Anessa Perfect UV Sunscreen Aqua Booster Mild SPF50+ PA++++

I ran out of Sunkiller Perfect Strong Moisture which I've been using to thin up really thick, pasty, or opaque sunscreens, so I moved on to this 60mL bottle of Anessa Perfect UV Sunscreen Aqua Booster Mild SPF50+ PA++++ instead. This sunscreen has since been reformulated and repackaged as Perfect UV Sunscreen Mild Milk in a peach-colored bottle.

I had this Aqua Booster Mild for more than a year now and had been itching to try it, especially after Citrine reviewed it last May, and even more so now that I'd learned about octinoxate and oxybenzone. Like Nivea Sun Protect Water Milk Mild, Aqua Booster Mild is alcohol and octinoxate-free. Actually, it's better than Nivea, being free of parabens and mineral oil also, with a formula gentle enough to be used on babies. That said, I'm not so sure I'd use a waterproof formula on my little one, even if it's removable with regular soap.

This is not a physical sunblock product and does contain chemical filters. It's a combo sunscreen which is arguably the better kind to use than a solely mineral formula. The active ingredients are zinc oxide (酸化亜鉛), titanium dioxide (酸化チタン), Univul T 150 (エチルヘキシルトリアゾン), Uvinul A Plus (ジエチルアミノヒドロキシベンゾイル安息香酸ヘキシル), and Tinosorb S (ビスエチルヘキシルオキシフェノールメトキシフェニルトリアジン). 

This mild milk comes out of the bottle an off-white milk that's "cushy" to the touch, probably from all the silicones. I used 35 drops on just my face and it took forever to set, if at all. I tried to it layer over the mattefying Pixi Rose Flash Balm with the same result. It just wouldn't set. So I mixed myself some sunscreen cocktails again, reducing Anessa to 25 drops and added 15 drops of the super opaque and powdery matte Nivea Sun Protect Water Milk Mild. The result was a runny milk that goes on pretty opaque but does set to an awesome transparent but dewy matte finish.

On a different day, I tried a mix of 10 drops of Anessa, 20 drops of Nivea, and added 5 loops of Allie gel, and this combo gave me a thicker milk that set to a translucent but dewy matte finish. I like the first mix with just Anessa and Nivea better, because a transparent finish means I could apply sunscreen powder without looking "too made-up." This is great news for me, because phasing out all the sunscreens with octinoxate means I'd have only a few left to play with, among them Anessa and Nivea I already like in a combo. 

I've also tried mixing 20 drops of Anessa with 15 drops of Biore SaraSara UV Perfect Bright Milk. This combo was also opaque going on but once set, it too gave me a translucent but dewy matte finish. 

On a different day, again I tried adding 5 loops of Allie gel to a mix of 17 drops of Anessa and 13 of Biore. This combo was of course thicker, and the Biore's pinkiness caused me to look "made-up," as if I'm wearing some kind of makeup base with some coverage. So again I ended up liking the simpler mix of the two.