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Paranoid...is my la roche posay sunscreen a fake?
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I bought LRP anthelios xl 50+ sunscreen spray to use on my neck, chest and arms for daily protection. I don't really need that high of an spf for everyday, but I have patches of melasma on the sides of my neck as well as my face from my 1 hour car commute to and from work (I say it's from that because it's esp on the driver's side), and my left arm and hand are downright tanned. This product is different from the mexoryl sx sunscreens that are available here in the US, so I bought it on amazon (not sold by amazon, but a vendor). Unlike my usual car commute, today I was actually out in the sun after I'd used it. Well my chest is pink. Not a bright red sunburn, but I wasn't out very long. So--should I be worried it's a fake? Or conclude I just didn't apply liberally enough? For LRP users, does the labeling on the front of the spray bottle normally look like an adhesive label if you look very closely, or is it imprinted directly on the plastic?
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ouch ouch ouch
I have only been sunburned maybe three or four times in my life but sunburns hurt.
It helps enormously to take aspirin or ibuprofen if you have been burned. It reduces the severity of the burn by reducing the inflammation. Clear aloe gel (Fruit of the Earth makes one) works well to keep it moisturized and cools the burning. A milk compress helps -
http://www.ehow.com/how_4487834_soothe-sunburn-milk-compress.html
or tea - http://lacetoleather.com/natcurforsun.html (don't know about the lavender oil mentioned on that site...have never tried that for burns)
As to your sunscreen is fake or not....well I don't know. Seems you have two choices. 1. Go with the idea that you did not apply liberally enough and continue to use it. (I had read a suggestion that you apply sunblock BEFORE getting dressed so as not to miss spots with your first application. I am doing that now myself!) or 2. Not risk getting burned or getting sun damage and get another sunblock. There are some good ones out there that are not expensive.
Also when you use a spray sunblock you have to rub it in to make sure you get full and even coverage.
Your idea about asking others how the labeling should look is a good one though!
Hope that helps! -
Just found this bit of news...
Consumer Reports recently ranked 12 of the most popular brands; fourall sprayswere best at blocking UVA and UVB rays and offering protection after getting wet. In descending order, they were: Up & Up Sport Continuous (Target), Walgreens Sport Continuous, Banana Boat Sport Performance Continuous and Aveeno Continuous Protection.
it was on an ivillage link. -
Sarah, I am not familiar with the LRP sunscreen. Maybe if you called the LRP customer service you could desribe the bottle to them and they may be able to tell you what to look for to tell if it is counterfeit.
About Lindygirls's comment: I can vouch for the Target Up and Up Sport Continuous Spray. My 9 year old recently got back from 6 days at Girl Scout camp, where she went swimming every afternoon. I sent the Up and Up with her, and she came back with no pinkness, and she had not gotten much tan, either. She finds the sprays easier to apply than the lotions. -
Thanks guys for the support and recommendations. My chest looks pretty fine today. It was only slightly pink and not at all painful yesterday, but it did look like a bit of sun exposure to me because my chest doesn't normally turn pink (though I do have rosacea, so it's always possible I could get some pinkness there not due to sun). The LRP spray is a bit less convenient than the neutrogena spray mist I had been using, but I liked the LRP one because it has some titanium dioxide as well as the mexoryl xl. There's some evidence that coverage for the visible spectrum (such as would be provided by a physical sunscreen), as well as UVA, is ideal for melasma). But it's hard to find broad spectrum sunscreen sprays that also have a physical block in the formulation. Another one I like (but is a pure chemical sunscreen) is coppertone sport.
P.S. As a side note, I generally feel a little nervous when I order such things on amazon or ebay. If a purse is a knock-off, and you're none the wiser, it's not the end of the world as long as you didn't spend too much on it and you still like it. But if a sunscreen is a knock-off, it might not protect the same. -
I don't know if it's a fake or not, but today I think I really did get a mild sunburn while using the LRP spray (not just pink but a little uncomfortable). Small chance that it's from the alcohol in the product, but I doubt it. The good news is that even though I was pretty sweaty while I was out, the Paula's choice that I use (every day) on my face completely protected me. So that one's a keeper. I guess for now, it's back to my neutrogena spray for the body.
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If you could post a picture it would be easier to tell if it is fake.
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Yeah, I thought it was weird, too. I got the fluide extreme as well for the face--for me, not moisturizing enough, but it seems like an excellent product. I'm wondering if the problem is that the spray is not a mist, so effective application depends on spreading around the product after you spray it (which I tried to do, but maybe there were spots I missed). I will try to post a pic of the product when I have a chance.
Thanks, Sarah -
i've been using LRP sunscreen for over a year now. recently we went to the country side and my friends told me i must be burning and should go in the shade as my chest was looking too pink. i knew i had spf50 on which is enough for my skin. next day - no burn. it must have been some reaction. i don't have any tan in that area now, and i usually tan if i get pink. maybe it was pink from the heat, it was really hot out. anyway, LRP is getting too expensive, so I use Vichy for my face and Loreal Solar for the body. All three brands belong to Loreal and use their magic ingredient Mexoryl XL so I got cheap sunscreens off of ebay :) perfect alternative, and Loreal Solar body mist spf50 is so sheer that my dark skin boyfriend can use it without any ghostly effects.
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Ally,
Thanks for sharing your LRP experience. You have rosacea as I do, so maybe it's a reaction to something in it (like the alcohol). To complicate things still further, I think I may be getting a problem with my upper back or neck that could be causing nerve symptoms that feel like a sunburn on my upper back. Do you have a bottle of LRP sunscreen that you could take a look at? If so, is the labeling on what appears to be a clear adhesive label affixed to the white plastic bottle? It's subtle, because it's a clear "sticker" but I'm sure that's what it is because in the humidity in my bathroom, one corner of it started to lift up a little bit.
Thanks, Sarah
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Yeah, that's just like mine (you can kind of see the edges of the "sticker" in your photo). Thanks! I think it's the real article, just a strange reaction to the product as you say. Also, it may be tough sometimes to get the application even since it's a spritzer not a fine spray "mist," and you have to spread it around after you spray it on, including on parts of your back that you can't see (unless you ask someone to assist).
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