Japanese skincare to take home: 5 from the drugstore shelf

Japanese skincare to buy in Japan: three sunscreens and two lotions
Sunscreens (60-70 g) fit cabin rules; lotions (170 and 500 ml) must be checked in
Biore has an English product page; Hada Labo is fragrance-free; Skin Aqua is tinted

The five

Best for	Where to get it	Score	Street price, incl. tax
Sold in 27 countries, and the only one with an English product page — if you can’t decide	Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence, 70 g See price	91/100	¥975 (street price)
A tinted sunscreen that brightens the skin — cosmetically	Skin Aqua Tone Up UV Essence, Lavender, 70 g See price	89/100	¥840 (street price)
Half a litre, and the lowest price per millilitre here	Naturie Hatomugi Skin Conditioner, 500 ml See price	83/100	¥597 (street price)
Four hyaluronic acids, no fragrance, and the whole family can use it	Hada Labo Gokujyun Hyaluronic Lotion, 170 ml See price	80/100	¥901 (street price)
An @cosme award winner, with 3,262 reviews behind it	Anessa Perfect UV Skincare Milk NA, 60 ml See price	80/100	¥2,135 (street price)

Most of these are sold on Rakuten Ichiba, which generally ships within Japan only. Buy them in a shop while you are here, or use a forwarding service — and check your own country’s rules before you post a knife or alcohol home.

Sold in 27 countries, and the only one with an English product page

Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence, 70 g

Kao’s standard Biore UV, launched in 2011 and reformulated in February 2025
Water-based essence that sinks in instantly, without the tackiness of a heavier sunscreen
The tube version has shipped more than 100 million units, per Kao
Made in Japan

See today’s price on Rakuten→

Why it made the five

SPF50+ PA++++ with ★★ water resistance, in a water-based essence
For face and body, works under make-up, and washes off with soap
An English and simplified-Chinese product page on Kao’s own site
Sold in 27 countries, so you can find it again at home
Right for: A light sunscreen you can carry in your cabin bag.
Not for: Wanting a tone-up effect — this one is clear.
Worth knowing: Rakuten still lists the pre-2025 formula under a different barcode; the current one is JAN 4901301447647. It is super water-resistant, so wash thoroughly with soap.

Score breakdown — 91/100

Criterion	Stars	Why
Quality	★★★★☆	SPF50+ PA++++ earns a point; no patch-test or fragrance-free statement found
Value for money	★★★★★	¥975 for 70 g — about ¥13.93 a gram, under ¥15
Easy to live with	★★★★★	70 g fits cabin rules, face and body, and soap-removable: the maximum
Trust	★★★★☆	4.70 across 563 reviews on Rakuten, Amazon, Yahoo! Shopping and @cosme
Only here	★★★★★	The only product here with an English page from its maker, and sold in 27 countries so you can buy it again

A tinted sunscreen that brightens the skin — cosmetically

Skin Aqua Tone Up UV Essence, Lavender, 70 g

Rohto’s tinted Skin Aqua; the lavender cast looks brighter, a cosmetic effect only
Contains sodium hyaluronate
Scented, described by the maker as a soap fragrance

See today’s price on Rakuten→

Why it made the five

SPF50+ PA++++ in a lavender-tinted sunscreen for face and body
Allergy tested, paraben-free, mineral-oil-free
A coating agent for sweat and water; washes off with soap
Right for: Wanting sunscreen and a make-up base in one bottle.
Not for: Wanting a sunscreen with no colour in it.
Worth knowing: There are white, mint, pink and blue versions, with different sizes and pages. Rakuten also lists an older 80 g version. It is scented.

Score breakdown — 89/100

Criterion	Stars	Why
Quality	★★★★★	Allergy tested and SPF50+ PA++++: the maximum
Value for money	★★★★★	¥840 for 70 g — ¥12.00 a gram, under ¥15
Easy to live with	★★★★★	70 g fits cabin rules, face and body, and soap-removable: the maximum
Trust	★★★☆☆	4.65 across 137 reviews on Rakuten and Yahoo! Shopping
Only here	★★★★☆	The only tinted sunscreen here, which doubles as a make-up base

Half a litre, and the lowest price per millilitre here

Naturie Hatomugi Skin Conditioner, 500 ml

Imyu’s Naturie lotion
Ingredients run water, DPG, BG, glycerin, Job’s tears extract, dipotassium glycyrrhizate
A refill version is sold in the official shop

See today’s price on Rakuten→

Why it made the five

Job’s tears extract as a moisturising plant ingredient
A light finish in a 500 ml bottle you can use freely
Stated by the maker as usable on the whole body, not just the face
About ¥1.19 a millilitre
Right for: Using lotion generously, on your face and everywhere else.
Not for: Having no room or weight left in the suitcase.
Worth knowing: At 500 ml it is exactly at the per-container ceiling for checked cosmetics, and far too large for the cabin. We could not confirm its test claims, quasi-drug status or country of manufacture on the official page.

Score breakdown — 83/100

Criterion	Stars	Why
Quality	★★★☆☆	No patch-test, fragrance-free or quasi-drug statement found on the official page
Value for money	★★★★★	¥597 for 500 ml — about ¥1.19 a millilitre, the cheapest here
Easy to live with	★★★★☆	Too large for the cabin, but stated for whole-body use and sold with a refill
Trust	★★★★★	4.55 across 7,377 reviews on Rakuten, Amazon, Yahoo! Shopping and @cosme
Only here	★★★★☆	The largest bottle here and the lowest price per millilitre — the one to buy for yourself in quantity

Four hyaluronic acids, no fragrance, and the whole family can use it

Hada Labo Gokujyun Hyaluronic Lotion, 170 ml

Rohto’s best-known lotion, mildly acidic and also paraben-free
Rohto says plainly that anyone of any age can use it

See today’s price on Rakuten→

Why it made the five

Four kinds of hyaluronic acid, in a viscous lotion
Fragrance-free, colourant-free, oil-free and alcohol-free
Patch tested with sensitive-skinned volunteers
Usable on face, body and hair; a refill pack exists
Right for: A plain, unscented moisturising lotion for a whole household.
Not for: Preferring a light, watery finish — this one is viscous, though a light version exists.
Worth knowing: At 170 ml it cannot go in the cabin; check it in. The country of manufacture is not published.

Score breakdown — 80/100

Criterion	Stars	Why
Quality	★★★★☆	Patch tested with sensitive-skinned volunteers earns a point; it is a cosmetic, not a quasi-drug
Value for money	★★★★☆	¥901 for 170 ml — about ¥5.30 a millilitre, between ¥3 and ¥6
Easy to live with	★★★★☆	Too large for the cabin, but stated for face, body and hair, and sold with a refill
Trust	★★★★☆	4.46 across 813 reviews on Rakuten, Yahoo! Shopping and @cosme
Only here	★★★★☆	The only product here publishing four kinds of hyaluronic acid, unscented and stated as suitable for anyone — which makes it an easy gift

An @cosme award winner, with 3,262 reviews behind it

Anessa Perfect UV Skincare Milk NA, 60 ml

Shiseido’s standard Anessa milk, made with its Beautiful Sun Essence
Shiseido’s page also lists first in the LIPS Best Cosmetics 2025 UV milk category
Floral scent

See today’s price on Rakuten→

Why it made the five

SPF50+ PA++++ with ★★ water resistance, in a milk
For face and body, works under make-up, and washes off with soap
First for sunscreen among new products, @cosme Best Cosmetics Awards, first half of 2024
Fifty per cent skincare ingredients, per the maker
Right for: Wanting a sunscreen with a name and an award behind it as a present.
Not for: Watching the price per millilitre.
Worth knowing: Rakuten prices vary enormously by seller — one was ¥1,480 and the rest started at ¥2,135. Check a seller’s rating before buying an unusually cheap one. It is scented, and the country of manufacture is not published.

Score breakdown — 80/100

Criterion	Stars	Why
Quality	★★★★☆	SPF50+ PA++++ earns a point; no patch-test or fragrance-free statement found
Value for money	★★☆☆☆	¥2,135 for 60 ml — about ¥35.58 a millilitre, using the second-cheapest seller as our rule requires
Easy to live with	★★★★★	60 ml fits cabin rules, face and body, and soap-removable: the maximum
Trust	★★★★★	4.76 across 8,924 reviews on Rakuten, Amazon, Yahoo! Shopping and @cosme
Only here	★★★★☆	The only product here with an @cosme Best Cosmetics Award, which is an easy thing to say when you hand it over

Know before you buy

Japanese sunscreens are a genuine reason to shop here. SPF50+ PA++++ is the ceiling of the Japanese labelling system, and these cost ¥840–2,135 for 60–70 g.
Only the sunscreens fit cabin rules. They run 50–70 g, within the 100 ml limit; the lotions are 140–500 ml and must be checked in.
Cosmetics are allowed in both cabin and hold up to 500 ml per container and 2 litres per person — but in the cabin the 100 ml rule and the one-litre clear bag still apply.
‘Quasi-drug’ on a Japanese label means the maker publishes an active ingredient. Three of the products we compared carry one.
Only one of these has an English product page from its maker. Assume Japanese-only packaging unless you check in the shop.
Tax-free on cosmetics changes on 1 November 2026: the sealed-bag rule and the ¥500,000 ceiling go, and you claim the tax back at departure instead.

How we chose: theme, conditions, scoring

How we chose

Candidates: 64
Met every condition below: 44
Kept: five, each the best at something different

Conditions (all of them, not most of them)

A Japanese-brand face lotion, emulsion or sunscreen of the kind sold in drugstores
The maker publishes the volume, plus the ingredients for lotions or the SPF and PA for sunscreens
Buyable on Rakuten Ichiba (refill packs excluded), with at least 30 reviews averaging 4.0 or better

Scoring

Five criteria, one to five stars each, weighted to one hundred points. Every star says where the number came from.

Quality25 pts
- Starts at three stars. Add one if the maker states a patch test with sensitive-skinned volunteers, an allergy test, or all three of fragrance-free, colourant-free and alcohol-free. Add one more if a lotion is a quasi-drug with a published active ingredient, or if a sunscreen is SPF50+ PA++++, the top of the Japanese scale.
Value for money20 pts
- The cheapest delivered price on the Rakuten product page, divided by volume. For lotions: under ¥3 a millilitre is five stars, under ¥6 four, under ¥10 three, under ¥15 two. For sunscreens: under ¥15 a gram five, under ¥25 four, under ¥35 three, under ¥50 two. Where one seller is more than 30% below the next, we use the second.
Easy to live with20 pts
- Starts at two stars. Add one if the container is 100 ml or less, so it can go in your cabin bag. Add one if the maker says it can be used on the body as well as the face. Add one if a sunscreen washes off with soap, or a lotion has a refill pack.
Trust20 pts
- Review count and average on the Rakuten product page: 1,000-plus at 4.5 or better is five stars, 100-plus at 4.5 four, 30-plus three.
Only here15 pts
- Starts at three stars. Add one or two where something is true of this product and none of the other eight, and where it bears on daily use or on choosing it as a present — English information, awards, how easily it travels.

What we dropped

Candidate	Verdict	Why
Curél moisture UV essence, 50 g	Runner-up (80/100)	The score is high enough, but its character overlaps with the five
Curél moisture lotion III, very rich, 150 mL	Runner-up (77/100)	77 points, below the lowest of the five (80)
Hada Labo Gokujyun hyaluronic milk, 140 mL	Runner-up (72/100)	72 points, below the lowest of the five (80)
Melano CC medicated brightening lotion, rich, 170 mL	Runner-up (72/100)	72 points, below the lowest of the five (80)
Hada Labo Shirojyun Premium medicated brightening lotion	Runner-up	A quasi-drug brightening lotion with 113 Rakuten reviews at 4.70, but we had already taken Melano CC for that role.
Anessa Perfect UV Skincare Gel NB	Runner-up	1,649 Rakuten reviews at 4.78 and it qualifies, but it duplicates the Anessa milk.
Curel Deep Moisture Spray	Runner-up	991 Rakuten reviews at 4.84, but from Curel we took the lotion and the sunscreen. Sprayable cosmetics can also be checked in at up to 500 ml per container.
Curel moisture emulsion	Runner-up	707 Rakuten reviews at 4.66, but we chose Hada Labo’s emulsion to pair with its lotion.
Biore UV Athlizm Protect Essence	Runner-up	245 Rakuten reviews at 4.62, but from Biore UV we chose Aqua Rich, which has an English product page.
Other Skin Aqua sunscreens	Failed a condition	All ten had fewer than 30 reviews on their Rakuten product pages — the highest was 15.
Melano CC Premium Brightening Essence	Outside the theme	20 ml, cabin-friendly, and 909 reviews, but it is a serum rather than a lotion, emulsion or sunscreen.
Sekkisei, Muji, Orbis, DHC, Minon	Held back	All drugstore staples, but we could not verify their full official ranges; Orbis had no lotion product page on Rakuten.

Questions visitors ask

Can I take lotions and sunscreen home on the plane?

Skincare cosmetics are allowed in both cabin and hold, up to 500 ml per container and 2 litres per person. But in the cabin the usual liquids rule still applies: 100 ml or less per container, all of it inside one one-litre clear resealable bag, and gels and emulsions count as liquids. Of the nine we compared, only the four sunscreens — 50 to 70 g — fit. The lotions, at 140 to 500 ml, go in the hold. Anything bought airside after immigration is exempt.

Can I buy these tax-free?

Cosmetics are ‘consumables’ under the current scheme: ¥5,000 to ¥500,000 in one shop in one day, sealed in the prescribed packaging, which you must not open in Japan — opening or using it can mean paying the tax on departure. From 1 November 2026 it becomes a refund system: you pay the tax, then claim it back after customs confirm you are taking the goods out, and the consumable/general distinction, the special packaging and the upper limit all disappear. Only shops displaying tax-free status qualify.

Is there anything in English?

Only one. Kao publishes an English — and simplified Chinese — product page for Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence. The other eight have Japanese-only product pages, and we could not confirm what is printed on the packaging, so check in the shop if the recipient does not read Japanese.

What do SPF and PA actually mean?

Kao explains SPF as the measure of protection against UVB and PA as the classification for UVA, both measured to an international standard with 2 mg applied per square centimetre. In this guide, Biore UV, Anessa and Skin Aqua are SPF50+ PA++++, the top of the Japanese scale; Curel’s UV essence is SPF30 PA++.

What does ‘quasi-drug’ mean on the label?

It means the maker publishes an active ingredient. Among the nine we compared, Curel’s moisture lotion (allantoin), Melano CC’s medicated brightening lotion (three actives including ascorbyl glucoside) and Curel’s UV essence are quasi-drugs. Read the claims as the maker words them, and stop using anything that does not suit your skin.

Which should I buy for someone else?

Biore UV Aqua Rich if they will want to buy it again — it is sold in 27 countries and the maker explains it in English. Anessa if the name and the award matter. Hada Labo Gokujyun if they have sensitive skin and dislike fragrance. Naturie’s 500 ml bottle is the one to keep for yourself, because it will not fit in a cabin bag anyway.

Changes

2026-10-25　First published. Scored from 64 candidates.