Beauty Bible Beauty Clinic

Welcome to our new weekly column on the YOU magazine website, www.you.co.uk  Below you will find the current question and our advice, with a list of where to source the products mentioned.  To look at past columns, click here. And for lots more solutions to your beauty dilemmas, visit Q&A, just click here.

February 28th, 2010: SPF moisturisers

Q Can you recommend a moisturiser with a high SPF?  It must be light and quickly absorbed - and suitable for skin with rosacea. It must be able to be used under make-up.  Also - is there a difference between European and US SPF ratings?

A If you haven’t tried the La-Roche Posay Anthelios XL Fluid Extreme SPF50+, £16 for 50 ml, we suggest this. L-RP, as it’s dubbed, is a fragrance-free French brand favoured by dermatologists. This high SPF fluid gives efficient protection against the spectrum of UVA/UVB rays is suitable for anyone anxious about skin ageing. Two friends with incredibly sensitive skin recommended it highly to us (though neither has fullblown rosacea, one has allergies and another a skin that breaks into rashes at the least provocation).  It does also get mentioned favourably on rosacea chat room sites that we found by Googling.   

Comments from our 10-woman Beauty Bible tester panel included: ‘My very sensitive skin didn’t react and it completely protected me against redness’  • ‘ sank in quickly with a comfortable texture’ • ‘I generally stay indoors in summer because I’m so fair, but this makes me feel much more confident about not burning’ • ‘good base for foundation’. 

We’ve also found recommendations for these products (you can click on the name to find the product on-line, or there’s a full stockist list at the foot of the page): 

Clinique City Block Sheer SPF 25, £15 for 40 ml: lightweight, subtly tinted and oil-free, this formula has a physical sun block (chemical ones are more likely to irritate sensitive skin) nourishing antioxidants and soothing ingredients. 

Eucerin Sensitive Hydro-Protect SPF15, £13.19 for 50 ml: this claims to protect skin against not only UVA/UVB rays but also environmental stress and premature skin ageing. 

Nia 24 Sun Damage prevention 100% Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30, £37 for 75 ml: based on a niacin (vitamin B3) compound, this oil-free formulation is suitable for sensitive skin and claims to generate healthier skin cells as well as strengthen the all-important skin barrier. 

Sarah’s own favourite for her sensitive skin is Kimberly Sayer Ultra Light Organic Facial Moisturiser SPF25, £24.10 for 150 ml, which she uses daily during the spring, summer and autumn.  Although she is outside lots (riding, gardening, walking), her face never burns or itches so she’s a happy bunny! 

But we would make the general point that while moisturisers with an SPF definitely help protect skin, you would have to use them like a sun prep - ie reapply every two hours - to be sure of daylong protection…  You can help top up with a mineral powder/foundation but again this will only help where you put it – and personally we don’t cover our faces, necks and bosoms with base from the hairline down. 

New sunscreen recommendations (not regulations so not enforceable but generally they are taken up by the industry) are in the process of being implemented in the EU, and to some extent in the US.   General levels of protection have been divided into three bands of UVB (not UVA) protection shown by the SPF rating – low (SPF6 and 10), medium (SPF15, 20 and 25)  and high (SPF30 and 50).  In the EU, there is also a very high band (SPF50+), but not in America.  Also in Europe, manufacturers are having to ensure that the level of UVA protection is a minimum of one third of the (claimed) UVB screening because it’s now recognised that UVA is a potential contributor to skin cancer (formerly it was thought to be only UVB).  The US is said to be bringing in a similar requirement.  UVA protection was formerly symbolised by a star rating, which will be redundant now, although some brands say they will put five stars on their products to push home the point that they are providing maximum cover. 

We . . . Tom Ford Urban Musk, £110 for 50 ml at www.harrods.com, or click here.  OK, so this is a VERY special occasion perfume – one for dabbing on for ultra-glam moments rather than everyday.  (And actually, that’s how we think perfume should be enjoyed.)  From the designer-turned-perfumer-and-film-maker (!), this is one of a quintet of variations on a musky theme in his Private Blend line-up – but Urban Musk is our favourite, with sweet ambrette seed, white honey, jasmine, black plum and white pepper.  Subtle, and nuzzleable, and just adorable. 

STOCKISTS 

La-Roche Posay Anthelios XL Fluid Extreme SPF50+, £16 for 50 ml, is available to purchase online from www.garden.co.uk. 

Clinique City Block Sheer SPF 25, £15 for 40ml, is available to purchase online from www.boots.com. 

Eucerin Sensitive Hydro-Protect SPF15, £13.19 for 50ml, is available to purchase online from www.boots.com. 

Nia 24 Sun Damage Prevention 100% Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30, £37 for 75ml, is available to purchase online from www.spacenk.co.uk. 

Kimberly Sayer Ultra Light Organic Facial Moisturiser SPF25, £24.10 for 150 ml, is available to purchase online from www.lovelula.com. Don’t forget your exclusive 5% discount with all online orders. 

Tom Ford Urban Musk, £110 for 50 ml.

Beauty Bible Beauty Clinic Archive

February 21st 2010 - Eyelash enhancers
February 14th 2010 - Night-time skincare
February 7th 2010 - Moisturisers
January 31st 2010 - Concealers
January 24th 2010 - Primers
January 17th 2010 - Choosing skincare products
January 10th 2010 - Parabens free make-up
January 3rd 2010 - Cosmetic Dentistry

Beauty Bible Beauty Clinic Archive 2009