Biore Aqua Rich UV Watery Essence Sunscreen: SPF50 Protection thatFeels Light

Biore, one of the Japanese drugstore brands under Kao Corporation (which is also the owner of brands like Curel, Molton Brown, Asience, and Jergens), has just launched a new sunscreen, the Biore Aqua Rich UV Watery Essence. I'm a big sunscreen nut (remember my sunscreen tips post?), and I had heard that this product was a hot seller in Taiwan too, so I was very excited to try this.

Biore Facial Foam Cleanser and Scrub Review

Biore, the Japanese drugstore brand known for its range of skincare products, has recently re-launched its much beloved range of Facial Foams, and updated the formula to incorporate their new "SPT" (Skin Purifying Technology). Along with the updated formulas also comes new packaging!

I tried the Biore Facial Foam Acne Care (there are other types for other skin concerns), as well as the Biore Facial Foam Scrub. Let's start with the Biore Facial Foam Acne Care.

The Biore Facial Foam Acne Care is your typical cleanser. This one is very foamy, thanks to all the surfactants. That small dollop of cleanser you see in the photo below produced enough foam for my entire face! Using that small amount (which was tinier than a one cent coin), I didn't feel like it stripped my face - but if I had used more, it probably could've. It also had the nice, floral smell seen in most Biore products.


Next, the Biore Facial Foam Scrub. This is a cream with small pink beads inside. I think this is the first time I've seen pink beads, and from the way this is packaged, you know this is thoroughly aimed at the girls. It also has that flowery Biore scent.


Again, this is a very foamy scrub. The beads are small enough that it didn't irritate my acneic skin, and unlike some other scrubs, I didn't experience any pain or discomfort using the scrub. I was actually quite surprised by this - perhaps my skin isn't as sensitive now as it has sometimes been, but I didn't get any pain or redness, which happens sometimes with rougher scrubs. I think the small size of the beads really helps to exfoliate without the too-abrasive feeling. Still, if you have sensitive skin, I recommend you use it gently, and probably not everyday.

All in all, I'm quite happy with the newer-and-better Biore Facial Foam range, in particular the scrub, and both are good for the price. These are cheap and readily available, so they are worth checking out.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Biore Marshmallow Whip Facial Wash: All in the Foam

Japanese drugstore giant Biore has recently released its latest facial cleanser, the Biore Marshmallow Whip Facial Wash. While the name might sound like something nice and edible, the Marshmallow Whip Facial Wash gets its name from the rich foam that it provides when used to cleanse your face - you know, white, bouncy, fluffy foam that looks like a marshmallow.

Biore's Marshmallow Whip Facial Wash comes in a simple white-and-pink pump bottle. The main selling point of this cleanser is that unlike other cleansers that you have to lather up yourself, this cleanser does the lathering for you - when you press the pump top, what is dispensed isn't a liquid or a gel, but foam. While the feature of foam might seem a little superfluous to a some people (I mean, after all, whether it's a foam, liquid, gel or solid, as long as it cleans, it cleans, right?), Biore has marketed the Marshmallow Whip Facial Wash as giving the consumer a superior cleansing experience precisely because of the foam.

When I received the press information and images from Biore PR, it also included some data about how the finer foam cleanses better, although I have to admit, personally I am a little skeptical - I mean, molecules are molecules, and it's not like having it come in foam form will help it penetrate the skin better, right? But then again, I'm not a dermatologist or a cosmetic chemist, so what do I know. But I kid you not - Biore is serious about advertising the foam. Here are some promotional images courtesy of Biore PR, and they're all about the foam:

First image: foam, and it's cute and anthropomorphized, too.



This press image below is meant to emphasize the fine, bouncy, fluffy texture of the foam, and the fact that it is solid, serious foam; not that drippy, bubbly, watery lather you make up yourself in the bathroom with your stone age gel cleanser. It doesn't even drip when you hold it upside down!



And of course, how can you sell anything without a pretty face:


(All promotional images courtesy of Biore PR)

Anyway, I'm sure you're wondering how my experience of the product compares to the images in the ads. So here we go. First of all, does the Marshmallow Whip Facial Wash really foam like Biore claims it does? Here's a photo of the foam, straight out of the pump. Yup, I gotta admit it does actually come out all cute and white and fluffy looking (it doesn't have a cute face or a pair of wings like in the ads though, LOL). And I actually tried turning my hand upside down, like the second promotional picture, and it really doesn't drip. This foam is pretty solid.



The Marshmallow Whip Facial Wash is meant to be used pretty much like any other cleanser - apply to damp skin, massage, and rinse with water. The foam has a nice luxurious feel when applied onto your skin, and it feels very cushion-y and pillow-y. Once you add water and lather up however, it pretty much looks and behaves like any other foaming cleanser. You have more bubbles and more foam, but when you wash it off, it feels pretty much the same as your typical cleanser.



The Marshmallow Whip Facial Wash does live up to its expectations of really cleaning your skin. I did feel like it really removed the gunk from my face, and it even removed my light everyday makeup (which consists of concealer, loose powder, and blush - yes I do wear that little makeup on a daily basis. I suck, I know.). I thought it was impressive that it removed some light makeup, as I wasn't expecting it to do that. However, although the product is marketed as giving your skin a good clean without leaving it feeling tight or dry, my skin was still left feeling a little bit tight and dry, but not as bad as some other cleansers I've tried. Then again, I do have sensitive skin, so it may be less of an issue for other people.

One thing I'm curious about, is whether using any other liquid cleanser would produce such an effect. After all, the Marshmallow Whip Facial Wash is really just a liquid cleanser (with plenty of surfactants thrown in to generate the foam) inside the bottle, and it's the pump mechanism that turns it into that special fluffy foam I see on my hand. I'm extremely curious to find out whether any other liquid cleanser with a good amount of surfactants will produce the same effect. After all, hypothetically speaking, if it's the bottle that generates the foam, not the liquid, another cleanser with a similar formulation should work too, right? I haven't tried this out yet, but when this bottle finishes, I'm going to try it out with another cleanser, just to see how it fares.



Oh, and Biore, one little thing I'd like to have a word with you on. It's about the advertising. You know how you emphasized that the foam has collagen and camellia sinesis leaf extract? I couldn't help but notice that those ingredients are the third-last and second-last on your ingredients list. I love you, honey, but I couldn't help noticing it. I'm sorry, really. (And as my skincare fanatics will know, collagen in topical skincare products doesn't actually penetrate the skin anyway - it just sits on top as a moisturizer, which gets washed away when you rinse the cleanser off.)



Anyway, if you like foaming cleansers, lots of lather, and want something that cleans your face and removes most of the oil, the Biore Marshmallow Whip Facial Wash would really be a product that would be up your alley. I liked the look and feel of this product, and I feel that it is probably one of the most cosmetically elegant foaming cleansers in the market. But other than the novelty factor the foam brought, I didn't really feel like it was very different on my skin as compared to most other cleansers. Still, the ease of use, the foam, and the strong cleansing experience will probably make this product a winner for other girls out there.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)