Beware fake Biore Watery Essence

[HyperStella]

I got badly sunburnt on my face the other week and I think it’s because my Biore suncream is fake. I have used this product for several years, and have bought from various sellers on amazon and eBay with no problem til now. I just wanted to post some pics so that you know not to rely on this product if it looks similar to mine. In all pics, the dodgy one is on the left. Even the colour is different (white not yellow). I feel a little foolish for not noticing.

Also, any advice what I should do about this? I have contacted the amazon seller and they are investigating but should I do anything else? I’m pretty cross as I’m so careful with my facial sunscreen what with being in my 40s and using acids and scrubs. I have been using this during the recent hot weather and as well as the sunburn I have a faint melasma coming

Dont get me wrong, I wouldn't order BWE if I was UK based either. But dont waste money on avene, lrp, frezyderm, neutrogena etc if you like BWE. I have honestly not come across anything remotely similar or as good as BWE.

Sorry that should say, not just if you "like", but if you want an exact replacement for BWE. I have wasted money on all of these brands, just want to save others from doing same if what you want is a sunscreen like BWE.

Thanks for the suggestions. I live bwe but it seems there may be nothing quite like it. I’ll look at some of the recommendations.

I buy Biore from Timeless at the same time as I order my Vit C to combine the postage. It's a bit more expensive when compared with Amazon / Ebay but at least you know you're not getting a fake or old stock.

Just mentioned this on another thread but I'm wary of buying creams off Amazon now after I bought Altruist spf30 sun lotion (my usual factor) & got badly sunburnt straight away!

I don't know if it was fake or what but I stupidly threw it away rather than report it to Amazon as I was in Lanzarote.
I've been out there before a few times & always use spf30 usually ambre solaire from Boots or Tesco & never burn.

I also like the sound of BWE as I find a lot of facial sun lotions make my skin spotty but I worry about having the same problem again - it's a shame you can't buy it in Boots or similar!

Tattie the Biore on the Timeless website looks the same as the one the OP says is fake. I'm confused.

www.timeless-uk.com/products/biore-uv-aqua-rich-watery-essence-sfp-50-pa-50g

I LOVE BWE and haven't been burnt so far with it, in several years of ordering off Amazon and eBay - but I may have just got lucky! Certainly practically every tube I've had of it has looked different to the last one - I think they change their packaging for different markets.

I ordered Heliocare non-tinted gel cream (not the 360 one) on a whim the other day from Skin City UK and am very impressed with it so far. It's a bit thicker than BWE but rubs in easily and leaves no noticeable white cast. It smells distinctly less alcoholic!

I also use the Altruist, direct from Amazon, and haven't had a problem with that so far. @Terralee, was it sold by Amazon or a marketplace seller?

@Pupsiecola the packaging of the fake one is a copy of one version of the real packaging. You can’t tell by the packaging if it’s fake. It’s the cream itself.

@Pupsiecola both of the packaging in the OP are correct, one is just a newer version than the other - the picture on the left is the 2019 (newest) version. Timeless is a reputable retailer of Japanese and Korean skincare to the UK and EU market so I really wouldn't worry about it.

I was struggling to find any review sites that mention timeless, as I’d never heard of them before. I’m paranoid about fakes now!!!

@Budapestpest I know what you mean re fakes (I'd never risk Amazon/Ebay for that reason) but Timeless are reputable. If you read the long-running skincare threads on MN, probably 50% of us are using the Timeless Vit C from that website.

Ah ok, thanks @tattie

@Laquila it was direct off Amazon

They change the packaging and formulation nearly every year. It’s infuriating.

Ooh good timing for this thread.
I ran out of mine and was just thinking I should Reorder as I’m leaving the house more than once per week. I got mine off amazon last time. Not sure I could spot a fake tbh.

Your left or my left 😅

Is this the original?

This is where I got mine from..

If you are worried about fakes it might be worth looking out for one of the limited edition versions that might be less likely to have been faked than the main line. I think there have been some floral ones but I don't know if there are any UK suppliers.

If anyone is still looking, then I do have a reliable seller. I buy it on depop from a shop called @cairosgold and the lady buys it straight from a grocery in Japan so it’s authentic.

A bit expensive at £20 for the large size (85g) but at least you know it’s real.

@Aurora20 there can be fakes on amazon as is discussed in the thread. It’s because all the products from the different sellers get lumped into the same box at the amazon warehouse.

Sometimes you get lucky and it’s real but sometimes it’s fake.

Cant understand why so many people rate LRP. It is just like suntan lotion and balls/piles even without any make up on top.

I've just bought some of this from stylevana uk website (was wary of amazon)
It's arrived and it's exactly like the one on the left???
Not sure if I should message them or what

I've stopped purchasing beauty products on Amazon for this reason. There's so many fakes on there.

I just got one last week from amazon. I don’t think it had a foil seal on the nozzle, but it did have clear wrap on the whole thing.
I think it smells more glue than citrus but it’s very faint.
Fake then?

Actually here there’s no foil seal - in the video.

www.stylevana.com/en_US/kao-biore-uv-aqua-rich-watery-essence-spf-50-pa-2019-edition.html