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Japanese skincare looks impenetrable from the outside, mostly because three specific things are named confusingly. Read these three posts in order and the rest of the aisle stops being mysterious.

1. Read 1 of 3

   Japanese sunscreen vs American sunscreen

   Japanese sunscreen feels nothing like the American kind, and the reason is regulatory rather than cosmetic. Here is what differs, and what to buy.

2. Read 2 of 3

   The Japanese lotion that is not lotion

   In Japan, lotion means a watery hydrating step that goes on before moisturiser. Mistaking the two is why imported routines quietly stop working.

3. Read 3 of 3

   Double cleansing, from where it started

   Double cleansing came out of Japan for a practical reason, and doing it properly takes ninety seconds. Here is the method, and the two things to buy.

After that, everything else is on the full list, and the about page explains who writes this and the rules I follow about buying and testing.

Before you go: the one-page japanese drugstore shopping list

Every product on this site that is worth your money, on a single page you can screenshot before you shop. Plus a note when a new post goes up.

Setup needed. Add your Kit form ID to KIT_FORM_ID in src/consts.ts and this becomes a working signup form. Instructions are in the README under "Turning on the email list".