Kose

Kose was founded in Tokyo in 1946 and is one of Japan's largest heritage cosmetics houses with decades of published research on botanical extracts and sun protection. Sekkisei has been the brand's flagship line since 1985 and is widely studied in Japanese dermatological literature.

3 products reviewed

78/100 Score

Kose Sekkisei Clear Wellness UV Defense Milk SPF 50+ PA++++ sunscreen tube

J-Beauty UV Classic

Kose sunscreen

Sekkisei Clear Wellness UV Defense Milk SPF 50+ PA++++

Sekkisei's modernized daily sunscreen gets the important things right: PA++++ UVA coverage, a weightless milk texture, and zero white cast. The alcohol base and signature herbal fragrance keep it off the sensitive-skin shortlist, but for normal-to-oily skin in a hot climate, it's one of the most wearable high-protection formulas in J-beauty.

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Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil

Kose's $12 drugstore cleansing oil is the reason Japanese beauty routines caught on in the West in the first place — it melts through waterproof mascara and high-SPF sunscreen like nothing should at this price. The fragrance is strong and the formula is unglamorous, but the performance-per-dollar math is genuinely hard to beat.

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Quick-Rinse Workhorse

Kose cleanser

Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil

The faster, lighter sibling to Softymo Deep — same drugstore price, same effective makeup removal, but with an ethylhexyl palmitate base that rinses away in half the time. It trades a sliver of heavy-duty cleansing power for sensory lightness, and for most daily routines, that's the better trade.

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★★★★★

4.3 (4,200)

$13.00