Biore UV Athlizm Skin Protect Essence

Released back in February, Biore UV Athlizm is the newly introduced sunscreen by the brand. As summer was approaching , I needed something affordable (it was less than 1500yen at Matsukiyo) and pleasant to  slather allover my limbs so I picked it up during my last Japan trip.
As you can see, this is marketed as a tenacious, film-forming formula that can be used doing outdoor sport, on the beach, working on construction, carrying mikoshi during summer festival (?)and skiing. Since I tan and get spots easily, I often find myself needing an outdoor sports sunscreen for summer.The essence is water based while the milk is oil based, both are suitable for face and body. 
Beside water and alcohol being first two in the ingredient list. The sunscreen mainly features chemical blocks like octinoxate, two types of uvinul and Tinosorb-s. I don't notice any white cast but there is a slight powdery (that's fine and not wet) finish that's smooth and dry to the touch. It's still a nice and moisturizing formula though, just without that "surge of moisture" feel I got with the Aqua Rich Essence.

There is a faint floral scent that feels a little classier, less alcoholic than the watery essence .
This is about how much I use for a forearm,  for the entire arm I use 3 or 4 times this. Beside the drier finish, this also has a better cling on the skin, forming a film that's water repellent. On the company website it says it's removable with soap and water but I feel that a cleansing oil will save you lots of time and scrubbing. 
(It matches the color of summer roses)
When used generously on arm and legs, it's rather effective at preventing farmer tan (I get one in two hours) when I walked around the Riverside for the whole Memorial day. Being sensitive to octinoxate, I actually tried using it on my face without too big of a reaction. 

Maybe the filter is encapsulated/or thanks to the formula that stays put, it doesn't irritate my eyes and don't cause rash and bumps unless I wear it 2-3 days in a row. Just to be safe, I am still using other octinoxate-free Japanese sunscreens on my face but for people who aren't sensitive, the Athlizm essence is very nice for face and it sits perfectly under powder and concealer.
You know summer is here when you see cherries, lychee and rambutan!
What I got this weekend...I shall go back for longan and passionfruit.

Comments

  1. I have the milk version but haven't tried it. Have you? I'm kind of scared of anything labeled "gel" or "essence" because they'd always end up being more paste-like to me.

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    1. I didn't buy the milk version since I refer essense type for my arms...Anyway out of all essenses this is the very light and dry touch. I might buy it again if I visit Japan (well the Hongkong markup isn't bad either).

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    2. Between this and Aqua Rich Essence, which is lighter?

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    3. They are equally light weight/non oily (like not taxing on the skin) but aqua rich feels a tad more moist and Athlizm sets to a more undetectible finish.

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  2. I finished my Drunk Elephant C Firma serum. It lasted a while because I didn't use it everyday. But i gotta say it's pretty good value because I opened the bottle- you just pull out the pump thing and it basically stored in an airless pump. You pretty much get every drop of serum out, no wastage or mess. I have actually noticed that it works best when used at daytime? Have you noticed that? Because when I use it at nightime, not much happened. I felt like it was protecting more (on top of SPF of course) during the day. It's freezing ass cold here, so it's not oily at all if I use it daytime.

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    1. A lot of people love it for days but for the last year it was too humid (so a little icky to use before sunscreen). But I remember it was great when I tried it the previous winter. Anyway the formula oxidizes a little too quickly so I went back to Haba white lady.

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  3. OMG do you live in Japan?? I thought you were still in the Midwest

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    1. lol. Actually I never lived in midwest except for 3 months in Chicago(Texas was more like deep south). Now I have been in NYC area for almost five years. Regular job in this area + no car/no kid = enough left over for pretty eyeshadow and occasional vacation!

      Japan is just a spot I love for short vacation, I certainly don't mind staying in Tokyo.

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