Having an army of Asian Beauty animal friends is a dream of mine, so I am not even going to pretend like I bought this for any other reason than the bear shaped bottle. Only after I bought it did I realize that this sunscreen is alcohol free! I have heard multiple times alcohol-free sunscreens may be more appropriate for my skin type, so let’s find out!

I love me some pump bottles. Packaging-wise, Mommy! UV Mild Gel wins in every way.

Texture wise, this sunscreen is pretty similar to the Nivea Sun Protect Aqua Gel. It is less wet than the Biore Watery Gel but spreads just as easily over the face. No eye irritation or white cast. There is a bit of shinyiess at first (more on this later) but it goes away eventually. It does not have the highest UVA or UVB rating, but if you are applying enough sunscreen, it is sufficient.

Here are the ingredients, taken from the Master of Life Rakuten listing with cosdna acne triggers (there’s only 1!) indicated:

Water, Propylene Glycol, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (aka: octinoxate), macadamia nut oil, diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl benzoic acid Hexyl (aka: Uvinal A Plus), Aloe barbadensis leaf extract, Apple extract, raspberry extract, crosspolymer (acrylates / acrylic acid alkyl (C10-30)), potassium hydroxide, EDTA-2Na, BHT, Butylene Glycol

Read more about sunscreen ingredients and FDA approval here.

The lack of alcohol is very evident. When my partner tried this sunscreen for the first time, he excitedly exclaimed that this was his favorite sunscreen yet! When I asked why, he said because it didn’t “reek of rubbing alcohol.” I’ve gotten so accustomed to Japanese sunscreens that I don’t even notice the smell of alcohol anymore, but if that is something that bothers you (either physically or mentally), Mommy! Mild UV Gel is definitely a great sunscreen option.

However, a few minutes later, my partner retracted what he had said earlier. The tradeoff of not having alcohol is a much, much slower drying time. Compared to this Mommy! UV Mild Gel, my go-to, alcohol-containing sunscreens, the Nivea Sun Protect Aqua gel and Biore Watery Gel, require a fraction of the time required to fully dry. When dry, like the other aforementioned sunscreens, there is no white cast or heaviness and I hardly remember I’m wearing sunscreen at all, but do plan to have your face feel sticky and look a bit shiny for a full 20 minutes.

So back to our original question of whether its lack of alcohol makes this sunscreen more appropriate for dry skin. From my experiences so far, it does not seem to be. After a few hours of wear with this sunscreen, my skin does not feel any more or less dry than it usually does. Of course, I can only speak to the short-term effects of alcohol. I imagine there are cumulative effects of alcohol on skin that will take more than week of alcohol-free sunscreen to impact. For this reason, I do plan on repurchasing more of this sunscreen and spending more time testing it exclusively in the future.

Final thoughts: This tradeoff of being alcohol-free seems to be a (much) longer drying time. Regardless, this is an excellent, cast-free, easy to apply sunscreen.

To see other sunscreens I’ve reviewed, see here.

Texture 5/5 Effectiveness 4/5 Fragrance 5/5 Price 5/5 Repurchase? Yes

Rakuten is the most affordable place to buy this, so long as you manage shipping costs. Alternatively, it’s also available on Amazon with free shipping.