ALLIE
Kao's cult SPF — Extra UV the drugstore hero every Japanese woman keeps in her bag.
Ask ChokChok AI
Get instant answers about ALLIE
Try asking
The Extra UV Gel in the pink tube is the Japanese drugstore sunscreen. It sits well under makeup, survives humid Tokyo summers, and costs roughly ¥1,800. If Anessa is the premium tier, ALLIE is the everyday workhorse — and for most skin types, that's the smarter pick.
Strengths
- + Drugstore pricing
- + Excellent under-makeup finish
- + Multiple formats (gel, essence, tone-up)
Weaknesses
- − Contains alcohol
- − Scented
- − Primarily JP market
The ALLIE Story
ALLIE launched in 2008 under Kao Corporation, positioned as an everyday, drugstore-accessible sunscreen alternative to the Shiseido-owned Anessa. The Extra UV Gel became its flagship — frictionless, high-SPF, PA++++, and reformulated roughly every two years. ALLIE is routinely Japan's best-selling sunscreen by unit volume, and like Anessa, most Westerners discover it through K-beauty/J-beauty YouTube reviewers rather than Western retail.
All ALLIE Products
4 products reviewed and rated.
Chrono Beauty Gel UV EX SPF 50+ PA++++
Kanebo's sun-specialist brand and the Japanese gel sunscreen that cosplayers and K-pop fans discovered first — the "friction-proof" technology means it doesn't transfer onto costume collars or face masks. SPF 50+ PA++++ in a gel that disappears on application. The unspoken competitor to Anessa for Japanese SPF supremacy.
Allie Extra UV Gel (Fragrance-Free) SPF50+ PA++++
Allie's classic gel UV in fragrance-free big-jar format — water/sweat-resistant, full SPF50+ PA++++, the Japanese drugstore daily standard. The simplest Allie variant: no tint, no shimmer, no fragrance, just reliable photoprotection in a generous tub. The Japanese daily-routine SPF reference.
Compare ALLIE With
Similar J-Beauty brands
Brands with comparable formulation chops and price points
