Is Anthelios the best sunscreen in the world? If you haven’t used it yet, you’ve likely heard about it from your dermatologist, the media and various internet sources, all going on about just how wonderful this French sunscreen made by La Roche Posay is.
Yet with so many sunscreens on the market vying for your hard earned dollars, really is Anthelios the best sunscreen and does it deserve such accolades?
Well, you don’t have to believe us, but here is just some of the press that all agree on how good this sunscreen really is:
- La Roche Posay Crowned Best Sunscreen
- The Best La Roche Posay Sunscreens
- The World’s Best Sunscreens
UVA and UVB Rays
Before you decide, you should understand how the sun’s rays contribute to skin damage.
The sun’s rays are made up of shorter length UVB rays and longer length UVA rays. While UVB rays are responsible for tanning and sunburns, UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin and contribute to wrinkles, premature aging, allergic reactions and some types of skin cancers.
A sunscreen’s SPF (Sun Protection Factor) is a measurement of the amount of UVB protection that a sunscreen delivers. An effective sunscreen then, should offer protection against both UVA and UVB rays and must remain stable when exposed to sunlight. Many sunscreen filters on the market today, degrade upon exposure to sunlight rendering them ineffective.
Though the Europeans have developed a measurement for rating the amount of UVA protection that a sunscreen delivers (PPD), we haven’t evolved that far yet in North America.
How Does Anthelios Work?
Anthelios contains La Roche Posay’s patented ingredients Mexoryl SX or Mexoryl XL, which offer considerable UVA protection. When combined with other effective sun filtering agents such as titanium dioxide or avobenzone for example, Anthelios becomes a broad spectrum sunscreen delivering protection against both UVA and UVB rays. Many sunscreens on the market only deliver UVB protection. So you may not get a sunburn, but you won’t be protecting yourself against the long term effects of unprotected sun exposure such as skin aging and skin cancers.
The Anthelios formulation is also highly photostable (doesn’t degrade when exposed to sunlight). Studies have shown that it maintains the majority of its sun filtering capability even 24 hours after initial application! These features alone could make you consider Anthelios the best sunscreen around.
Newer formulations also contain the added benefits of Tinosorb S, another highly stable sun filter that blocks both UVA and UVB rays. And like Mexoryl SX and XL, it’s also photostable, ensuring it protects over time. There’s more too! Tinosorb S can help to stabilize other sun filters including avobenzone from degradation. And last of all–it doesn’t cause skin irritation or hormone disruption, which may occur with some older sun filters.
How Anthelios Feels
Yes, Anthelios is a sunscreen, but it’s a very pleasant formulation compared to other sunscreens. We always received comments from our customers about how lovely it feels on the skin. We agree! The texture is much nicer than any other sunscreen we’ve ever tried.
Anthelios With Mexoryl SX or Mexoryl XL?
Mexoryl SX has been available in popular sunscreens around the world for a long time now. It’s an effective UVA and UVB filter. Mexoryl XL is available in some countries and is an soluble form of the Mexoryl molecule. This makes Mexoryl XL slightly more water resistant than products containing only the Mexoryl SX so it’s a good idea to consider a formulation with Mexoryl XL if you are planning to be outdoors and active.
The good news is that many Anthelios sunscreens are made with a combination of both Mexoryl XL and Mexoryl SX–and some also with Tinosorb S now. The combination of these ingredients has a synergistic effect and increases the effectiveness in reflecting UV rays. The result is a sunscreen with the ultimate in sun protection.
Which Anthelios Is Best for You?
The Anthelios line is available in a wide selection of creams, lotions and liquids so it will be easy to find one suitable for your needs. You could do much worse than considering Anthelios UVMune 400 Invisible Fluid SPF 50+, Anthelios UVMune 400 Hydrating Cream SPF 50+ or Anthelios XL SPF 60 Lotion, our top sellers here at PhaMix.com.
