I’m moving to Japan for a year, and I have horribly sensitive skin. Right now, the only face wash I can use is CeraVe hydrating facial cleanser; everything else burns and irritates my skin (even cetaphil). I’ve heard Japan has great skin care, but I’m scared to waste money on something harmful to me. Can you guys share any suggestions with me? It would be immensely helpful for shaving products too, as now I am using Nivea for men! Thank you in advance!
by BrodyIsLame
14 comments
I would try looking on r/SkincareAddiction!
skin care in japan is like skin care everywhere else, as everything else is, too…
go to the pharmacy, buy products, use them, be happy…
You could always pack a years worth of products and put them in your checked in luggage
You should ask the ladies at r/AsianBeauty for more Japan specific recommendations.
How are you at Japanese? You can check https://s.cosme.net/ranking/ for the highly rated products.
Curel is pretty reliable and easy to find 🙂 it was developed for sensitive skin. I’m not sure if they have any shaving products ..
I will say many people in the states (assuming you live there now) report that their inflammation goes down after moving to another country. The regulations for food and drugs aka skincare are so messed up in the states, there are so many preservatives and chemicals in our food and products. Many people report weight loss, decrease in inflammatory diseases, etc. so you might find that naturally you don’t have as sensitive skin when using Japanese products. Just my two cents!
they have cerave here in japan! just go to a big drug store or donki 👍 if you can’t find cerave i recommend hatomugi skin care products, i have super sensitive skin (can’t even use cerave :’)) but hatomugi has never made my skin burn!
I’d certainly like to find out some nice hydrating products for men. I’m at the age where my face is going to start looking like an old catcher’s mitt unless I start to do something, but I don’t really know where to start.
CeraVe products are fast and cheap on amazon.jp
For shaving, I’d suggest using [GATSBY Shaving Gel Moist-Type](https://www.mandom.co.jp/en/products/brand.html?brandId=1005&categoryId=1016). Another good shaving solution is to use a shaving brush and a proper shaving soap. Much less nasty chemicals.
I have the same problem as you. I discovered Sioris Cleanse me softly milk cleanser, the one without fragrance. It works perfectly gently removing even mineral sunscreen, without stripping the skin. Can be purchased from their official website here in Japan or from Iherb. Acure brand from Iherb is pretty nice too, plenty of choices for sensitive skin. Japanese skincare tends to be on the chemical side with parabens, scents etc. Hope this helps!
I couldn’t handle anything but incredibly expensive gentle-formula skincare because my skin is sensitive too. I bought the Softymo Oil Cleanser last time i was in Japan for like literally $2 a bottle because I didn’t bring any makeup wipes with me. It’s an oil cleanser/makeup remover that you use before foaming cleanser to double cleanse the skin.
Because it’s an oil cleanser it’s very hydrating and as long as you wash it with foaming cleanser after it doesn’t cause breakouts. My old makeup wipes used to burn my skin and this removed the makeup instantly with no irritation at all.
The shower heads in Japan are also usually filtered which helped my skin a lot!
For face wash I use a soap called Itsukano Sekken I got it through Bloombox and really enjoyed it. [https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Mizuhashi-Tamotsu-Kotobuki-Itsuka-Sekken/dp/B00JPWO596](https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Mizuhashi-Tamotsu-Kotobuki-Itsuka-Sekken/dp/B00JPWO596)
Bloombox is a service by Cosme I use to try out new face and hair products. It gives me a box 1x a month for around 1650yen. REALLY convenient. And I’ve found a lot of products I like through it.
My main stuff I use otherwise are Drops of Light, Drops of Youth, and Tea Tree Oil from The Body Shop.
Dr c labo Senstive skin cream !