I received this bottle of  La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL Sun Spray SPF50+ complimentary from the company in Singapore recently.  Although I prefer a mineral sunscreen, I do use chemical sunscreens as mentioned in my earlier entry about my sun protection arsenal and La Roche-Posay is a brand I highly rely upon. 

Over the weekend, I picked up this UV-b Safe Natural Sunblock SPF30+ with Zinclear Microfine formula from a mobile cart at VivoCity.  It caught my eye because it’s stated as 100% natural and contains 25.9% zinc oxide.  I was told it’s available at Living Pharmacy for S$30+ but I got this tube slightly cheaper at S$25.

I know a number of you who read Viva Woman uses natural sunscreens or sunblocks like me, but also have questioned if what you are using is giving you sufficient sun protection.  The natural sunscreens use zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide as the active key ingredients and unlike most of the European formulations, do not tell you the Persistent Pigment Darkening (PPD) rating used to measure UVA protection.

My husband has been training for some marathons and sometimes swim under the hot scorching sun when the UV index is about 13 or 14. Normally, he uses La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL SPF50+ on his face and neck only but recently, I helped him apply UV Natural Sunscreen SPF30+ on his entire body because the formulation is highly water resistant. In addition, I got him to take two of the Heliocare oral sunscreen protection capsules. So eventually when I checked him, he was not burned, but did appear slightly darker. However, he complained that it was difficult to wash off.