La Roche-Posay Mela B3 UV Daily Moisturizer Sunscreen, SPF 30

Most Helpful Critical Review

Pills & balls up; Chemical sunscreens not best for hyperp...

Thank you to La Roche-Posay & Influenster for this Mela B3 UV Daily Moisturizer SPF 30 WITH Melasyl + Niacinamide in exchange for my honest review. I have used this sunscreen in conjunction with the Mela B3 Dark Spot Serum (see my review on that item which I do recommend). Firstly, I had been on the... fence as to whether the serum was working for me, then after looking through my progress photos from just over a month (from Dec 23, 2023 to Jan 29, 2024), I determined that I was starting to see some slight tone improvement, overall lightening benefit and breaking apart of my stubborn dark spots with the serum. However, where the Mela B3 UV Daily Moisturizer SPF 30 is concerned, there are a few things I really like about it, but sadly there are many more things I dislike about it. Firstly, I do like the feel, texture & smell of the moisturizer. It is nicely fragranced (which I prefer), without being overwhelming or causing me a headache. The smell doesn't linger either which is nice. If you have oily, combination or normal skin then this should be moisturizing enough for you and not too greasy. Sadly, I am extremely dry, so this is not nearly enough moisture for me on its own. I have to layer with all my other serums/boosters, plus a heavy cream, and I applied this as the last step in my routine. I was very consistently aggravated because I can't seem to keep this from pilling, balling up and rolling off, despite my repeated attempts to finagle my routine and the order in which I apply it to prevent this sunscreen from completely rolling off my face with the slightest brush of the finger. This is why I can state fairly emphatically that I don't believe this product contributed to the positive results you see in my photos… why? Because 9 times out of 10 it had all rolled off of my face within an hour (I always applied the serum first & waited a few minutes so I know it was always fully absorbed after every application). I even read through all the reviews on LaRoche-Posay.us and found this to be a problem other users complained about as well, so evidently it isn't just me. I would expect this to be a problem if you are only using this by itself or with one other product. If you are using several actives though I don't recommend this moisturizing sunscreen, and I also don't recommend it if you are actually suffering from significant hyperpigmentation. This brings me to my main complaint about this item… which is the use of chemical sunscreens in products touted as dark spot treatments, as I believe it to be counterproductive for many individuals (if not all). Is a chemical sunscreen better than none at all? Probably, but why wouldn't you use a more natural physical sunscreen that actually deflects rays, with less side effects that won't contribute to hyperpigmentation? If you didn't know, there are a growing number of dermatologists and skin care professionals (i.e. estheticians) who think chemical sunscreens actually contribute to hyperpigmentation in those prone to melasma and dark spots (because of the way they soak up the rays instead of deflecting them like physical sunscreens). I must be one of those skin types because I have experienced this phenomenon first hand. After a trip this summer to the lake and consistently wearing & reapplying a waterproof chemical sunscreen to my face all week, I had dark spots pop up everywhere that were never there previously, and the big one on my cheek got way darker. This has never happened to me before when wearing a physical sunscreen like zinc oxide &/or titanium dioxide. I set out to find the reason for this online and found I wasn't alone, and that there is much brewing speculation as to why certain chemical sunscreen agents are actually contributing to hyperpigmentation. From Real Self: ""The best formulas for those with hyperpigmentation boast high percentages of the mineral filters zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which deflect UV rays rather than absorbing them, as chemical sunscreens do. "The belief is that chemical filters release the energy they absorb as heat, which we know can exacerbate melasma," says Dr. Dhaval Bhanusali, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. Chemical sunscreens can also be irritating, sparking post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, or dark marks that turn up in the wake of insult and inflammation. Over the past few years, research has shown that visible light—emitted by the sun and screens—"can also play a role in hyperpigmentation disorders, particularly in darker skin types," he adds. Iron oxides, the pigment particles in tinted sunscreens, are critical for those struggling with pigmentary conditions. "Your sunscreen won't block visible light unless it contains iron oxides," says board-certified Boston dermatologist Dr. Mitalee Christman."" To sum it up, I will continue to wear this daily if I'm just sputtering around the house or if it's a low sun day. Other than that I will be sticking with a daily sunscreen that has physical blockers in it to keep my hyperpigmentation from worsening. I hope that La Roche-Posay will create a new hyperpigmentation moisturizer with physical sunscreen or reformulate this one to include zinc oxide &/or titanium dioxide as its active ingredient(s) so I can in good conscience use it plus recommend it to those also suffering from hyperpigmentation.