Nivea Sun Protect Water Gel SPF30 PA++

I mentioned I am doing some (okay, a lot) of shopping for my sister, and it includes stocking her up on her favorite sunscreen, the Nivea Sun Protect Water Gel SPF30 PA++. She actually prefers the Water Gel Cool version for its, well, cooling effect, most probably from the menthol in its ingredients. While at it, I also picked up a couple of the regular version for myself to try ^.^ 

I just finished up my last stocked bottle of Allie from the 2011's formulation and am completely open to trying new sunscreens. In the past, I had been sticking with only Allie for the face and Mentholatum Skin Aqua UV Moisture Gel SPF27 PA++ for the body - please note this review link is for the 2009 formulation that is no longer available, and the current Skin Aqua UV Moisture Gel is a new and improved 2012 formulation that is photostable(!) and has slightly higher SPF to boot (can't wait to try this one too)! So as you can see, the Japanese sunscreen market is continually making improvements and I can't keep missing out on the good stuff! 

Nivea Sun Protect Water Gel SPF30 PA++ regular (white bottle) and Cool version (blue bottle).

My sister likes the Nivea Sun Protect Water Gel Cool for her face. Just so you know how impressive that is, I'll point out that the vast majority of skincare products will make her super sensitive skin itch. The Body Shop Passion Fruit Cleansing Gel did, the Cucumber Cleansing Milk did as well, and so did the Cucumber Freshening Water. Of the things I thought were mild, at least for my skin they were, only the Rosette Soys Lotion works for her. This Nivea Water Gel is an item she had been using for a few years now, back when she was still living in Shizuoka. As if that alone wasn't enough of a good sell, she also said it's the only sunscreen that doesn't leave her face greasy or oily. 

See a translated list of ingredients for the regular Water Gel and the Water Gel Cool.

This Nivea sunscreen is suitable for both the face and the body, so it's really your preference where you want to use it. While my sister likes it on her face, I use mine for the neck, decolletage, upper chest, arms, and the exposed part of my feet when I wear sandals. This is because like my facial sunscreen to be at least SPF50. It's not meant to be a heavy duty sunscreen for the sporting events, the pool, or the beach, but it's great for daily use to work, running errands, or a stroll to the park. 

The first time I put this stuff on it shocked me I had just slathered sunscreen all over - I couldn't feel it at all! Nothing. At all. It is a milky gel so light it feels and absorbs like water, and one moment I put it on and the next moment it just disappeared! I went over to hubby and told him to feel my arm. His response was a puzzled frown while running his hand up and down the whole length of my arm, "What about your arm?" Ha. What about my arm, indeed. And this is from a guy who cringes at the slightest touch of any kind of lotion or cream. He didn't even realize I had just gooped on sunscreen because he couldn't feel it. Neither could I, actually. And consider this - it's getting quite humid and sticky where I am right now too, and still I couldn't feel it on my own arm!

This glob is for both of my arms ^.^

Now before you buy a truckload of this stuff, I will emphasize again that it's not a heavy duty sunscreen. While it does function as a makeup base, it's neither water, sweat, or sebum resistant, should you choose to put it on your face. That means if your skin is super oily, if you live in a super humid environment like I do, or if you sweat a lot, you should reapply often. Yeah, unfortunately along with the big thumbs up for cosmetic elegance comes the huge thumbs down for substantivity. It is unscented, but it does contain alcohol (2nd ingredient!). Overall, it's not a perfect product by any means, but I find it lovely enough for daily wear.