Anthelios 40 Sunscreen Cream (US Version) with Mexoryl SX

10 Reviews

1. 

   needfulJerky9

   Reply

   I tried to convince myself I liked this product, because; not only was I was giving myself great sun protection, I was putting these amazing, high-tech-sounding ingredients on my skin – and for the price I paid – I thought, yeah, this is has to be great stuff. But, alas, no. In truth, I detest it! As many reviewers have already noted, it is thick and gloopy and sits like a heavy, greasy layer on the skin. The glowing white cast was another downside. I could never use this as a daily, on-the-go sunscreen, and certainly not under makeup! In fact, the only time I’ll wear this is when I’m out gardening or doing an outdoor sporting activity. I gave it two lippies because it does still give excellent protection, and I’ve never burned using it.

2. 

   eagerKitten5

   Reply

   This is a product that I regret buying. I brought it because, it was at ‘Marshals’ for much cheaper than its usual price. I wanted to try this , so I could experience what ‘Mexoryl’ and, ‘Tinsorb’ were like aesthetically in a product. In the end I would not know anyway. Any texture I would notice was masked by the excessive 02TI(titanium dioxide.)
   Let’s start with the positives shall we? This is moisturizing and may be okay for someone with normal, slightly dry, or slightly oily skin types. It has one skin identical ingredient: ‘macrogolyglycerides’, which can help dry skin retain moisture, and rebuild its barrier. While the formula is not extraordinary it is not harmful either.
   While this is not water proof, it is pretty water resistant. I tested this by holding my hand under water for 60 seconds.During this time some of the 02TI faded and migrated. However, for the most part it pretty much stayed put.
   Finally this is a broad spectrum sunscreen and offers UVA and UVB protection yay !

   Now on to the not so good: All skin types can have a hard time with this as it is a difficult formula to work with! The ones who will like it the least are those with more severe oily skin and those who are acne prone.

   This is water resistant , but it is a chore to wash off. If you are not vigilant some product can remain when you go to sleep, or the next time you apply makeup and instigate problems (I have had this experience with 02TI too many times.)As this tends to rub off, pill, and flake it will be hard to wear under makeup or apply makeup. In addition no one can pull off this white cast. I am an NW13 and I barely pulled it off. Every review I read complained about this very thing. If you are darker skinned it can look ashy , and if you apply a foundation that is your skin tone it may accidentally lighten making you look like you are wearing the wrong foundation shade.
   This is also expensive. I got it for $13.00 but this usually cost $34.95 for 1.7 FL OZ. That much money for all these problems is not worth it IMO.

   My experience: I could not return this , but I tried to convince myself it really was not that bad, and i gave it a shot.I thought it was impossible, but this made me look even lighter than I normally am. I knew it might flake since I have that experience with 02TI , so I let it dry before applying makeup. That seemed to help, but it was time consuming, and I was still not happy with how my makeup looked. In the summer this was nearly unbearable. My skin gets oily in the summertime and this just seemed to sit on my face, and when you are sitting with that feeling, and it is humid out a ss (sunscreen) is the last thing you want on your face.
   If you read this review , and still wish to try this, or you brought it and don’t want to waste it my advice is if you wear makeup is to put this ss on in advance and let it dry for a few minutes before applying your makeup.I also avoided liquid makeup as it rubbed and made the flaking worse. If you apply it to your body mix it with a lotion. Yes that will dilute the sunscreen but if you apply equal amounts, and reapply often it will still help. At night use a washcloth to wash it off, with an optional, oil makeup remover,water soluble cleanser, and toner.

3. 

   puzzledDoughnut4

   Reply

   I typically use Alba SPF 30 as a moisturizer, and have for years, because of its ease of application and that it never breaks me out. However, I’ve been noticing fine lines and wanted something with better protection. I bought this for $17 at TJ MAXX and thought I would give it a try due to the UVA/UVB broad coverage.

   Although I know I’m very protected from the sun, it’s not very wearable. If you have a single bit of skin that needs exfoliation (or put it around your eyebrows — basically anywhere it could catch) this sunscreen will settle in as white and be very noticeable. I also found that it doesn’t blend very well at all, or sink in over time.

   I want to keep using this as I really want the sun protection, and I don’t want to waste it, so my solution has been to dab it just around my eyes and cheeks where it seems to actually sink in well and use the Alba on the rest of my face. In the meantime I’ll keep looking for a wearable sunscreen with great protection.

4. 

   jubilantCod0

   Reply

   Horrible texture! Like paste! This is basically Geisha cream — in that it is like putting a white mask on your face. White Cast? This is the definition of White Cast. I bought this because I’d read more about the utter essentialness of Mexoryl and this is the only sunscreen I could find at CVS that had any. La Roche Posay is very tricky. It uses the Anthelios brand but only certain products for sale in the U.S. actually have Mexoryl. So be careful and read labels. I have ordered other LRPS and Vichy sunscreens from an overseas company which I hope will be a little more wearable. Until then, I guess I’m going to go around looking like a Geisha Girl. At least it’s not the worst look.

5. 

   scornfulJerky3

   Reply

   I was hoping this was like the SX 15 daily, but stronger. The SX 15 is a moisturizer with mexoryl and other chemical spfs. This is a titanium/chemical suncream, that also has Mexoryl in it. The titanium does reflect rays. However, it is much thicker and dryer in texture, as many have commented. I didn’t realize that it had titanium, which I can clog me and feels drying. The tester was stolen, so I could not it feel how thick it was. The sales girl said both the SX sunscreens stay on well, if you are just walking around. She did seem to steer me towards the 15, which I had. I just wanted something stronger.

   This is probably an excellent sunscreen in terms of it’s screening, but it is expensive and very inelegant cosmetically. The titanium is added to reflect rays. BASF simulator says its stable (though it has avobenzone and titanium), though I thought.titanium destabilizes avobenzone. I put it on over a large amount of Paula’s Choice Resist serum to make it possible to spread and for the AOX. It really doesn’t spread easily. I am pale, so I didn’t notice a white cast. It is not greasy and does set very matte. Foundation went on over OK, but does cake. I will say, it stays put and so does foundation, whereas SX 15 can make things slide. It does make my lines show a bit. There was no shine and no greasy feeling. It costs $35 and you get very little(1.7 Oz compared to SX 15 which has 3.4 ozs). It is clearly meant to be just used on the face. As I can’t find bioderma, I thought this might work, but it’s clogging and yucky. Bioderma may be thick but it does spread. This just isn’t good under makeup . However the titanium is very gentle and soothing, even around my eyes, which are super sensitive these days. I didn’t take anything stars off, for the titanium breaking me out, as that is an issue I always have with titanium and didn’t realize it was in there. I took off for the texture and the fact that you get so little for the money.

   Update: returned it as I got eye milla. Mould be other things but feel thins breaks me out and has a nasty texture

   Pros:
   gentle, non-stinging
   effective stable broad spectrum protection (I assume) t
   no fragrance, alcohol or fragrance or PABA
   tenacious
   matte

   Cons:
   thick, dry texture that is hard to spred
   doesn’t soak in well
   clogging
   not very elegant under makeup
   could have white cast
   expensive for small amount

6. 

   curiousChowder3

   Reply

   There seems to be a lot of bad reviews about this sunscreen. While I agree it is pretty thick and gives you a white cast, it is seriously really good at what it does- protecting your skin from the sun. I live in Australia and a while ago, I did a summer internship/ vacation work at a mine in the middle of Queensland for three months. It was really hot, humid and the UV rating there is nearly always extreme, with an average temperature of 35-40 degrees celsius during summer. Before going to work in the mine, I did a lot of research on sunscreens looking for the best sunscreen that can protect my skin from the harsh rays. I found a US government website that had formulated a ranking based on the ingredients, how effective it was in terms of stopping UVA/UVB rays with a ranking of 0 (being the best all rounder) – 10 (poisonous total fail sunscreen). Out of all the La Roche Posay sunscreens, Anthelios 40 Sunscreen Cream was the best with a 2! (It’s a pity I got a new laptop so I can’t find this website anymore, so wanted to give the website name and share with you all). So I bought two of these and took them when I went to Queensland.

   Every time before going outside, I’d put the sunscreen on my face. Unfortunately I never really considered putting some on my neck so by the end of three months, my face was not darker or burnt than when I first got to Queensland but my neck was super dark!

   I guess this sunscreen might be more suitable for doing outdoor activities such as playing sport or working in the sun rather than using this under makeup. My only complaint is that it’s a bit expensive since you can’t buy it in Australia. I paid 40 AUD (includes postage fees) on ebay. I only used up only one of the sunscreens in 3 months on a daily basis. So it isn’t too bad of an investment. Conclusion: I’ll definitely be buying this in preparation for next summer!

7. 

   solemnSheep6

   Reply

   EDIT: I like this, but it’s too reflective, which means it accentuates my fine lines…back to the store it goes.

   Application: This is a tricky product to apply: it’s thick and white. Rub it between your fingers to warm it then pat it on your face (do not rub)…this is the only way I can do it. I also have to wear some moisturizer under it because it is quite matte once applied (and I have oily, acne-prone skin). A bit of powder over it, and done.

   Pros: matte! not greasy looking or greasy feeling once on, NO BREAK OUTS, it calms down and camouflages my red areas (from using retin-a), fragrance free, allergy-tested, broad spectrum sun protection, the Mexoryl makes the 2% avobenzone photostable, contains 5% physical block, so it’s not totally chemical

   Cons: pricey, contains avobenzone

8. 

   soreGranola9

   Reply

   I was in a hurry at CVS & I grabbed this because I saw, “With Mexoryl SX (Ecamsule)”, highlighted in orange on the box. Anthelios 15 with Mexoryl SX has such a decent texture for sunscreen, I hoped this might be similar. Not even close. From what I can see based on reading ingredients lists, maybe Ecamsule can’t be used above a 3% concentration. This cream, like the SPF 15, includes Avobenzone and Octocrylene, but it also has Titanium Dioxide in order to rate SPF 40. These are excellent sunscreens, and the Octocrylene makes the Avobenzone photostable, so if you can stand the texture of this cream, it seems sun-safe. However, even though there’s no zinc in this, it’s as thick and white as Desitin Diaper Rash Ointment (but it’s not greasy). I rated this with 3 lippies because it’s definitely effective, plus it’s REALLY water resistant. If you don’t intend to use this beneath makeup, but for playing sports, it will stay put and protect your skin.

9. 

   pridefulTomatoe4

   Reply

   Very thick, white cast that DOES NOT blend. If you try to blend it, it just gets worse. I haven’t figured out how to correctly apply it–I’m sure this ISN’T any way to correctly apply this. Very upsetting because it does offer good coverage, I just don’t understand how the finish can be so HORRIBLE?!??!?! LRP european versions are better.

10. 

    hushedCardinal5

    Reply

    I know some products aren’t right for people while they work well for others. This sunscreen, however, I think is the absolute worst sunscreen I have ever tried.
    My two big gripes about this product is that it doesn’t blend/spread easily (or at all) and it leaves the WORST white cast out of any physical sunblock I’ve ever used.
    I applied it one morning right after I washed my face. It didn’t spread well. I kept on rubbing and rubbing, which caused me to pull on my skin. I went on a hike then midday I tried to reapply. It was even worse than in the morning. I couldn’t spread it AT ALL and little white flakes started forming and rubbing off. It felt dead skin, so gross. It was so bad, my friends were laughing about how white my face was. I gave up and used a baby wipe to take it all off and I continued my hike without any sun protection.
    On top of this, LRP customer service is a pain to deal with. I’m still trying to return this product.