they’d love to tell you that ultraviolet rays damage skin cells over time, making them sag and giving you wrinkles with each and every warm caress. Your options for survival are daily sunscreen or Hermeticism, but I am only equipped to talk about the former. This brings me to the good news: Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence Water Base SPF 50+++ is the best damn sunscreen in the game. And if you jogged through that product name without running out of breath, you’re already on the path to greatness.
Bioré’s SPF hails from Japan, the world’s sunscreen innovation frontrunner. Sunscreen as we know it conjures nostalgic but unpleasant feelings—chalky, pungent, never quite the highlight of your beach-going experience. Because the FDA, a government agency known for its efficiency and constant innovation, regulates sunscreen, we haven’t seen anything new on the market for quite awhile. We’re all using the SPFs of our forefathers, which employ physical blockers like zinc and titanium dioxide to keep UV rays off our skin. They work, but they’re tough to rub in, they often leave a residue, and they smell not very good. If only there was something… better?
Meanwhile, in Japan, sun care is a huuuuge category, and innovation abounds. There, you’ll find an entirely different approach to SPF: water-weight, scentless formulas that disappear on skin as if you weren’t wearing anything in the first place. Bioré’s is the chemical sunscreen approach—and most dermatologists agree that it’s just as effective as zinc and titanium dioxide. (If you’re worried about safety, though, take comfort in knowing that Japan’s cosmetic safety regulations are some of the strictest in the world). I will agree that it’s 680% more pleasant to use than anything you’ll find stateside.
The formula is also padded with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and castor oil, but you might not notice them. You might not notice anything at all—it’s that imperceptible. You can apply it before you head out every day and then instantly forget about it. Enjoy the sunshine instead.
To apply this sunscreen is as easy as taking an angel’s bath in a luxurious mist of antioxidants and UV-blocking chemicals. Antioxidants are important—they work to neturalize free radicals, which are basically cells in your face turned evil by environmental pollutants. Now, is the very air you breathe trying to fuck up your skin? No. But every little bit of protection helps.
This is for the man who gets overwhelmed with more than two steps to his skincare routine. It's totally OK, big guy, we've all got to streamline our lives in one way or another. Try this: a two-in-one moisturizer and sunscreen that takes a second to rub in, but is pure delight for that second, because it smells like piña coladas. Your skin will drink it all up, too.
Also with antioxidants! EltaMD's UV Clear is a favorite sunscreen among dermatologists for its superior ingredient cocktail: physical blocker + chemical blocker + antioxidants + anti-inflammatory and skin-perfecting vitamins = poreless, happy smiling moon emoji. That's you!