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I became an instant fan of Korean sunscreens as soon as I tried my very first one. Now I’m branching out to Japanese formulas and am equally impressed (if not more impressed, in some cases). The bottle I opened most recently is Rohto Mentholatum Skin Aqua UV Super Moisture Gel Hydrating Sunscreen SPF50+/PA++++, available on Amazon, YesStyle (reward code KBHOBBIT), Stylevana (code INF10KBH), and eBay.
The amount you get is more than most other sunscreens (110g), and there’s even a packaging version with a pump. I definitely hope more and more sunscreens come in large sizes, especially with pumps, so we can liberally apply them on the face and body.
How to use
Apply at the end of your morning routine (before makeup, if using)
Reapply throughout the day, especially when exposed to the sun
Don’t forget your neck, ears, and the area around the eyes
Rohto Mentholatum SPF, despite being called a gel, is more of a liquid in texture. It’s easy to pour out of the bottle and spread, and sets very quickly to a non-sticky, amazing finish. There’s definitely drying alcohol in the ingredients, but that’s often done in the name of texture in sunscreens, and it works well in this formula. It doesn’t dry out or irritate even the driest areas of my face. I use this all over, including around the eyes, with no issues.
I notice a pretty robust scent, what I assume is a mix of herbal extracts and alcohol, but it’s not distracting and doesn’t seem to linger. Not an issue for me, but if you need something scent free - this isn’t it. This sunscreen uses chemical filters. I do not experience any white cast, not even a hint of one, but my skin tone is very fair, so I’m not sure what it would be like for people whose skin is darker.
My impressions
I have combination skin with oily and dry areas. I’m super fair and burn quickly, so I’ve always been an avid SPF user, even when the formulas were far from cosmetically elegant. I love that we have so many amazing options now when it comes to sunscreens.
Rohto Mentholatum Skin Aqua UV Super Moisture Gel Sunscreen really impressed me. I wouldn’t call it hydrating per se, but it’s also not drying and works wonderfully for my skin. Someone with very dry skin may want to use another moisturizer before this SPF.
With most sunscreens, I have to utilize a thin layer of translucent powder to achieve the matte/natural finish that I prefer (dewy formulas aren’t for me). With this one, it’s fine “as is”. The finish isn’t overly matte, but it’s also not shiny - simply perfect.
The liquid texture makes this a perfect body sunscreen, because it takes no time to cover a large area, it’s not sticky and doesn’t leave white smudges all over people or furniture. Of course, the bottle is still somewhat small for that, and most of the time I prefer to use UPF clothing to protect the body.
Overall, I love this formula and will definitely use up the bottle. Pretty excited to open the other 3 Japanese sunscreens I currently have, since the first two have been so awesome (the other one being Anessa).
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Rohto Mentholatum Skin Aqua UV Super Moisture Gel Hydrating Sunscreen ingredients: Water, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, ethanol, BG, isononyl isononanoate, methylenebisbenzotriazolyl tetramethylbutylphenol, sodium hyaluronate, acetyl hyaluronate Na (super hyaluronan), hydrolyzed collagen, arginine (amino acid), yoshino cherry leaves Extract, bilberry leaf extract, hexyl diethylaminohydroxybenzoylbenzoate, glycol dimethacrylate crosspolymer, bisethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyltriazine, polysilicone-13, PEG-40 stearate, bisPEG-18 methyl ether dimethylsilane, (Acrylates / Alkyl acrylate (C10-30)) crosspolymer, TEA, decyl glucoside, polystyrene, polyvinyl alcohol, xanthan gum, EDTA-2Na, PG, phenoxyethanol