Nivea Sun Strong Fit Care UV Milky Gel SFP50+ PA++++

Okay, three 80g bottles of this lovely Nivea Sun Strong Fit Care UV Milky Gel SFP50+ PA++++ later and several more gifted away to friends and family, I think it's about time I post this review.  

I first bought two bottles of this Milky Gel in the spring of 2019 to try along with a bunch of other different sunscreens. I also got a 16g sample bottle packed in with a refill pouch of Nivea Sun Super Water Gel 2018 version, as this Milky Gel was first released in 2018.  

Anyway, I didn't get around to actually try this Milky Gel until summer of 2021, when both of my boys went back to school. Well, it was more like my oldest went back to school, this time with little brother joining him. This meant every morning was (and still is!) a mad dash for hubby and me to get the kids to school on time, and I needed a sunscreen that I could slap on and be done with but would still be water and sweat-proof. Sure, I have a bunch of sunscreen milks, but milks needed time to set, not to mention I usually blend a cocktail of them to get the desired finish. I also have several easy-on-easy-off stuff that I could slap on, but those don't stay on my dry-combo skin and would melt off by midday. 

In fact, I initially assumed this Milky Gel was another easy-on-easy-off kind. I'd tested it on the back of my hand and the texture was a semi-translucent milky gel (or light lotion?), really no different, if not lighter than most of the easy-on-easy-off stuff I'd seen! So one morning, I was desperate and thought, oh well, I'll give this a try. So I pulled out the 16g sample and bottle and slapped some on, and was blown away how fast this stuff set. Basically, I applied it real quick and went to put on my clothes and--boom--it was set! Even more amazing was that after it set, it left a semi-matte finish. That was when I went to look up this stuff on Ratzilla and saw that it was water and sweat-proof--exactly what I wanted, a quick-setting, slap-it-on sunscreen that's still water and sweat-proof! This was it! Hooray! So yeah, I've been using it everyday since last summer, and my usual cocktail of other milks on the weekends and on no-school days. 

Throughout the summer, I didn't notice any dryness with regular and daily use of this Milky Gel, probably because I knew to moisturize well before applying sunscreen. Starting in the fall when the weather gets colder and drier though, I started to get some tightness and some dry flakes around the chin and cheeks. So I added a primer-serum (Paul & Joe, will post next) to the routine to help with the dryness.

Here's the Milky Gel in its natural form (left). There are days when I want a little more opacity and added 10 drops of Biore UV Perfect Bright Milk SPF50+ PA++++ (right, I linked to the 2015 version but I'm using the 2017 version). The added Biore does not change how fast it set or alter its semi-matte finish in any way. It only adds a bit more opacity, and therefore, tiiiny bit of coverage.

Here's the not-so-great news: this Milky Gel was discontinued as of spring 2021 :( Yup, it was discontinued before I even tried it. Boo. Hiss. And even though I was only a few months late to the game, it seemed this stuff was rather popular and it was hard for me to find leftover stock online. But I finally did and boy did I hoard a bunch of it, enough to give some to family and friends to try and hold me over until they come out with a new but similar product. 

 

So I know it's pointless to say now, but if you happen upon a bottle of this Milky Gel, definitely give it a try. Here's to hoping they'll release a similar product soon, before my supply runs out!