I was asked to try and review some of the top cruelty-free foundations in Japan. I picked 4 that looked interesting to me from this list of the 13 most popular ones on Datumou Recipe.
I picked out two liquid foundations, a cream foundation, and a jelly foundation. Although I think the “jelly” foundation is technically a cream. I don’t use powder foundations at all, so I decided to stick with ones I felt I could compare better.
Shiseido Integrate Crush Jelly Foundation ・ インテグレート水ジェリークラッシュ
Price
2,160 yen
SPF 30 PA ++
This water-based jelly foundation feels very light and has a cooling effect when it’s applied. It has the sheerest coverage out of all the ones I tried but still evens out skin tone nicely. The Integrate Crush Jelly foundation gives your skin a glowing finish, and it’s resistant to oil and sweat. This foundation is highly recommended for humid weather, so it’s quite perfect to wear during the summer in Japan. I liked this one because it really stays put once it’s applied.
Shiseido ELIXIR SUPERIEUR Luminous Glow Foundation・エリクシール シュペリエル つや玉ファンデーション
Price
Foundation: 2500 yen
Case: 1000 yen
SPF 28 PA+++
The Elixir Superieur Luminous Glow Foundation is a cream foundation rather than jelly, like the previous one. It’s also water-based and feels really light on my skin while providing a lot of coverage. This foundation does take a little longer to apply evenly and blend due to the light texture.
The store that I purchased it at sold the foundation packs and case (with puff) separately, so that was a little confusing. You may be able to buy them together when purchasing online.
Kiss Mat Chiffon UV Liquid Foundation ・キス マットシフォン UVリキッドファンデ
Price
1,800 yen
SPF 25 PA ++
Kiss’s Mat Chiffon foundation includes ingredients like hyaluronic acid to help improve your skin condition. It’s created to be long-lasting and resistant to oil and sweat, so it’s another foundation that’s good for summer. I liked the matte finish of this foundation since my skin can usually get a bit oily during the day.
Kate Secret Skin Maker Zero ・ シークレットスキンメイカーゼロ（リキッド）
Price
1,728 yen
SPF 18 PA++
This foundation by Kate is the most full coverage of all the ones I tried. However, it’s not meant to be built up since it’s formulated to offer a lot of coverage with a single coat. Because of this, it’s still very lightweight while covering imperfections. I did find that this foundation emphasized any dry skin and settled more in fine lines for me that the others I tried. I did not use it with the Kate foundation base, though.
Overall
Out of these 4, my favorite was definitely the Shiseido Integrate Crush Jelly Foundation. I really love how it stays in place all day, and I didn’t even use a setting powder. The finish really doesn’t look like make-up on top of your skin due to how thin it is. It might not cover everything, but I like using lightweight make-up in combination with a little concealer in problem areas.
I bought all of these foundations at my local drug store in Tokyo, but it is possible to order them online. For more information about where to purchase them, check the article on Datumou Recipe!
