

So as the title says⊠I recently panic-purchased some of the BiorĂ© UV Aqua Rich sunscreen off EBay to hopefully avoid whatever the hell is happening with customs and tariffs and orders potentially being destroyed and all that. Thankfully, my panic-purchase is legit, I successfully looked up the batch code and the product I received seems to match photos of the real deal, so those fears have been dissuaded, but Iâm not 100% this is the product for me.
For one, the sunscreen smells like straight up Germ-X. I had read that there was a strong alcohol smell, and while it isnât really strong, it isnât exactly pleasant. Iâve also been curious about long term use of something with alcohol so high on the ingredients list.
I donât think Iâm going to stay with BiorĂ©, but Iâm still searching for something that meets my criteria of non-greasy, dries well, and good under makeup. Iâve been looking at RoundLabs, but want to find something that also has really good protection. Iâd love to hear everybodyâs thoughts!
by Legitimate-Wing-8013
8 Comments
Itâs not and thatâs okay! The alcohol does dissipate after a bit, as it is alcohol, but holy shit is it strong upon initial application. I have to close my eyes when using this or Iâd be water works. There are so many other wonderful AB sunscreens. Iâm sure youâll find the right one đ
Yeah, that one smells like booze, but I havenât noticed any adverse effects. LabMuffin has a good video on alcohol in skincare: https://youtu.be/JT-6bZU0-b8?si=1slOeJOm-ptx0LWf
Sunkiller has one that looks like this but is alcohol free
Iâm glad you were able to avoid some of the big challenges of trying to buy AB sunscreen while living in the US right now (risk of counterfeit products and the customs/FDA crackdown on better but sadly unapproved filters).
I tried the Biore Aqua Rich when I was first learning about AB sunscreens and even though I was more oily than I am now, the finish nor amount of alcohol were also not a good fit for me. My favorite sunscreen has a good dry down so has some alcohol but I donât smell it at all and I havenât notice any skin issues even after 5-6 years of use (trying other sunscreens without alcohol periodically). Itâs being discontinued so Iâm having to renew my search for sunscreens that are not too heavy or too drying and ideally dry down to a satin/natural finish but I donât think formulas with alcohol in them should be completely ruled out despite your experience with this one.
Iâve had the best luck when it comes to scent and finish with âmilkyâ formulas and a few lighter weight creams and havenât liked the watery or moisture gel styles Iâve tried so far but YMMV.
This stuff broke me out but Kiss Me Sunkiller is my HG sunscreen
This is my most favorite sunscreen! Iâm envious you found it on eBay. I did a big hoard over the winter when I got worried about how tariffs would affect outlets like YesStyle. But my family loves it too unfortunately so my stash is dwindling.
I love this sunscreen! I bought a lot of it when I was in Japan a few months ago. I went all on at Donki. I use it on my neck and body when I’m outside running errands. It works well on my face too.
I feel you, I panic bought a good stash of ones I was using but still not sure about. The FDA crackdown really sped up my trying to find a sunscreen I love instead of buying a little at a time. I’m not too worried about it since they go bad in 2-3 years unopened and I can use the ones I don’t like on my hands, but I’m upset I won’t be able to really try out everything like I once was. Hopefully this will be a temporary thing. I wrote to my representatives about this gross out reach of power and pointless use of tax payer money. And the house is looking at passing a law to make it easier for more sunscreen filters to be approved so hopefully those filters get approved and Japan and Korea can sell unaltered formulas here or we can import them no problem.
As for not greasy maybe look into milk sunscreens?