It is widely acknowledged that there is no point in using products to reduce signs of aging and skin damage unless you are using sunscreen every day. Protecting your skin from the sun will go a long way towards improving tone and texture and of course will reduce your chances of more harmful damage such as skin cancer. Finding a sunscreen I can use on my face has been a huge struggle for me for many years, I am so sensitive to certain scents, and now I suspect chemical sunscreens as well. It took a year for me to realize that the sunscreen in most BB creams is what made them give me a horrid headache. I could always tell that it was a reaction because it would start behind my eyes, unlike my usual migraines, and the headache would start to go away as soon as I washed my face. After I started using acids (AHA/BHA) on my face I knew I had to get serious about finding a sunscreen since some acids make your skin photosensitive.

As I learned more about what was causing my problems I also realized that you can find physical sunscreens that aren’t the thick white paste you see on lifeguard stereotypes. Physical or mineral sunscreens are usually made from zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide. Both are usually nonallergenic, nonirritating, and non-comedogenic. After reading many reviews I decided to order a facial sunscreen from Japan since they seem to have perfected physical sun blocks that aren’t greasy or leave a white cast. I ordered the Nivea Sun Protect Water Milk Mild SPF 50+ PA+++ on Amazon for $9 with free shipping from Japan and it took about 2 weeks to arrive. I read a review that said it had no scent at all so I was very hopeful.

In my haste to see if it was truly unscented I took off the plastic shrink wrap before I remembered to take pictures. haha

I took a picture of the back as well even though it’s all in Japanese. I lived in Japan for a year but I know absolutely no kanji or katakana. (I can struggle my way through hangul though…which is not at all helpful in this situation) Here is a link to the ingredients list on COSDNA.

The bottle is so tiny! But since I will just be using this on my face when I am going to be outdoors it shouldn’t be too bad of an investment. It has a very small tip, almost as small as those on eye drops. That is because this sunscreen is very thin as you will see.

It really has no smell at all! None! I was super optimistic as soon as I sniffed it. My kids probably thought I was crazy, “It has no smell! NO SMELL!!!”

(who am I kidding, my kids *know* I am crazy….)

The name of sunscreen is very accurate, Water Milk Mild. It is very watery and milky. I put one drop on my hand and it started to run immediately. I rubbed it in lightly and there was no white cast at all, it left my skin feeling smooth and moisturized but not greasy.

I decided to patch test it on my cheekbone since that is close to my sensitive eyes and easy to quickly wash off if I needed to. It blended onto my face as easily as it did my hand and three hours later still no headache or aching eyes. I seriously could not tell I had anything on my face besides my usual moisturizer. I call this a major breakthrough! I am so glad to have finally found a sunscreen that I can use. I still do not plan on using it every day since I spend most of my time indoors but it will be nice to have for the days I spend time in the yard with the kids or plan on being out and about all day.

In all I am happy with this purchase. I don’t feel that it was too expensive even though the bottle is tiny. I might try other physical sunscreens in the future, this gives me hope that there are other options out there besides the highly scented chemical sunscreens found in most drug stores.