Shigaisen Yohou sunblocks

2015 alcohol-free sunblock series, part 1

For most people it's that time of the year. Sunblock time.
For me, it doesn't matter whether it's the middle of June or January, because I use sun protection all year round. Why? I hate wrinkles and I hate skin cancer even more.

What I don't hate is alcohol in my sunblocks. To be honest, I actually prefer the alcoholic formulas. I think they work better during our hot and humid summers here in Japan.

So why on earth am I testing alcohol-free sunblocks this season?
They seem to be popular with the sensitive skin foreign crowd and if everybody and their mother are into alcohol-free sunblocks, who am I to be left out? The crowd goes and I follow.

So, like a good, little lemming that I am, I marched (drove, actually, the only marching I did was from the parking lot to the elevator) to my favorite drugstore downtown and did some serious alcohol-free sunblock shopping.

I've been dutifully testing my haul, and slowly I am getting to ready to share with you my first (and in many cases last) impressions.

Dla wiekszosci ludzi, nadeszla ta pora roku. Pora na filtr przeciwsloneczny.
Dla mnie nie ma znaczenia czy jest styczen czy czerwiec. Filtrow uzywam zawsze, przez caly rok. Dlaczego? Bo nie lubie zmarszczek. Ale raka skory nie lubie jeszcze bardziej.

To, do czego nie palam nienawiscia, to alkohol w skladach filtrow. W japonskim klimacie alkoholowe filtry sprawdzaja sie o niebo lepiej niz inne.
Wiec dlaczego zabralam sie za testowanie bezalkoholowych filtrow w tym sezonie?
Ano dlatego, ze sa one ostatnio bardzo modne wsrod kolek wzajemnej adoracji kosmetykow azjatyckich. Wiec jak wszyscy, to wszyscy i ja tez.

Wiec jak kazdy posluszny lemming, podreptalam grzecznie do drogerii i zrobilam masywne bezalkoholowe zakupy.
Testy juz zaczelam, wiec w tym sezonie bede sie dzielila moimi pierwszymi (i w wielu wypadkach rowniez ostatnimi) wrazeniami.

Shigaisen Yohou UV Cream 4+ and Shigaisen Yohou Whitening UV Cream are both alcohol-free sunblocks offering SPF 50+ protection.

They are made by Ishizawa Labs and are fairly easy to find in Japan. Not sure how it is with their online availability.

Shigaisen Yohou UV Cream 4+ was actually released last season and I remember debating whether or not to buy it last year. I didn't buy it. I chose NOV UV Shield EX and it was an excellent choice.
NOV spoiled me. It showed that that a non-chemical sunblock can be excellent.

Shigaisen Yohou UV Cream 4+ is a bit cheaper than NOV. And just like NOV it is intended for sensitive and dry skin.
It's supposed to be water and sweat resistant and can function as a makeup base. Not sure in what galaxy, but that's what the manufacturer says.

Shigaisen Yohou UV Cream 4+ i Shigaisen Yohou Whitening UV Cream to dwa filtry bez alkoholu w skladzie, ktore oferuja ochrone SPF50.
Produkowane sa przez firme Ishizawa Labs i latwo je mozna kupic niemal wszedzie w Japonii. Nie jestem pewna jak jest z ich dostepnoscia przez internet.
Shigaisen Yohou UV Cream 4+ wszedl do sprzedazy juz w zeszlym roku i pamietam, ze debatowalam sama ze soba czy mam go kupic, czy moze jednak nie. Nie kupilam. Zamiast tego, kupilam NOV UV Shield EX, ktory okazal sie strzalem w dziesiatke. A nawet w jedenastke. NOV rozpiescil mnie. Pokazal, ze nie-chemiczny filtr moze byc dobry.

Shigaisen Yohou UV Cream 4+ jest nieco tanszy niz NOV. I podobnie jak NOV, przeznaczony jest dla cery suchej i wrazliwej.
Ma rowniez byc wodo- i potoodpornym. I moze byc uzywany jako baza pod makijaz, wedle zapewnien producenta. Yeah, sralis mazgalis...

And oh yeah, it's free not only of alcohol, but of other additives as well. No parabens, no fragrance, no artificial color, blah blah blah...

Ratzilla listed it as her number 3 pick for 2015, which again confirms that she and I have completely different expectations regarding sunscreens. Or, as my friend said "meh, looks like she never even tried it and just copied what's on the package". Maybe...
I don't know.

Oh, i jeszcze oprocz alkoholu ma byc rowniez bez innych cudow - bez parabenow, bez zapachow, bez sztucznych kolorow, itepe, itede...
Ratzilla w swoim zestawieniu top 5 filtrow na rok 2015 (link powyzej w wersji angielskiej) ma go na trzecim miejscu (w przypadkowej kolejnosci, jak sama pisze). To, ze ma go w tym zestawieniu w ogole, jest dla mnie zaskoczeniem. Potwierdza tylko, ze mamy zupelnie inne oczekiwania odnosnie filtrow.

What I do know is that this is a very powerful sunblock that is completely unsuitable if you have truly dry and sensitive skin.

I have tried my best to like it. After all, Ratzi said it's supposed to be all sorts of great. And good little lemmings listen to Ratzi, because Ratzi knows best, right?

Wrong.

Od razu moge powiedziec, ze to jest potezny filtr, ktory zupelnie nie nadaje sie dla cery suchej i wrazliwej. Chcialam go lubic. No bo Ratzi ma go w swoim top 5 zestawieniu. A przeciez dla lemmingow, ktore chca byc na czasie z japonskimi filtrami, Ratzi to alfa i omega, co nie?
Nie.

~~~

This sunblock takes forever to dry, leaves a sticky layer and no matter how hard I tried, it would not work as a makeup base.

I am fairly pale, so on my ghostly complexion I did not notice any white cast, but if you are any darker than NW or NC 15, prepare to be surprised.

I also felt that it accentuated my pinkishness even more, if that's at all possible. To the point that I looked like a kid who spent the whole day outside not in the sun, but in sub-zero temperatures.

I did like its bulletproof sunblocking ability.
What I didn't like was the fact that about 1 to 2 hours after application, my face was screaming for air. It was literally suffocating. I would have to force myself to stop clawing at my face trying to get that air-proof layer off of my skin. But as I was at work, and sadly my work duties do not include horror movies reenactments, I gave up on using Shigaisen Yohou UV Cream SPF 50+ PA++++.

I passed it on to someone who has skin a lot less sensitive than mine.

Ten filtr schnie przez wieki, zostawia lepiaca powloke, i bez wzgledu na to, jak bardzo sie staralam, nie chcial byc uzywany jako baza pod makijaz.
Ja jestem blada, wiec na mojej twarzy nie widzialam bielenia, ale osoby ciemniejsze niz NW czy NC15 w skali MACowej, beda wygladac jakby wysmarowaly sie pasta do zebow.
Moja twarz jest rozowa i ten filtr zrobil ja jeszcze bardziej rozowa. Do tego stopnia, ze wygladalam jak dziecko, ktore spedzilo dzien na mrozie, a nie w tropikalnym upale.

To co mi sie podobalo, to jego kuloodporna ochrona przed sloncem.
To co mi sie nie podobalo, to fakt, ze jakas godzine czy dwie po nalozeniu na twarz, moja skora doslownie sie dusila. Do tego stopnia, ze mialam ochote zedrzec ten filtr wlasnymi pazurami wraz ze skora. Niestety bylam w pracy, a szefowi nie bardzo by sie podobalo, jakbym zaczela odgrywac sceny rodem z horrorow.
Wiec to byl koniec mojej przygody z Shigaisen Yohou UV Cream 4+.

Oddalam go komus mniej wybrednemu jesli chodzi o filtry.

After such exciting adventures, it's easy to see why I was reluctant to try Shigaisen Yohou Whitening UV Cream SPF 50 PA+++.

While in Shigaisen Yohou UV Cream 4+ the first ingredient listed is water, in the medicated version we have ascorbyl glucoside (water is the 16th ingredient, after tocopherol and butylene glycol).

What's ascorbyl glucoside? According to them innernets, it's a stable form of Vitamin C made by combining said vitamin with glucose. Supposedly it can dramatically reduce the free radicals from sun exposure and thus significantly reduce cell damage and photo-aging.

Sounds awesome. Where do I sign up?

And oh yeah, just like the original version, Shigaisen Yohou Whitening UV Cream SPF 50 PA+++ is also alcohol-free, paraben-free, and all that.


Po takich przygodach podchodzilam do Shigaisen Yohou Whitening UV Cream SPF 50 PA+++ jak do jeza.
O ile Shigaisen Yohou UV Cream 4+ jako pierwszy skladnik mial wode, w tej wersji mamy tutaj ascorbyl glucoside, co jest ponoc stabilna wersja witaminy C. Gdzie witamina C jest polaczona z glukoza. Ponoc ma to dramatycznie zredukowac wolne rodniki z powodu wystawiania skory na slonce, a przez to zapobiegac zniszczeniu komorek i opoznic proces foto-starzenia.
Cuda wianki. Gdzie moge sie zapisac?

I tak jak wersja oryginalna, Shigaisen Yohou Whitening UV Cream SPF 50 PA+++ jest rowniez bez alkoholu, bez parabenow, itepe, itede.

I found the texture and consistency of the medicated whitening version to be much more delicate than the original one. Dare I say it was actually lighter than the original?

It also took a long time to dry. It was also quite sticky when "dry" and just like the original version, there was no way in hell it was going to work as a makeup base.

But my skin seemed to like it a lot more. I could wear it on my face for about 8 hours, and while I could feel it was there, there was no desperate screaming for oxygen, or clawing at my face.
It's a pity then that after about 5 days it broke me out. I treated the small, white bumps on my forehead and cheeks with a sake kasu mask, and when the weekend was over, I was as good as new.

Konsystencja wersji whitening wydaje mi sie bardziej delikatniejsza niz wersji oryginalnej. Moge powiedziec, ze lzejsza?
Rowniez schlo to to wieki. I tak jak przy wersji oryginalnej, bylo bardzo lepkie, kiedy juz "wyschlo". Zupelnie nie nadawalo sie na baze pod makijaz.
Ale moja cera nie krzyczala juz o powietrze. Moglam miec to na twarzy przez 8 godzin. Ale czulo sie ta maske, oj czulo.
Niestety, po 5 dniach mialam na twarzy wysyp malych bialych nieprzyjaciol. Musialam ratowac sie maseczka z sake kasu (link powyzej w wersji anglo) i przez weekend twarz mi sie poprawila.

~~~

I decided to try Shigaisen Yohou Whitening UV Cream on my arms, and there it works like a charm (unlike the disastrous SkinAqua UV Moisture Milk piece of kaka that left me with a tan, when the only direct sun exposure I get is during the two minutes a day running either to or from my car to the office building).

Now the white cast that the medicated whitening version leaves (of course there is a white cast, what did you think?) nicely balances out my unfortunate tan. All is good in the world again.

Both Shigaisen Yohous come in small tubes of 40 grams each.

Zaczelam uzywac Shigaisen Yohou Whitening UV Cream SPF 50 PA+++ na ramionach i tam sprawuje sie dobrze. W przeciwienstwie do SkinAqua UV Moisture Milk, ktore bylo chyba najwieksza tandeta, jaka do tej pory mialam okazje wyprobowac. Niestety kiedy uzywalam SkinAqua UV Moisture Milk ramiona mi sie opalily.
Wiec teraz bielenie jakie pozostawia Shigaisen Yohou Whitening UV Cream SPF 50 PA+++ ladnie zeruje moja nieszczesna naramienna opalenizne.

Oba Shigaiseny sa dostepne w tubkach po 40 gramow kazda.

And in yet another example of Japan's galapagos syndrome, of course both versions feature screw cap tops, orange for the original version, and white for the whitening medicated cream.
I've given up any hope of seeing a flip top on a Japanese cosmetic product... Oh well...

Oczywiscie, poniewaz japonskich galapagos syndrom ma sie swietnie, obie tubki maja zakretki. Nie zamkniecia na klik, nie pompki, a zakretki.
Czy naprawde az tak trudno jest zrobic zamkniecie na klik? Czy taka technologia przerasta japonskie firmy?

Yep, they're tiny, I told ya.

I don't remember the exact prices I paid, but according to Ishizawa Lab website, Shigaisen Yohou UV Cream 4+ will set you back 1944 yen (tax included) and Shigaisen Yohou Whitening UV Cream SPF 50 PA+++ should cost 2484 yen (tax included).

And now, what everyone's been waiting for. The swatches.

Let's open the tiny tubes:

To male tubki.
Nie pamietam dokladnie ile placilam, ale wedlug strony producenta, Shigaisen Yohou UV Cream 4+ powinien kosztowac okolo 1944j jenow (wraz z podatkiem), a Shigaisen Yohou Whitening UV Cream SPF 50 PA+++ okolo 2484 wraz z podatkiem.

A teraz to, na co wszyscy czekaja. Swatche.
Czas otworzyc te tubki.

Let's squeeze some out:

I wycisnijmy troche:

Top - the original, which on the tube is described as "mild formula".
Bottom - the whitening version.

U gory - wersja oryginalna, ktora na tubce opisana jest jako "delikatna formula".
Na dole - wersja whitening.

Yikes! It's thick and sticky. But I did warn you, didn't I?

I jest gesto i lepko. A nie mowilam?

You can't see the white cast on my white arm, but trust me, it's there.

And now, if you're still interested, here are the ingredients.

Bielenie nie jest zbyt widoczne, ale uwierzcie mi, jest.
A teraz, jesli ktos jest nadal zainteresowany, sklady.

• Shigaisen Yohou Whitening UV Cream SPF 50 PA+++ ingredient list: 

Ascorbyl Glucoside, Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Saxifraga Sarmentosa Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil, Tocopherol, Glycerin, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Cellulose Acetate, Zinc Oxide, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Water (Aqua), Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Quaternium-18 Hectorite, Methicone, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Magnesium Sulfate, Sorbitan Sesquiisostearate, Sodium Hydroxide, Silica Silylate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Tetrasodium EDTA, Silica, Phenoxyethanol

I plugged it into CosDNA, here's the link.

For the ingredients of Shigaisen Yohou UV Cream 4+ visit dear Ratzi, link here.

Jesli anazliza na CosDNA (link powyzej).
A sklad Shigaisen Yohou UV Cream 4+ jest na portalu u Ratzilli, link powyzej.


Final thoughts:

If this is your first time trying an alcohol-free Japanese sunblock, or if you're not really that picky about what you put on your skin, you'd be amazed at sheer awesomeness of this stuff.

Koncowa opinia:

Osoby, ktore nigdy przedtem nie probowaly bezalkoholowych filtrow z Japonii, i biala sciana im nie straszna, beda Shigaisenami zachwycone.

As for me, I know I will not repurchase. One time was enough.
There are better options, even in the same price range. Yes, NOV, I'm looking at you again.


This is the end of part 1.
Stay tuned.

Dla mnie ten jeden raz byl wystarczajacy. Z pewnoscia nie kupie ponownie. Sa lepsze opcje, nawet w tej samej przedzialce cenowej (tak znowu o NOV chodzi).

To koniec czesci 1.
Czesc 2 juz wkrotce.




PS. Part 2 is here.


PS. Czesc 2 tutaj.