Lightweight and Affordable: The SOLA Aqua Serum Sunscreen and Tone-Up BB+CC Cream Review

SOLA Beauty has pretty good reviews and some great collaborations. They paired up with celebrity MUA Jelly Eugenio for their Vitamin C Makeup Removing Wipes and Hydrating Mist, and Rei Germar, CK De Leon, and Lierge Perey frequently headline their campaigns. I haven't tried anything from the brand yet, so I was looking forward to checking out their newest products in the SOLA SPF Glow Up Kit (P795, on sale). It has two products that promise glowing and protected skin.

The kit is one of the SOLA bundles promoted by Lierge and includes two new products: the SOLA Aqua Serum Sunscreen SPF 50+ PA++++ and the SOLA Tone-Up BB+CC Cream SPF 50 PA++. The idea, as far as I can tell, is that you wear them together: the serum sunscreen goes on first as your daily SPF, then the tone-up cream on top for a bit of coverage and brightening, with a second layer of sun protection thrown in. You could also use either one on its own, which is what I ended up doing on most days so I could get a feel for each. At P795 for both, it's priced like a starter set, and that's how I approached it, as a way to find out whether the brand is worth going back to for the full-size stuff. Here's how each one did.

The SOLA Aqua Serum Sunscreen SPF 50+ PA++++ (P399 on sale, P795 original price) is described as "a weightless, hydrating untinted serum sunscreen". The key ingredients are Hyaluronic Acid, Cica Extract, and Korean Black Ginseng. The texture is lightweight and watery, with zero white cast, and the brand says the formula also helps regulate oil production and prevent breakouts, which would make it a good fit for oily skin types and light makeup days.

Swatches of the SOLA Aqua Serum Sunscreen SPF 50+ PA ++++ and the SOLA Tone-Up BB+CC Cream SPF 50 PA++

It's said to be made for oily skin but it works just fine for my dry-combination skin type. I don't find it too drying, and the hydration from the hyaluronic acid seems to hold up through the day without needing much moisturizer underneath. I especially appreciate it on workout days, since it doesn't feel too greasy afterward. It also layers quite well under makeup with no pilling.

The next product is the SOLA Tone-Up BB+CC Cream SPF 50 PA++ (P299 on sale, P595 original price), described as a "universal sheer skin tint". It gives some hydration and has pigment like a BB cream, except the pigment here is tone-adapting, which is what makes it a "one tint fits all" kind of product. The brightening and skin-evening effect is very much like a CC cream, hence the combined name. The key ingredients are Paeonia Lactiflora Root Extract and Kaolin, and the brand describes the result as a lightweight, non-greasy cream made for effortless daily wear.

From L-R: bare face, with the SOLA Tone-Up BB+CC Cream SPF 50 PA++ on half of the face, full face application

I have been enjoying this one. It feels like nothing on the skin but has enough tint for errands and no-makeup days. It covers my pores and brightens my under-eye area enough that I don't look haggard, which is about all I ask of a base on those days. It has sun protection of its own, but I like to layer it over the Aqua Serum Sunscreen for the oil regulation and the extra SPF.

Overall, both are good sunscreen products that I'd be happy to repurchase if I ever run out of sunscreens to try out. They're best for quick, easy days when you just can't be bothered to do much with your base.

The SOLA SPF Glow Up Kit is available online at Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok, but you can also purchase the products separately. Offline, you can find SOLA products at Watsons, Mercury Drugstore, 7-Eleven, Shopwise, Rose Pharmacy, Southstar Drug, and The Marketplace.

Ingredients SOLA Aqua Serum Sunscreen:

Water, Propanediol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Dibutyl Adipate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Drometrizole Trisiloxane, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Terephthalylidene Dicamphor Sulfonic Acid, Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate, Ethylhexyl Triazone, 1,2-Hexanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Bis-Thylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Tromethamine, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopherol, Fragrance, Glycerin, Xanthan Gum, Saccharomyces/Potato Extract Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract, Lactobacillus/Rice Ferment, Lactobacillus/Panax Ginseng Root Ferment Filtrate, Saccharomyces/Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Ferment Filtrate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Sodium Hyaluronate, Linalool, Limonene, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Extract, Angelica Gigas Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Paeonia Lactiflora Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Polygonum Multiflorum Root Extract, Phellinus Linteus Extract, Morus Alba Bark Extract, Sophora Flavescens Root Extract, Cimicifuga Racemosa Root Extract, Geraniol, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Centella Asiatica Extract, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Asiaticoside, Madecassic Acid, Asiatic Acid, Madecassoside, Potassium Hyaluronate

Ingredients SOLA Tone-Up BB + CC Cream:

Water, Isododecane, Titanium Dioxide, Cyclopentasiloxane, Lauryl PEG-10 Tris(Trimethylsiloxy)silylethyl Dimethicone, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Cyclohexasiloxane, Methyl Trimethicone, Calcium Carbonate, Kaolin, Alcohol, Cyclomethicone, Acrylates/Polytrimethylsiloxymethacrylate Copolymer, CI 77492, Dimethicone, Talc, Octyldodecanol, Sodium Chloride, Dipropylene Glycol, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Chlorphenesin, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Octyldodecyl Xyloside, PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, CI 77491, Aluminum Hydroxide, CI 77499, Fragrance, Propylene Carbonate, Tropolone, Disodium EDTA, Paeonia Lactiflora Root Extract, Lilium Candidum Flower Extract, Magnolia Liliflora Flower Extract, Ipomoea Purpurea Extract, Convallaria Majalis Extract, Rosa Hybrid Flower Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia  (Lavender) Flower Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Camellia Japonica Flower Extract