What products do you avoid buying in Japan?

8 Answers

Best Answer

• 

  Lyssays

  on Mar 21

  Deodorant is a big one. I stock up when I go home and order online when I run out. Another one is hair products. I have long, thick, curly hair and anything available at the drug store that purports to work is usually too weak. In both these cases, products probably do exist somewhere in Japan that will work, but the difficulty in finding them, the time it takes to do so, and the waste involved (both in terms of money and garbage) when the local versions don’t work as well as I hoped mean I’ve given up :/

  0

• 

  genkidesu

  on Mar 21

  Oooh this is a good question... I actually love Japanese sunscreen, but (this might sound weird) I feel like the sun is different here than my home country! I do think in Australia the sun is stronger and I don't know that I would really rely on Japanese sunscreens back home. I feel like they apply much nicer here though, they don't feel as heavy and sticky as some Australian sunscreens do. One thing I struggle with a bit here is foundation/BB cream makeups, since I just don't feel that they are always the best match for my skin tone.

  1
• 

  BigfamJapan

  on Mar 21

  @genkidesu that is very interesting. Maybe I have tried the wrong ones. Maybe you could write a short post with your recos! Totally get what you are saying about the sun though - I find it much stronger here than in Ireland, so I need more protection here. TBH, I rarely wear sunscreen in Ireland, and I think most people only buy the type of sunscreen pictured for their trips to the Mediterranean! Foundation is a good one, it took me a while to find a good BB cream match here and it's just a cheap one. But I do usually stock up on makeup and face cream when back in Ireland! I don't wear a lot of foundation so a tube can last me 18 months!!!!

  0
• 

  TonetoEdo

  on Mar 21

  I haven't been abroad in 10 years now, so I tend to buy imported products from Amazon Japan or import shops. Japanese deodorant didn't work out for me until I discovered Deonatulle. It's effective and okay value for money, too.

  1
• 

  BigfamJapan

  on Mar 21

  @TonetoEdo ah yes, deodorant, that is a big one. I used to stock up on it at home too, but stopped because I just didn't have room in the case for sunscreen and deodorant and I always used to get frustrated when my stock ran out! So I made myself climatize to Japanese deodorant! So, thank you very much for the Deonatulle tip, I am going to try it out.

  0
• 

  TonetoEdo

  on Mar 21

  @BigfamJapan I hope my tip helps you out! It's a reasonably-priced product that does the job with little fuss and is unobtrusive. Imported products, like my fave Old Spice, work well but are a bit too fragrant for Japanese environments. Ehem.

  1
• 

  TonetoEdo

  on Mar 23

  @BigfamJapan I had to experiment a bit. The Deonatulle crystal version didn't work out for me. I use the weapons-grade extra cream version.

  1
• 

  TonetoEdo

  on Mar 26

  Thanks for your question. It's spurring me to research domestic swaps for imported ones. I took a gamble on a domestic mouthwash brand. Does the job for cheaper than Listerine.

  1