Shiseido UNO is a relatively affordable line created for men. Many of the products are of an all-in-one type, as it is the case here. This sunscreen is meant to be applied after washing your face or shaving as the only step of your routine. Contrary to what we hear, both Japanese and Korean brands produce a lot of all-in-one products. I suppose not everyone in East Asian follows 7 or 10-step routines popularised in the West.

The UNO UV Perfection Gel is the newest addition to the collection. I’ve bought it because this sunscreen contains tranexamic acid and liquorice root extract (dipotassium glycyrrhizinate) similarly to Anessa Whitening Essence, though at a much lower price tag. Tranexamic acid is great for issues related to melanin overproduction like hyperpigmentation. Liquorice extract also helps with hyperpigmentation plus it fights breakouts, which makes this sunscreen even more appealing. The two main differences between the sunscreens are: UNO has SPF 30 and Anessa SPF 50, the first one offers mattifying effect the latter hydrating one. I must say that this sunscreen was pleasurable to use, it’s light and not too heavy. You can feel it for a bit of time, but then it dries down to nothing. The sunscreen contains exclusively chemical filters, and it does not leave any white cast whatsoever, despite its mattifying finish.

On the packaging, next to the word ‘dry’ there’s a box coloured; combined with my experience, it makes me think that this product was designed for dry climates rather than hot and humid ones. I must say that it did not perform too well during very humid days as it became oily on my skin. It didn’t turn my face into a grease ball, though. The sunscreen itself became oily, sort of like melting on my face, yet not moving much. I could notice it when I touched my face, but I didn’t look very oily. It happened because the mattifying agents are not the strongest, which was actually a good thing, as the sunscreen didn’t break me out. I appreciated it a lot during the heatwave.

This sunscreen has quite a bit of menthol which gives a nice cooling effect, so whenever I was going out it helped me to adjust slowly to the heat; well, at least it delayed the torture for quite some time. Usually, I would hate this amount of menthol, but during the heatwave, it was much appreciated. It also has fragrance,  but a barely detectable amount. Another positive thing that came out of this sunscreen is related to its packaging. This sunscreen is in a jar, and in order to be sure that I apply the right amount, I have decided to buy measuring spoons. Now, I use them to measure all of my sunscreens. So I can make sure that I apply my sunscreens as close to the right amount (2mg per cm2) as possible.

                                                                                                            (2.5ml & 5ml spoons, very useful)

I like this sunscreen. It’s easy to use, works nicely in my routine. It provides decent protection SPF 30 and PA+++ (between PPD 8 and <16, which makes me believe that this sunscreen would have the encircled UVA symbol, aka 1:3 UVB : UVA ratio). I am not sure if it’s the best product to use right after shaving, though I didn’t find it irritating. The amount of menthol in this sunscreen is quite nice during hot days, but I wouldn’t like it on a daily basis. This sunscreen is also great if you have acne-prone skin or you want to fight hyperpigmentation as it contains two great ingredients to help with these problems (tranexamic acid and liquorice root extract).

You can find the ingredients here: global.rakuten.com. 

Shiseido’s UNO UV Perfection Gel retails for €14 on Yesstyle.com[aff].