Background Information:
In the spring of 2011, Shiseido's Japanese counter released a newly reformulated line of sunscreen. Shiseido's Anessa is the most prominent brand for sunscreen in Asia, where I grew up (Taiwan). It's so well known, that if you were to walk on the street, grab any random person and ask them which brand makes great sunscreen, many of them would answer, "Anessa." I'm not very familiar with Anessa's suncreen line in recent years, but I believe that the Whitening UV Protector is a brand new product, not just a reformulated version of the old sunscreens. This new line of sunscreen also boasts to be able to be removed easily with soap and water, something I am not sure drug store sunscreens in Asia have been able to do yet (and need to be removed with a cleansing oil).
This particular pink bottled product claims to even skin tone and whiten the skin (something Asian ladies usually strive to do even more than usual in the summer) as well as protect it from the sun. It boasts to contain m-tranexamic acid, an ingredient that has been proven to lighten the skin.It also contains hyaluronic acid and collagen, which means it has more skincare ingredients in it than your average sunscreen.
It has an SPF of 32, which would block out roughly 97% of the UVB rays. It also has PA of +++, which means it has a PPD of 8+, which in turn means that it should allow a person 8+ times as much UVA exposure as would be without protection. The Japanese system for UVA rating only goes up to PA +++, so it's impossible for consumers to tell what the actually PPD is, other than that it's above 8.
It's active ingredients are:
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate........5.9952%
Benzophenone-3...........................2.0000%
Ethylhexyl Triasone.......................2.0000%
I've also typed the ingredient list above from the label, so forgive me for any typos.
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My thoughts:
Before I begin I must warn you that I did not buy the full sized product. Instead, I was given a nice stack of samples to try. In total, I have used 16mL of the product (out of the 60mL which the full size contains). It's actually not that little, for it would yield 13 applications in total when the proper amount is used on only the face (1/4 tsp = 1.23mL), and it is already 4mL more than the travel sized mini-bottles.
Like most Asian sunscreens, it is bi-phased and runnier than the thicker creamier American sunscreens. I would say the texture is quite similar (perhaps a tad thicker?) to that of Shiseido Ultra Smooth SPF 38 (from the normal, non-Tokyo counters). However, it is still one of the thicker ones in comparison to the rest of the line put out by Shiseido this year.
I have combination oily skin, and the oiliness of my T-zone is a huge concern of mine in the summer months of hot and humid Taiwan. If you are oily like me, or live in as hot and humid a climate as me, then you should probably avoid applying this where you are prone to oiliness. I usually apply this to my cheeks (and depending on my mood, my neck) and the Biore UV Perfect in white bottle to my T-zone for that is my HG oil controlling sunscreen so far. I should also mention that I do skip moisturizer in this humid weather, but I do apply a light serum underneath my sunscreens to hydrate my skin, while the sunscreen will lock the moisture in with its occlusive properties.
When I apply, I find that this sunscreen does not produce a white cast when the proper amount was applied, but applying much more might yield undesirable effects. It does seem to absorb quite well on to my cheeks as well. It also does not feel greasy to my normal-skinned cheeks. I feel that it is quite sweatproof, for if I sweat when walking around in it, there are no whiteness on my face (unlike Biore, which tends to appear white when I sweat a lot on my upper lip). It claims to prevent smudging from oiliness, but since I don't get oily on my cheeks, I wouldn't know. (I also would not quite trust that claim. Since, like pencil eyeliners that claim to not smudge from eye lid oils, little can fight the power of excessive oil production, especially something designed to be so easily removed by soap and water.) It does not claim to be water resistant (in Shiseido's terms, that means 80mins in water without coming off too much).
As to the claim of being easily removed to soap and water, I felt that to be true, but only with careful cleansing (so don't just lather and rinse, remember to massage the cleanser around for a while before washing it away).
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Overall, I'd say this is a good product that would provide decent protection for everyday, and for those who have normal to dry skin. It is especially good for those who wants skincare and brightening ingredients in their products. As for I, I (with my oily T-zone) would not go and buy the full sized product because I much prefer the lighter, less creamy, textures and finish of the other sunscreens in the Anessa line to purchase this one. I, in fact, already bought two bottles of the Gold bottled Perfect UV Sunscreen SPF 50+ PA+++ instead.