La Roche Posay Anthelios 60 Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid

Again I have been struggling over writing this post about sunscreen for some time now. I'm not sure what it is that prevents me from writing about sunscreen. It's probably because all the articles I read about various sunscreens are like science journals. People writing reviews through out words like "Photo Stable" and "Avobenzone" and cite percentages and compare & contrast between various brands. All I know is that IF you want to read that you have come to the wrong place. I'll provide links to wonderful resources for sunscreen research, but honestly I'm just going to talk about what worked for me.

First of all, if you are not using sunscreen as part of your daily skin care routine you should. It's not an optional thing. Sunscreen prevents sun damage. Sun Damage causes wrinkles, freckles, and sometimes cancer. I am very fair. I just have to look at a drawing of the sun and I get a sunburn, so I wear sunscreen daily. I apply sunscreen not only to my face but to my neck and chest and the backs of my hands on a daily basis. Of course when I'm out and about for a day in short sleeve weather I apply it liberally all over.

I recently finished my Holy Grail Sofina Lucent Sunscreen and decided to try something new. You ca read my review of Sofina HERE. Since I have to go through foreign websites to purchase my Sofina I thought it might be easier to find a sunscreen that I can buy in the US. When The Skin Store sent me a 20% off code I jumped at the chance to find a suitable sunscreen there. I found La Roche Posay Anthelios 60 Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid and knew this was the one for me.

Just telling you to buy a particular sunscreen on my say so is not good, so I posted some links below to some helpful sites. You can check them out, or not. I'll save space and you won't have to read 1 kazillion lines of text about the differences between physical and chemical sunscreen.
A few links about sunscreens:
Makeupalley.com Notepad on Sunscreens
The Melanoma Foundation Prevention Facts
Skincancer.org Sunscreens Explained
WebMD.com Sunscreen Overview
Skinacea.com Chemical versus Physical Sunscreen article

One site to avoid; The Environmental Working Group (EWG) Cosmetics Database is an alarmist group that actually suggests that sunscreen can actually be harmful to you. They do not site specific studies to back up their claims and I personally find it irresponsible to publish some of the information they do. The Skin Cancer Foundation has gone so far as to post a rebuttal about EWGs claims about Oxybenzone (which, by the way, La Roche Posay Anthelios 60 Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid DOES contain Oxybenzone)

La Roche Posay Anthelios 60 Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid is a lightweight sunscreen with a matte, translucent finish. It has a very high SPF and does not leave a greasy film on my skin. There is no scent to the product, which I like, and it is supposed to be water-resistant (NOT waterproof). I have been using this sunscreen for over a a month now and I have not noticed any breakouts from it. I have seen this sunscreen compared to Clarins Super UV Plus, but that stuff broke me out and didn't mattify as well as the La Roche Posay Anthelios 60 Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid. This sunscreen is very liquidy and I need a good ½ a teaspoon for my face and neck and chest. I have to shake the bottle well before I use it and there is a little ball inside to help mix it.

I apply the sunscreen AFTER my moisturizer and wait a few minutes before I apply my primer and my makeup. Some days I can even use the La Roche Posay Anthelios 60 Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid as a primer for my makeup but I believe in the summer I will need a separate primer. My foundation goes on smoothly even without my regular primer underneath, but I must wait for the sunscreen to dry before I apply my foundation or else I find that it starts to pill up under my foundation. Ideally, you should reapply sunscreen every 4 to 6 hours and after intense exercise (sweating or swimming) alas, I cannot do a full face a makeup more than once a day so I don’t really rely on it to protect me from direct and intense sun exposure unless I do reapply. If I were going to the beach or lake or just sitting out in the sun (which I don’t do anyway) I would blot then reapply the sunscreen and then powder.

Where to purchase and how much?
Many on line retailers (Skinstore.com, Dermstore.com, etc. ) sell this sunscreen as well as some CVS stores.
I purchased the 1.7 oz bottle from The Skin Store for $27.50 and received a 20% discount so it only cost me $22

If wearing sunscreen or a makeup with sunscreen I is HIGHLY recommended using an oil cleanser to remove the product. I think this may have been the problem I was having with the Clarins Sunscreen. I hadn’t started to use an oil cleanser on a regular basis until after I purchased the Sofina Lucent Sunscreen, and I still use it today. The oil cleanser will help remove the Zinc Oxide found in the sunscreen and other "water resistant" ingredients. Make sure it’s an oil cleanser not just an oil. Rubbing olive oil on your face is not the same as a oil cleanser like DHC or Shu Uemura.

According to La Roche Posay the Anthelios 60 Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid is/has:

* Recommended for all skin types, especially normal to combination
* Matte finish
* Fast absorbing
* High UVA protection (PFA 26) and SPF 60 for outdoor use
* Photostable, longer-lasting protection
* Water-resistant
* Helps protect the skin from UV-induced skin damage
* Fragrance-free, PABA-free
* Non-comedogenic
* Tested on sensitive skin

La Roche Posay also claims:
"This ultra light, fast absorbing sunscreen fluid provides SPF 60 and broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection with the breakthrough Cell-Ox Shield, to protect your skin, even at the cellular level. It's excellent for use outdoors and at the beach.
The advanced UV filtering system of Anthelios 60 is a unique association of photostablized sunscreens for broad-spectrum and longer-lasting protection, with advanced efficiency against UVA rays. Anthelios 60 also uses a powerful anti-oxidant complex called Senna Alata, a tropical leaf extract known to defend skin cells."
Meh. I'm not so sure about the antioxidant properties but I just need the sunscreen to protect my face from sun damage, which it seems to do, so I'm happy.


Does this sunscreen replace the Holy Grail that was my Beloved Sofina Lucent? Hummm. I don't know. It sure is easier to procure, which is a plus...but perhaps there is room for two holy grail sunscreens in my life...perhaps.

Ingredients:
ctive Ingredients: Avobenzone 3%, Homosalate 15%, Octisalate 5%, Octocrylene 5%, Oxybenzone 6%. Inactive Ingredients: Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Alcohol Denat., Silica, Dicaprylyl Ether, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate, PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Dimethicone, Cyclohexasiloxane, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Nylon-12, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Phenoxyethanol, Lauryl PEG/PPG-18/18 Methicone, Sodium Chloride, Caprylyl Glycol, Methylparaben, Poly C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Disodium EDTA, Cassia Alata Leaf Extract, Maltodextrin, Dodecene, Poloxamer 407