- “I think it is literally the most well-known vitamin C serum to come out of Japan”11:43–11:48
- “It is also very oxidation free. It is an opaque packaging and only very small amounts of the product come out at a time. So, you know, it does keep that vitamin C really fresh”13:16–13:29
- “In terms of ingredients, cost and efficacy, it still holds up. It is literally a vitamin C serum for less than like $10. I feel like it is still unbeatable and no one has really come out with anything much better in terms of bang for bucks”13:29–13:41
- “Is it still a holy grail? Yeah, I'd say so”13:47–13:50
- “When it comes to traveling, I feel like I always choose my holy grails. And this is one that I always, always travel with”13:07–13:16
- Source: Still my holy grails? Top skincare products part 2 - Aug 29, 2025
Rohto Mentholatum
See Reviews of These Products
Melano CC Vitamin C Essence"I think it is literally the most well-known vitamin C serum to come out of Japan."-
Skin Aqua Super Moisture UV Gel SPF 50+ PA++++"This provides pretty well-rounded broad spectrum UVA and UVB coverage."-
Skin Aqua Super Moisture UV Essence"This is like what I always wished that product to be. So, if you're a fan of that one, I highly recommend checking this one out. I'm actually really really glad that I tried it, too."-
Melty Cream Lip Balm"Bro got me one in caramel macchiato."-
Melano CC Premium Brightening Essence Serum"Literally just the easiest vitamin C to travel with."-
Calamee Calamine Nosebum Gel"They are a great way to hydrate your skin deeply and to make it plump and hydrate all day even when you wear makeup."$11.69
Skin Aqua Super Moisture Barrier UV Gel"The filters in this are amazing. All right, excellent broadspectctrum UV protection."$16.99
Hada Labo Shirojyun Premium Whitening Emulsion"I feel like the perfect level of hydration."-
Hada Labo Shirojyun Premium Whitening Lotion"It's not a bad product, but because of the other product that I have that I would reach out for more, I didn't use this one as often."-
Melty Cream Lip Balm SPF 25 PA+++"I have so many empties of this one. I actually think it is our most emptied lip balm at this point."-
Skin Aqua Hyaluronic Serum UV SPF 50+ PA++++"It is really nice and lightweight and feels nice on the skin, although I did feel like it did take a little bit of effort to get it actually all blended out very evenly."-
Lycee Eye Drops"I have been using them for probably close to 15 years now and something that I rely on in the time of need."-
Optic Glow Eye Whitening Drops"I have been using these for 15 plus years."-
Care Cera AP Moisturizing Advance Milk Lotion"It is a booster emulsion, so you do put it on first step after cleansing, and it is supposed to help moisturize your skin but also help the absorption of all your other products."$20.90
Vita Flash Eye Wash"It is just really nice and refreshing."-Browse More
- “It's not only my favorite vitamin C serum, but I think it's actually Japan's number one bestseller”3:15–3:18
- “It's affordable, effective, and you know, it's just often sells out”3:28–3:32
- “Really helps to target like dark spots, may help to protect your skin against additional environmental aggressors, or if you suffer from even acne”3:34–3:40
- “It's got pure vitamin C ascorbic acid that is the most effective form of vitamin C along with vitamin E”
- “It is hydrating, it is a little bit more nourishing with the plant oils but in no way is it heavy, greasy”
- “I do feel like this is one vitamin C that could be suitable for all skin types, including acne prone skin and sensitive skin”3:41–3:48
- Source: Japanese skincare routine: what a derm uses morning & night - Jun 19, 2025
- “This is one of the most popular Japanese vitamin C products”12:15–12:20
- “What's really interesting about this is how they formulated and what type of packaging they used for this product. The tube itself is an aluminum tube and the tip is so small and fine, so that doesn't let air through, which keeps the product stable”12:39–12:45
- “I find that it works well on hyperpigmentation that's newer, not like deep pigments that have been there for a while like melasma. This won't really get rid of that”13:15–13:25
- “If you've had breakouts and they've sort of like turned into just dark spots and you want to sort of fade that, this is a great product to use”13:29–13:33
- “The only thing is that it feels oily. It feels like a dry oil, not like a watery serumy type”13:34–13:41
- “I only like to use it at night, but you could use it morning and night if you really wanted to. I just don't like that oily feeling in the morning, especially when I'm applying like makeup over it”13:41–13:44
- “I think a tube like this will last you a while because you don't need a lot of product and the product is stable”13:55–14:00
- “If you have sensitive skin, maybe you want to try something like this, but only use it every second or third day to see if your skin can handle it”14:00–14:06
- Source: Ranking viral Japanese beauty products - May 22, 2026
- “This provides pretty well-rounded broad spectrum UVA and UVB coverage”11:48–11:54
- “It is a chemical sunscreen, but with this buttery texture that absorbs really quickly, easy to apply, very smooth application, but leaves no white cast”12:00–12:05
- “It's water resistant”
- “I honestly, like the one from Nivea, feel like it is great for use on face and body”12:13–12:18
- “This also can double as a makeup base as well”12:18–12:21
- “It's not greasy, it's lightweight, fast absorbing, and really elegant”12:48–12:53
- “That's another one of my favorite go-to Japanese sunscreens to use on face and body for the summer”12:51–12:58
- Source: Body sunscreens that don't feel gross: Derm's top picks - Jun 5, 2025
- “This texture is the most fluid kind of gel cream. It is not a glowy product by any means. It will kind down to more of a soft, natural finish”21:56–22:06
- “This does have alcohol in it, which I don't love alcohol in my sunscreen, but I haven't found this to be drying whatsoever”22:09–22:16
- “I can like literally put on sunscreen on my face and body in maybe 30 seconds. Feels so weightless without it being really, really dry. And it is waterproof, non-pilling, non-greasy”
- “The Super Moisture UV Gel is such an excellent excellent product. I really highly recommend this one in particular”22:59–23:07
- “It is one of those products that kind of makes it impossible to have an excuse for not applying your sunscreen. This is an absolutely fantastic one”23:09–23:12
- “Does not burn my eyes at all. So, I wear it face and body”
- “The fact that this is water resistant, it is SPF 50 that feels like water. It really feels like a serum. It doesn't have a sticky residue on the body and it applies so fast. It really makes for sunscreen that is just a pleasure to apply and really easy”38:53–39:00
- “It is affordable, it is stunning, and the bonus part is is that if you just put this by the door, it's great for the body, but I also love it for the face, which is kind of unheard of again for a sunscreen like this. So, I'm a huge fan”39:42–39:48
- Source: Best Asian Sunscreens of 2026 and Ones to Avoid - Jul 2, 2026
- “This is wildly fragrant. I don't understand why they did that. Oh my god, my eyes immediately started burning”24:20–24:28
- “This is probably one of the most fragrant products in the entire video, if not the most”24:28–24:36
- “This one is a no. I don't think that anyone should be putting this much fragrance on their face”24:47–24:50
- Source: Best Asian Sunscreens of 2026 and Ones to Avoid - Jul 2, 2026
- “This is like what I always wished that product to be. So, if you're a fan of that one, I highly recommend checking this one out. I'm actually really really glad that I tried it, too”23:33–23:38
- “This is just a slightly thicker texture than the UV Gel”23:44–23:49
- “I think personally this isn't the top pick of the video, but I have a feeling that those of you with more combination skin would enjoy the texture of this”23:59–24:06
- Source: Best Asian Sunscreens of 2026 and Ones to Avoid - Jul 2, 2026
- “I'm pretty sure that this is probably a very similar formula, but one is an essence and one is a gel”
- Source: Every beauty product I bought in Japan - Feb 14, 2026
- “Bro got me one in caramel macchiato”
- “The scent is so good”
- “It's like a caramel frappuccino on your lips”4:06–4:14
- Source: Ranking my best lip balms: viral, k-beauty & high-end - Jul 20, 2025
- “This one when you apply it, it also is so smooth”3:24–3:29
- “It glides on”3:26–3:31
- “It is a thin application but still leaves your lips perfectly nourished and for a long time as well”3:29–3:34
- “It's not like those old school waxy draggy like dry lip balms”3:36–3:46
- “The scent is so good”
- “It's like a caramel frappuccino on your lips”
- “It's not as glossy as the soft melting lip balm”4:25–4:32
- Source: Ranking my best lip balms: viral, k-beauty & high-end - Jul 20, 2025
- “I have the one in honey”
- “The scent is so good”
- Source: Ranking my best lip balms: viral, k-beauty & high-end - Jul 20, 2025
- “They are a great way to hydrate your skin deeply and to make it plump and hydrate all day even when you wear makeup”17:12–17:17
- “It also helps to kind of like smooth out your pores”17:26–17:29
- “It is free from alcohol and added fragrance, which is nice”17:36–17:40
- Source: Huge J-Beauty Haul: Skincare, Makeup, Hair & More - Dec 25, 2025
- “The filters in this are amazing. All right, excellent broadspectctrum UV protection”15:57–16:01
- “The overall formula is so nice for a sunscreen. It is a gel, but it's hydrating at the same time”16:06–16:15
- “It's a chemical sunscreen. It doesn't burn or sting. It's very, very, very, very easy to tolerate on eyelid skin where you need to be putting sunscreen”16:15–16:20
- “This is particularly good for oily skin because it is so lightweight. But if you have dry skin, don't hesitate to get this one either”16:27–16:31
- “Sweat will evaporate through this. No problem. You will not overheat and you will not have any issue reapplying it every 2 hours while you are outdoors”16:33–16:40
- “I'm so happy I repurchased it. I have already been using it a ton again because I just love it”16:44–16:48
- “Zero white cast. If you have a deeper skin tone, you live somewhere hot, humid, you're real oily, you're real shiny, this is the one to try”16:48–16:52
- Source: Dermatologist Reviews New Korean Skincare Worth Buying - Apr 17, 2026
- “I have so many empties of this one. I actually think it is our most emptied lip balm at this point”
- “Still one of the best lip balms that I have ever tried”21:26–21:30
- “It does have a very nice glossy finish to it, very very moisturizing and nourishing”21:32–21:39
- “Sometimes it's almost too melty. If I leave it in a pocket for too long or somewhere where sun hits or gets warmed up it gets mushed up or like literally just melts”21:39–21:45
- “If it was just for the formula and if they didn't release limited editions I don't think I would continue to buy it, so holy grail not so much anymore”22:22–22:34
- Source: Still my holy grails? Top skincare products part 2 - Aug 29, 2025
- “It is really nice and lightweight and feels nice on the skin, although I did feel like it did take a little bit of effort to get it actually all blended out very evenly”2:17–2:23
- “It definitely does lean quite dewy, especially right after application. But I will say it does kind of slowly fade throughout the day and it's not like super oil producing, if that makes sense”2:43–2:50
- “Overall, as a alcohol and fragrance-free Japanese sunscreen, I do think it is quite nice”
- “I feel like if you had a slightly lighter finish to it, more people would be able to use it”3:27–3:32
- “For my dry skin, the kind of dewiness and the moisturizing finish is really nice, but I feel like maybe oilier or combo skin types might find it a little too much”3:35–3:38
- “I would say the finish and feel on the skin is quite similar to your kind of common K beauty sunscreens, but I do find the K beauty ones a little bit easier to blend out even with that cream texture”3:40–3:49
- “If you're specifically looking for J beauty sunscreens, I think this one is definitely a really really good option”3:54–3:57
- Source: Reviewing new Japanese sunscreens 2025 release - Aug 8, 2025
- “I have been using them for probably close to 15 years now and something that I rely on in the time of need”23:11–23:18
- “It clears red eyes like that, like literally 30 seconds put them in and they will clear them out instantly”23:37–23:43
- “If you do suffer from red eyes try it out because they work like magic”23:43–23:48
- Source: What to buy in Japan: J-Beauty I actually buy - Nov 30, 2024
- “I have been using these for 15 plus years”13:56–14:01
- “I only use them mostly when I film”14:10–14:13
- “I'll just pop them in to help my eyes look a bit brighter and a bit more clearer”14:13–14:16
- Source: Everyday makeup routine: glowy skinned soft glam - May 1, 2026
- “It is a booster emulsion, so you do put it on first step after cleansing, and it is supposed to help moisturize your skin but also help the absorption of all your other products”17:07–17:11
- “Whenever you need that extra layer of moisture, it is definitely a good product”17:21–17:27
- “Super duper gentle and all about barrier protection cuz it is ceramides, peptides, Vaseline, all that nourishing and skin barrier strengthening ingredients”17:25–17:32
- Source: Gentle & skin barrier friendly skincare routine AM & PM - Apr 17, 2026
- “It is just really nice and refreshing”15:11–15:19
- “It does have a bit more of that cooling feeling compared to like the regular ones I use”15:19–15:26
- Source: Gentle & skin barrier friendly skincare routine AM & PM - Apr 17, 2026
Brand note
Rohto Mentholatum is the Japanese drugstore powerhouse behind some of the most functional, no-nonsense skincare out there — think stable vitamin C serums, hydrating sunscreens, and nourishing lip balms that actually work without a luxury price tag. The Melano CC Vitamin C Essence is the standout: a stable, affordable serum that targets newer dark spots and is suitable for most skin types, though the oily finish can be a trade-off for some.
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