The Best Skin Care I Found in Japan
I had such an amazing time eating, exploring, and shopping my way through the city, and I just want to relive it over and over again. But I’ll save you from the repetition and instead, I’ll share some of the amazing Japanese skin-care products I refused to leave the country without. I’ve heard the potent antioxidant-rich ingredient, which is best known for its brightening ability, is super popular in Japan, so, of course, I had to find out for myself. While I couldn’t read most of the ingredient lists and labels, anything with vitamin C was fairly easy to spot because of its bright yellow packaging. I bought a few serums, like the Rohto Mentholatum Melano CC Vitamin C Essence, which is one of the most recognizable vitamin C-based skin-care brands in Japan right now.What makes Lion Pair’s acne cream so unique compared to spot treatments I’ve used in the past, is that it’s made with 3% ibuprofen piconol, an ingredient not commonly found in American skin-care products. It’s a “non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) similar to regular ibuprofen but formulated specifically for topical use,” according to dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD. “It’s formulated to reduce inflammation, pain, and swelling on the skin's surface.” I have yet to try it (see above re: rare breakouts), but when I do, it’ll be my first line of defense.In this week’s Skin Check, associate beauty director Sarah Kinonen shares her Japanese skin-care haul from a recent trip to Tokyo.I blacked out at one point during a two-hour shopping trip to Don Quijote, one of (if not the) biggest discount store in Japan, and bought approximately 62,535 tubes of chemical sunscreen, like the hydrating and makeup-setting Biore UV Aqua Rich Aqua Protect Mist; the silky, lightweight Anessa Perfect UV Skincare Milk SPF50+; and the skin-brightening Skin Aqua Tone Up UV Essence. In my opinion, Japanese sunscreen is elite (blendable lotion!