The Skin Aqua sunscreen in a white bottle with a gold cap (May 23, 2021)

This article was originally posted on Reddit on May 23, 2021. I’ve replaced links with archive links if necessary (and available) and made minor formatting changes and corrections, but otherwise haven’t done any editing or updating. Some links are broken, and a lot of the information in this post may be outdated by now, but I think it’s still relevant as an example of how different specific regional variants and formulations are.

[Discussion] The Skin Aqua sunscreen in a white bottle with a gold cap, or why the version of the product (what market it was made for and what year it was released) matters

While doing some light research related to this post by u/Erickml20, I noticed that most of the Rohto Group’s international companies have a product that looks like what we know as Skin Aqua Super Moisture Gel in Japan, and decided to try doing a comparison all across the board. I am looking at any Skin Aqua or Sunplay Skin Aqua sunscreen that has a white bottle with a gold cap that is shaped like the Japanese 110 g bottle.

All of these are authentic Rohto/Mentholatum products, but have different formulations in accordance with each country’s regulations and/or trends. In some countries, including Japan, Skin Aqua and Sunplay are two separate brands; in others, Skin Aqua is a line of sunscreens under the Sunplay brand.

As I mention below, the Hong Kong Consumer Council report that everyone keeps referring to tested the Hong Kong version of the product, and the results probably have no bearing on other versions sold in other countries. And I don’t think we should be putting too much stock into the report anyway.

I don’t mean to insinuate that the Japanese version is necessarily better than any of the other versions, but I find it really misleading that many of these products are advertised as being popular in Japan when they have such different ingredients. (The only exception is the Taiwanese version, which seems to be similar to the Japanese version.) Most of them even have Japanese on the packaging, but maybe it’s like how so many things have English or French text on them in Japan. Claims about using Japanese technology could however be true if they’re collaborating with Rohto Pharmaceutical in Japan.

Note that products can be manufactured in any country to be sold elsewhere, so the country where any given product is manufactured may not necessarily indicate which market it was made for.

Disclaimer: I can’t actually read any Asian languages aside from Japanese, and I don’t have a background in chemistry. I could have messed up anywhere in the transcription (especially if I had to type the ingredient list out from an image in a language I don’t speak) and translation. Corrections will be welcome and appreciated.

EDIT: I want to stress once again that I could have made mistakes in the ingredient lists—no one is paying me and I haven’t gone through and double checked them—so if there’s a specific ingredient that you’re especially excited or upset about, make sure to check the source I linked to and see whether I got that right. It’s also possible that my source is wrong, so the only foolproof way to check is to see what the actual packaging says. I just wanted to convey the bigger picture that there are different versions in different countries, rather than a deep ingredient-by-ingredient analysis. (But I’ll keep editing this post to reflect any corrections or new information that come up.)

Edited again on June 5 to reflect new information regarding the versions in Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, thanks to u/chocosweet.

Edited again on April 18, 2022 to add Ethylhexyl Dimethoxybenzylidene Dioxoimidazolidine Propionate to the UV filters for the Pakistani version. (I didn’t know it was a UV filter when I made this post, sorry)

See also: Comparison of the previous formulations of China’s Sunplay Skin Aqua UV Super Moisture Essence and Japan’s Skin Aqua Super Moisture Essence’s ingredient lists

Reference images

1. Japan

Japan’s Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. has UV protection products from 17 different brands, if you include lip products. Sunplay and Skin Aqua are two separate brands in Japan.

A. Current formulation (2020 formula)

• Product name: スキンアクア スーパーモイスチャージェル (Skin Aqua Super Moisture Gel); see also RatzillaCosme and product image
• Trade name: スキンアクア スーパーモイスチャージェルb
• Release date: February 15, 2020
• Rating: SPF 50+ PA++++
• Size: 110 g, 140 g
• Manufacturer: Made in Japan by Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (source)

Ingredients (source)*

水、エタノール、メトキシケイヒ酸エチルヘキシル、DPG、グリセリン、ジメタクリル酸グリコールクロスポリマー、BG、ヒアルロン酸Na、アセチルヒアルロン酸Na、加水分解コラーゲン、アルギニン、ビスエチルヘキシルオキシフェノールメトキシフェニルトリアジン、エチルヘキシルトリアゾン、（アクリレーツ／アクリル酸アルキル（C10-30））クロスポリマー、TEA、ビスPEG-18メチルエ－テルジメチルシラン、ポリスチレン、EDTA-2Na、キサンタンガム、ポリビニルアルコール

Ingredients in English (my translation)

Water, Ethanol, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate (Octinoxate), Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Arginine, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine (Tinosorb S), Ethylhexyl Triazone (Uvinul T 150), Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Polystyrene, Disodium EDTA, Xanthan Gum, Polyvinyl Alcohol

Comparison with the 2016 formula: The two formulations have 19 ingredients in common out of the 20 in this formula. The 2020 formula no longer contains Uvinul A Plus or Methylparaben, and Glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer and Butylene Glycol have moved up in the ingredient list.

* EDIT: I just realized that the back side of the packaging as shown on Amazon.co.jp has a different ingredient list from what’s on the official website, i.e., the image on Amazon has Methylparaben at the end of the list. I’ll check out what it says on the actual packaging the next time I go to a drugstore and update this. Also, I initially put PCA Ethyl Cocoyl Arginate in the ingredient list where it should have been Arginine (now corrected). Sorry!

EDIT 2: So I checked the actual packaging at a drugstore here in Japan, and Methylparaben is no longer in the ingredient list. Maybe the change took place at some point after the composite image on Amazon was made.

B. Previous formulation (2016 formula)

• Product name: スキンアクア スーパーモイスチャージェル (Skin Aqua Super Moisture Gel); see @cosme, RatzillaCosme, and product image
• Trade name: スキンアクア スーパーモイスチャージェルa
• Release date: February 16, 2016
• Rating: SPF 50+ PA++++
• Size: 110 g, 140 g
• Manufacturer: Made in Japan by Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (source)

Ingredients (source)

水、エタノール、メトキシケイヒ酸エチルヘキシル、DPG、グリセリン、ヒアルロン酸Na、アセチルヒアルロン酸Na(スーパーヒアルロン酸)、加水分解コラーゲン、アルギニン(アミノ酸)、ジエチルアミノヒドロキシベンゾイル安息香酸ヘキシル、ジメタクリル酸グリコールクロスポリマー、BG、ビスエチルヘキシルオキシフェノールメトキシフェニルトリアジン、エチルヘキシルトリアゾン、(アクリレーツ/アクリル酸アルキル(C10-30))クロスポリマー、TEA、ビスPEG-18メチルエーテルジメチルシラン、ポリスチレン、EDTA-2Na、キサンタンガム、ポリビニルアルコール、メチルパラベン

Ingredients in English (my translation)

Water, Ethanol, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate (Octinoxate), Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Arginine, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate (Uvinul A Plus), Glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine (Tinosorb S), Ethylhexyl Triazone (Uvinul T 150), Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Polystyrene, Disodium EDTA, Xanthan Gum, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Methylparaben

Notes: I’ll be using this formulation as a kind of a baseline for comparisons with the other versions, since most of them were released before 2020.

Reference images (for all versions) – I guess I should have separated them by country, sorry!

Edit (April 2022): Formatting

2. China

Mentholatum (China) Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. has sunscreens under two brands, mostly Sunplay Skin Aqua (i.e., Skin Aqua is a subset of Sunplay).

A. Current formulation (2020 formula)

• Product name: 新碧 双重保湿水感防晒露; product image
• Release date: 2020 (source)
• Rating: SPF 50+ PA+++ (test results)
• Size: 80 g
• Manufacturer: Made in China

Ingredients: I couldn’t find an ingredient list for this formulation. I did find this list which was last updated on January 25, 2020, but it lists the exact same ingredients as what I found for the previous formulation, just in a different order (and maybe that actually is right). But if the previous formulation is any indication, it’s probably also completely different from the Japanese version.

Reformulation: According to this image from this JD listing, among others, the new formulation is 5 times more hydrating/moisturizing than the previous one.

Repackaging: This was throwing me off for a while, but I think they actually reformulated the product when they started making it in China (see below), meaning the products in these two packages have different formulations, and then also repackaged that same new formula to look more different from the previous version. I’m guessing this repackaging happened very recently, because most listings seem to still have the old packaging.

B. Previous formulation (2015 formula?)

• Product name: 新碧 双重保湿水感防晒露 (in Traditional Chinese: 雙重保濕水感防曬露); product image
• Release date: July 2015? (source)
• Rating: SPF 50+ PA++++/SPF 35 PA+++ (see note below)
• Size: 80 g
• Manufacturer: Made in Hong Kong for the Chinese market and distributed by Mentholatum China

Ingredients (source) – I believe this list was printed in China and affixed to the product made in Hong Kong (like the Essence listed here).

水、乙醇、甲氧基肉桂酸乙基己酯、二乙氨羟苯甲酰基苯甲酸己酯、苯基苯并咪唑磺酸、环五聚二甲基硅氧烷、丁二醇二辛酸/二癸酸酯、花生醇、乙基己基三嗪酮、山嵛醇、柠檬酸钠、丙二醇、苯基二苯并咪唑四磺酸酯二钠、花生醇葡糖苷、银耳多糖、双-乙基己氧苯酚甲氧苯基三嗪、黄原胶、马齿苋提取物、楔基海带提取物、聚山梨醇酯-60、EDTA 二钠、1,3-丙二醇、辛酸/癸酸甘油三酯、柠檬酸、透明质酸钠、四氢甲基嘧啶羧酸、抗坏血酸磷酸酯钠、羟苯甲酯、香精、羟苯丙酯、氢氧化钠、苯氧乙醇

Ingredients in English (my translation)

Water, Ethanol, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate (Octinoxate), Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate (Uvinul A Plus), Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid (Ensulizole), Cyclopentasiloxane, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Arachidyl Alcohol, Ethylhexyl Triazone (Uvinul T 150), Behenyl Alcohol, Sodium Citrate, Propylene Glycol, Disodium Phenyl Dibenzimidazole Tetrasulfonate (Neo Heliopan AP), Arachidyl Glucoside, Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine (Tinosorb S), Xanthan Gum, Portulaca Oleracea (Green Purslane) Extract, Laminaria Ochroleuca (Kelp) Extract, Polysorbate 60, Disodium EDTA, Propanediol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Citric Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ectoin, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Methylparaben, Fragrance, Propylparaben, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol

SPF/PA ratings: If I’m interpreting everything correctly, the product was rated SPF 50+ PA++++ in Hong Kong, but tested as SPF 35 PA+++ according to Chinese standards (source). The latter is printed on the sticker that is affixed to the back of the packaging upon distribution in China (source).

Made in Hong Kong for the Chinese market: Although the product was made in Hong Kong and has Traditional Chinese on it, aside from the sticker printed in Simplified Chinese in China, the product name written on the packaging and the back of the bottle are the same as what’s used in China (雙重保濕水感防曬露 is the same thing as 双重保湿水感防晒露), not the product name used in Hong Kong (超保濕水感防曬露). Similarly, the previous version of the Essence was also made in Hong Kong, even though that product isn’t even available from Mentholatum Hong Kong.

Compared to the Japanese version: The packaging looks a lot like the 2016 formula in Japan, but the ingredients are completely different. They only have 10 ingredients in common out of the 32 in this formula. Writing out the differences in the ingredients would practically result in typing out the ingredient list all over again, but some notable additions (in my uneducated opinion) include additional UV filters (Ensulizole and Neo Halipan AP), several plant extracts (Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide, Green Purslane Extract, and Kelp Extract), Vitamin C (Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate), and Fragrance.

Reference images (for all versions) – I guess I should have separated them by country, sorry!!

Edit (April 2022): Formatting

3. Hong Kong

A. Current formulation (2018 formula?)

Mentholatum Hong Kong, or Mentholatum (Asia-Pacific) Limited, has sunscreens under the Sunplay Skin Aqua brand (i.e., Skin Aqua is a subset of Sunplay).

• Product name: 新碧 超保濕水感防曬露 (Sunplay Skin Aqua UV Super Moisture Gel); product image
• Release date: Probably 2018 (source); different packaging as of 2017 (source)
• Rating: SPF 50+ PA++++
• Size: 80 g
• Manufacturer: Made in China (source 1, source 2)

Ingredients: I couldn’t find an ingredient list for this version. It’s not on the back side of the packaging, either. (I did find this but it seems to be a listing for imports of the Japanese version.) The official website does however seem to mention that it contains a cacao seed derived ingredient (含可可籽成分), which is not in any of the other formulations in this post (or at least not the ones I could find ingredient lists for).

The HKCC Report: The Hong Kong Consumer Council report that everyone keeps citing on the subject of third party testing seems to have tested this specific version (which makes sense). The product name is listed as SUNPLAY 超保濕水感防曬露 in the report, and the product is identified as having been made in China. The photo shows that they tested the current formulation and not a previous one. Although I wasn’t able to find an ingredient list for this version, the huge variety among all the other versions (and the cacao seed) convince me that the test results probably have absolutely no bearing on other versions of this product that are sold in other countries. (But also, I wouldn’t put too much stock into these reports in the first place. See my massive post on this subject.)

B. Unidentified previous version

Reference images (for all versions) – I guess I should have separated them by country, sorry!

4. Taiwan

Mentholatum Taiwan Limited has Sunplay and Skin Aqua as two separate brands.

A. Current formulation (2019 formula)

• Product name: 水潤肌 超保濕水感防曬露; product image
• Release date: March 1, 2019 (source)
• Rating: SPF 50+ PA++++
• Size: 110 g
• Manufacturer: Made in Japan by Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and distributed by Mentholatum Taiwan

Ingredients (source)

Active ingredients: Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate 8.8769525%, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate 0.84%, Ethylhexyl Triazone 0.5%, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine 0.5%

Other ingredients: Water, Alcohol, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine, Methylparaben, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Polystyrene, Disodium EDTA, Xanthan Gum, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Arginine, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Sodium Hyaluronate

Comparisons with the Japanese version: This shares all the same ingredients as the 2016 formula in Japan, but the ingredients are listed in a different order (even if you take the fact that they list the filters separately in Taiwan into account). I would imagine the two formulas are very similar, if not the same (if there are different rules/preferences for the order of the ingredients in the two countries), but it’s also possible that they’re technically slightly different.

B. Previous formulation (2014 formula)

• Product name: 水潤肌 超保濕水感防曬露; product image 1, product image 2, product image 3
• Release date: April 15, 2014 (source)
• Rating: SPF 50+ PA++++
• Size: 80 g
• Manufacturer: Made in Vietnam (source 1, source 2, source 3) or China (source 4, source 5)

Ingredients (source 2, source 3)

Active ingredients: Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate 8.408%, Ethylhexyl Triazone 1%, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine 1%, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate 0.7%

Inactive ingredients: Water, Ethanol, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Isononyl Isononanoate, Glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-10 Pentaisostearate, Acrylates / C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Methylparaben, Triethanolamine, Polystyrene, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Arginine

Comparisons with the 2019 formula: The 2014 formula contained Isononyl Isononanoate and Polyglyceryl-10 Pentaisostearate, and did not contain Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane. Some of the ingredients are also listed in a different order (see percentages for differences in the filters).

Notes: I’m just including this for reference because I happened to find the information. It’s interesting to see that it was made in Vietnam and/or China, different from the 2019 formula.

Reference images (for all versions) – I guess I should have separated them by country, sorry!

Edit (April 2022): Formatting

5. Thailand

Rohto-Mentholatum Thailand Limited’s Skin Aqua products are available from their Sunplay brand. There are more products on Sunplay Thailand’s Facebook page than on the official website.

A. Current formulation

• Product name: Sunplay Skin Aqua UV Watery Gel; product image
• Release date: 2019 or later? (May just be repackaged from the product below)
• Rating: SPF 50+ PA++++
• Size: 80 g
• Manufacturer: Unconfirmed

Ingredients: I wasn’t able to find an ingredient list, but it says that it includes Hyaluronic Acid, Aloe Extract, Portulaca Extract, and Vitamin C on the front of the packaging. Of these, the Japanese 2016 and 2020 formulas only contain Hyaluronic Acid (in other forms).

B. Previous formulation?

This could actually be the same thing as the current formulation but in different packaging, i.e., I don’t know whether there was a reformulation or just a repackaging.

EDIT (June 5): Based on new information related to the Singapore version (which seems to be the exact same thing as what’s sold in Thailand), I believe it was just a repackaging after all, and that the information below most likely applies for the current formulation.

• Product name: Sunplay Skin Aqua UV Watery Gel; product image
• Release date: 2019 or earlier? (source)
• Rating: SPF 50+ PA++++
• Size: 80 g
• Manufacturer: Made in China by Mentholatum China, and imported by Zuellig Pharma Pte Ltd. in Singapore, Rohto-Mentholatum Malaysia, and Rohto-Mentholatum Thailand (I think; source) – this could potentially mean that this exact same product is/was sold in those three countries

Ingredients (source)

Water, Alcohol, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Silica, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Disodium Phenyl Dibenzimidazole Tetrasulfonate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Arachidyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Behenyl Alcohol, Sodium Citrate, Butylene Glycol, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Polysorbate 60, Arachidyl Glucoside, Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol, Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Xanthan Gum, Fragrance, Propanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glycerin, Disodium EDTA, Decyl Glucoside, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Extract, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Ectoin, Sodium Benzoate, Propylene Glycol, Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract

Comparison with the Japanese version: They only have 11 ingredients in common with the 2016 formulation of the Japanese version, out of the 40 in this formula. Notable additions (in my uneducated opinion) include additional UV filters (Ensulizole, Neo Halipan AP, and Tinosorb M), plant extracts (Aloe Vera Leaf Juice, Green Purslane Extract, Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide, Soybean Seed Extract, and Kelp Extract), and Fragrance.

Comparison with the Chinese version: This formulation has 28 ingredients in common with the previous formulation of the Chinese version, but the differences go beyond just preservatives. The previous formulation in China contains Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Methylparaben, and Propylparaben, and the Thai version has 11 additional ingredients including Aloe Vera Leaf Juice, Butylene Glycol, Tinosorb M, Glycerin, Soybean Seed Extract, etc.

Reference images (for all versions) – I guess I should have separated them by country, sorry!

Edit (April 2022): Formatting

6. Malaysia

Rohto-Mentholatum (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. has sunscreens under the Sunplay brand. Skin Aqua is a subset of Sunplay. There are more products on Sunplay Malaysia’s Facebook page than on their official website.

A. Current formulation

• Product name: Sunplay Skin Aqua UV Watery Gel; product image 1, product image 2 (not sure whether there was a reformulation or just repackaging)
• Release date: Unconfirmed
• Rating: SPF 50+ PA++++
• Size: 80 g
• Manufacturer: Unconfirmed

Ingredients: I wasn’t able to find an ingredient list, but the official website says that it contains RonaCare Ectoin, Antileukine 6, Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin C, Aloe Extract, and Portucala Extract. It says it doesn’t contain colorants or mineral oil, but doesn’t say that it doesn’t contain fragrance. This version could possibly be similar to or even the same as the Thai version.

EDIT (June 5): I think this most likely has the same ingredient list as the previous version (and probably the current version) in Thailand and one of the current versions in Singapore.

B. Unidentified previous version

Reference images (for all versions) – I guess I should have separated them by country, sorry!

7. Singapore

(Rewritten on June 5)

Rohto-Mentholatum Singapore Office’s Skin Aqua products are part of their Sunplay brand. They updated their website after I made this post, so I’m rewriting this entirely to reflect the new information, along with the ingredient lists/manufacturer info courtesy of u/chocosweet’s photos. To add even more to the confusion, they actually have two concurrently available products that both look like the bottles in this post.

A. Sunplay Skin Aqua Super Moisture UV Gel

• Product name: Sunplay Skin Aqua Super Moisture UV Gel; product image
• Release date: 2018? (source)
• Rating: SPF 50+ PA++++
• Size: 110 g
• Manufacturer: Made in Japan by Rohto Pharmaceutical and imported by Zuellig Pharma Pte Ltd (Singapore) (source)

Ingredients (source)

Water, Alcohol, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Methylparaben, Polystyrene, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Disodium Edta, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Arginine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Collagen

Comparisons with the Japanese version: This seems to be somewhere in between the 2016 and 2020 formulations in Japan. Like the 2016 formulation, it contains Methylparaben, and like the 2020 formulation, it doesn’t contain Uvinul A Plus. The order of the ingredients is different from either formulation, but that could be because of differing regulations/trends in each country. (Or it could be the simpler explanation and they could contain different amounts of the same ingredients.)

B. Sunplay Skin Aqua UV Watery Gel

• Product name: Sunplay Skin Aqua UV Watery Gel; product image
• Release date: Unconfirmed
• Rating: SPF 50+ PA++++
• Size: 80 g
• Manufacturer: Manufactured by Mentholatum China (presumably in China) and imported by Zuellig Pharma Pte Ltd (Singapore) (source)

Ingredients (source)

Water, Alcohol, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Silica, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Disodium Phenyl Dibenzimidazole Tetrasulfonate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Arachidyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Behenyl Alcohol, Sodium Citrate, Butylene Glycol, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Polysorbate 60, Arachidyl Glucoside, Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol, Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Xanthan Gum, Fragrance, Propanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glycerin, Disodium EDTA, Decyl Glucoside, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Extract, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Sodium Hylaruonate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Ectoin, Sodium Benzoate, Propylene Glycol, Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract

Comparisons with the Thai version: The packaging looks just like the current versions in Thailand and Malaysia. I don’t have the ingredient lists for the current versions in either country, but this has the exact same ingredient list as the previous version in Thailand, so I’m now thinking that the current version in Thailand might have been simply repackaged and most likely has the same formulation as the previous version, unless the amounts of the ingredients have changed or something. I also don’t know whether this is necessarily the same exact formulation as the Thai version for the same reason, but it seems reasonably likely that they’re the same. The packaging for the previous version in Thailand does after all say that the same product is imported by Zuellig Pharma Pte Ltd in Singapore (source).

Reference images (for all versions) – I guess I should have separated them by country, sorry!

Edit (April 2022): Formatting

8. Vietnam

Rohto-Mentholatum (Vietnam) Co., Ltd.’s Skin Aqua products are part of their Sunplay brand.

A. Current formulation

• Product name: Sunplay Skin Aqua Clear White; product image
• Release date: Unconfirmed
• Rating: SPF 50+ PA++++
• Size: 25 g, 55 g (sold as a face sunscreen)
• Manufacturer: Made in Vietnam by Rohto-Mentholatum (Vietnam), under the authority of Rohto Pharmaceutical (Japan) (source); this listing says it’s made in Japan but I think that’s incorrect

Ingredients (source)

Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Zinc Oxide, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Dimethicone, PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Isononyl Isononanoate, Talc, Triethylhexyl Trimellitate, Phenyl Methicone, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Arginine, Niacinamide, Ceramide NP, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer, Hydrated Silica, Butylene Glycol, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Hydrogen Dimethicone, Polystyrene, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Disodium EDTA, Triethanolamine

Comparison with the Japanese version: This product only has 12 ingredients in common with the Japanese 2016 formula, and 10 with the Japanese 2020 formula (out of a total of 30 ingredients in this one). It’s pretty much a completely different product, as the name implies; it contains brightening ingredients (many Japanese products do as well, but not Skin Aqua Super Moisture Gel), as the name suggests, and is not only fragrance free but also alcohol free. It’s also meant to be used as a face sunscreen, whereas the Japanese product (and all the others in this post so far, I think) are meant for your face and body. (Products meant for your face could be used on your body, too, but I think it’s another signifier that they aren’t the same thing.) Notable differences (in my uneducated opinion) include that the Vietnamese version contains Zinc Oxide, Jojoba Seed Oil, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Tocopheryl Acetate, Niacinamide, and Ceramide NP.

B. Previous formulation

• Product name: Sunplay Skin Aqua Clear White; product image
• Release date: Unconfirmed
• Rating: SPF 50+ PA++++
• Size: 25 g (source), 55 g (source)
• Manufacturer: Made in Vietnam by Rohto-Mentholatum (Vietnam), under the authority of Rohto Pharmaceutical (Japan) (source)

Ingredients (source)

Cyclopentasiloxane, Water, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Zinc Oxide, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Dimethicone, PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Isononyl Isononanoate, Talc, Niacinamide, Hydrated Silica, Triethylhexyl Trimellitate, Phenyl Methicone, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Arginine, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Hydrogen Dimethicone, Acrylates/Dimethicone Copolymer, Polystyrene, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine

Ingredients? (source) – I think this might be two formulations ago, even though the blog post I found it on was published in 2018, since it doesn’t contain jojoba oil as the formulation above and the current formulation do.

Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Zinc Oxide, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Dimethicone, PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Isononyl Isononanoate, Talc, Niacinamide, Hydrated Silica, Triethylhexyl Trimellitate, Phenyl Methicone, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Arginine, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Hydrogen Dimethicone, Acrylates/Dimethicone Copolymer, Polystyrene, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine

Comparison with the current formulation: I’m not entirely sure which of the above are technically the formulation right before the current one, but either way, the previous formulation contained Hydrolyzed Collagen and Acrylates/Dimethicone Copolymer, and did not contain Ceramide NP or Trimethylsiloxysilicate. There are also some differences in the order of the ingredients listed. (I’ve listed the first one as the previous formulation in the table.)

Reference images (for all versions) – I guess I should have separated them by country, sorry!

Edit (April 2022): Formatting

9. Bangladesh

Rohto Mentholatum (Bangladesh) Limited seems to have just two Sunplay products at the moment, both of which are Skin Aqua products (i.e., Skin Aqua is a subset of Sunplay).

• Product name: Sunplay Skin Aqua Clear White; product image
• Release date: Unconfirmed
• Rating: SPF 50+ PA++++
• Size: 25 g
• Manufacturer: Unconfirmed

Ingredients: I wasn’t able to find an ingredient list, but the official website says it contains Collagen, Hyaluronic Acid, an Amino Acid, Vitamin C, and Vitamin B3. I think the packaging also says it’s alcohol free, but I can’t tell whether it’s fragrance free as well. I’m guessing it’s probably similar to the previous formulation in Vietnam, but I can’t tell whether it’s the same.

Notes: The product page is not linked to from the Sunplay page and isn’t available through what seems like their official retailer, Shajgoj. I think it may be discontinued; perhaps there’s a reformulation coming up. The packaging does look similar to the previous formulations in Taiwan, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

Reference images (for all versions) – I guess I should have separated them by country, sorry!

10. Myanmar

Rohto-Mentholatum (Myanmar) Co., Ltd. seems to categorize Sunplay Natural and Sunplay as one brand and Sunplay Skin Aqua as another. Regardless, Skin Aqua is a subset of Sunplay here as well.

• Product name: Sunplay Skin Aqua Clear White; product image (I was only able to find images of the bottle)
• Release date: [Possibly October 9,] 2020 (source)
• Rating: SPF 50+ PA++++
• Size: 25 g, 55 g
• Manufacturer: Unconfirmed

Ingredients: I wasn’t able to find an ingredient list, but the official website says it contains Hyaluronic Acid, Collagen, an Amino Acid, Vitamin C, and Vitamin B3, and that it controls sebum (the previous formulation in Vietnam also says “oil control” on the bottle) and is alcohol free. It’s probably similar to the previous formulation in Vietnam, but again, I can’t tell whether it’s the same.

Reference images (for all versions) – I guess I should have separated them by country, sorry!

11. Pakistan

The Rohto Group doesn’t have a base in Pakistan, but Skin Aqua products seem to be sold domestically by ATCO Laboratories. They just have one other product besides this one, Skin Aqua Moisturizing Serum; the image on the ATCO website is for the product below, but I think this might be their equivalent of the Super Moisture Essence (source).

• Product name: Sunplay Skin Aqua Clear White; product image
• Release date: Unconfirmed
• Rating: SPF 50+ PA+++ – I just noticed that the bottle says PA++++ and the box says PA+++. Perhaps they did additional testing on the product, like the previous formulation in China? (I have no idea)
• Size: 25 g
• Manufacturer: Probably made in Vietnam by Rohto-Mentholatum Vietnam, under Rohto Pharmaceutical (Japan)’s authority, and imported by ATCO Laboratories (source)

Ingredients (source) – This is based on someone’s blog entry, and I haven’t found an image of the ingredient list on the box to verify it.

Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Octyl Methoxycinnamate, Zinc Oxide, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Isononyl Isononanoate, PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Silica, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Disodium Phosphate, Ethylhexyl Dimethoxybenzylidene Dioxoimidazolidine Propionate, Lauroyl Lysine, Titanium Dioxide, Acrylates/Dimethicone Copolymer, Methylhydrogenpolysiloxane, Sodium Hydroxide, Methylparaben, Disodium EDTA, Propylparaben, Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate, Potassium Hydroxide, Arginine, Hyaluronic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hydrolyzed Collagen

Comparisons with the Vietnamese version: While the product sold in Vietnam is PA++++, this one is PA+++. It has 13 ingredients in common with the previous formulations of the Vietnamese version, out of 27 in this formula. The Vietnamese version contains Niacinamide and newer chemical UV filters, specifically Uvinul A Plus and Tinosorb S, though they are pretty far down in the ingredient list.

Comparisons with the Japanese version: The product in Japan is also PA++++. The version sold in Pakistan has just 8 out of 27 ingredients in common with the 2016 formulation of the Japanese version. Notable differences (in my uneducated opinion) are that the Pakistani version contains Zinc Oxide, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Ethylhexyl Dimethoxybenzylidene Dioxoimidazolidine Propionate, Titanium Dioxide, and Tocopheryl Acetate, and and that it is again missing the newer chemical filters.

Reference images (for all versions) – I guess I should have separated them by country, sorry!

Edit (April 2022): Formatting

Other countries with Sunplay/Skin Aqua products

• Rohto-Mentholatum Cambodia](http://rohto.com.kh/index.php?)) has a Sunplay brand but no Skin Aqua products on their official website.
• Rohto Laboratories Indonesia has separate Skin Aqua and Sunplay brands, but no white bottle with gold cap on their official website.
• Mentholatum de Mexico has a Sunplay brand but no Skin Aqua products on their official website.
• Rohto-Mentholatum Nepal has a Sunplay brand but no Skin Aqua products on their official website.
• Rohto Mentholatum Russia doesn’t have Sunplay, but they do have Skin Aqua. There is no white bottle with gold cap on their official website.

Interestingly, Mentholatum Korea (among others) doesn’t have a sunscreen brand according to their official website.

EDIT: There could also be other countries with an arrangement like Pakistan’s that I just haven’t noticed.