This Sunscreen Claims to Work Better When You Sweat. We’re Still Not Buying It. (2024)

Shiseido’s claim seems to stem from two key problems it has identified with most sunscreens: user error and environmental factors. Both may contribute to an uneven coating of active ingredients. If true, this can lead to “‘gaps’ in coverage at the micro level,” said Nikhil Dhingra, a board-certified dermatologist, in an email.

But in 2014, Shiseido announced (PDF) it had developed a groundbreaking WetForce formulation, the “first sunscreen technology that gains power through contact with water or perspiration.”

The company claimed that ionic mineral sensors in the formula “bond” with calcium and magnesium minerals present in water and sweat, causing the applied sunscreen film to become more water-repellent and “more uniform, smoother, and stronger,” supposedly bolstering the sunscreen’s UV protection.

A few years later, Shiseido announced that they’d figured out how to improve UV protection with heat (HeatForce) using an ingredient that improves the efficiency of UV protection, according to a company spokesperson. (Shiseido declined to reveal the ingredient, due to it being proprietary.)

Combined, these two innovations form what Shiseido rather grandly calls SynchroShieldRepair Technology, the patented formulation used in the new release of Ultimate Sun Protector Lotion SPF 60+.

While Shiseido’s formula is proprietary and therefore impossible for us to validate, the cosmetic chemists and dermatologist I consulted could not verify or explain the mechanism behind Shiseido’s claim, though they had some hypotheses.

However it supposedly works, the real question is if Shiseido’s formula is a game changer and worth swapping for. A company spokesperson said in an email interview, “We believe that consumers will feel a noticeable difference in the effectiveness of SynchroShieldRepair technology when they are at the beach, if enough salt water comes in contact with their skin, or in very hot environments.”

I decided to put it to the test.

Shiseido specifies that HeatForce is “activated on hot days, after the product is applied to the skin” and that WetForce works after exposing “the applied area to water or perspiration for 30 minutes.”

For comparison, I turned to two face sunscreens that we recommend: Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40and Supergoop Play Everyday Lotion SPF 50. Like the Shiseido sunscreen, they are chemical sunscreens; they are lightweight, invisible, or nearly invisible on a range of skin tones; and they are above the recommended minimum SPF 30.

Unlike the Shiseido sunscreen, they make no sweat-related promises.

I tested the sunscreens side by side on a three-night camping trip in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, wearing them on sweaty—and in some cases, alarmingly hot—hikes that lasted well over 30 minutes, for dips into two frigid rivers, and on the drive back from Sequoia to Los Angeles during which the car thermometer read 113 degrees Fahrenheit at one point.

Two days later, I wore the sunscreens in 90-degree heat for several hours at Disney California Adventure Park.

I have also worn the sunscreens for several hours at the beach, for more than 30 minutes in a pool, and on hour-long walks.

I also asked a runner friend to take the sunscreens for a spin around Los Angeles on a day that reached 89 degrees.

Throughout testing for this piece, I wore the Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protector Lotion SPF 60+ on one half of my face and one arm while wearing one of the Wirecutter-recommended chemical sunscreens on the other half, reapplying periodically. I did not burn. I also didn’t observe any difference in performance or evenness of protection.

Application and absorption

The Shiseido sunscreen blended in invisibly and stayed on about as well as the two Supergoop sunscreens.

I noticed no dripping or stinging in my eyes, nor pilling or streaking, for any of the sunscreens.

The Shiseido sunscreen dispenses rapidly from a thin opening for a notably narrow line. It has a thin, milky consistency the color of peach sherbet, and the scent to match (floral and fruity, which some online reviewers have called “expensive” but to my nose smelled like a peach Jolly Rancher, something I’d be glad to eat but don’t want on my face).

It rubs in easily to become invisible, similar to Supergoop Unseen. (We tested the Shiseido sunscreen on three skin tones, from white to warm brown, and no one reported a white cast.) Compared with Supergoop Unseen, you may find the Shiseido sunscreen slightly greasier (or glowier, depending on your perspective). It leaves a noticeable film that gives a reflective quality to the skin and feels a bit grippy to touch.

I give points to this Shiseido sunscreen for being tinted enough before absorption that I could see where I’m spreading it. But Supergoop Play (my preferred body sunscreen) is also visible before blending, easy to spread, and significantly cheaper than Shiseido sunscreen (at time of publication, around $10 for 1 fluid ounce, as opposed to Shiseido sunscreen’s $25 for 1.6 fluid ounces and $38 for Supergoop Unseen’s 1.7 fluid ounces).

Sweat, water, and heat performance

I subjected the Shiseido sunscreen to sweat, water, and heat over several days, and I was satisfied with the sun protection. But if any WetForce or HeatForce action was happening, I could not discern it.

Even if Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protector Lotion has a noteworthy formula, whatever performance edge it may have over other sunscreens feels subtle, even under the sweatiest of circ*mstances.

Following US Food and Drug Administration labeling rules, Shiseido still recommends reapplying after 80 minutes in the water, immediately after toweling, and after two hours of use—just like other sunscreens.

You should use the sunscreen that you’re most likely to apply and reapply regularly. If that’s Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protector Lotion, great. But I won’t be buying it.

This article was edited by Ben Frumin and Hannah Rimm.