Notes from LA…. sunscreen

Our girl in LA, Belinda, says:

“Went to the dermatologist yesterday and thought I would share with you his top picks for the best sunscreens out there. Basically there are three key ingredients that work the best; zinc oxide, titanium dioxide and ecamsule [mexoryl sx].

Zinc oxide is back in vogue but it is now in a far superior form – it’s micronized, whatever that means, so it doesn’t leave a white residue (handy in photos).

The products that contain zinc oxide to look out for are: Sea and Ski SPF 50: Faces, Sport, Baby, Advanced (he says they’re all the same). Coppertone Spectra 3 SPF 50 and Blue Lizard 30 (It’s Australian and all the rage).

Titanium dioxide is micronized as well but can look slightly white: Neutrogena SPF 50, PreSun 28 for sensitive skin and Hawaiian Tropic 45+.

Finally these products use an ingredient called Ecamsule [or Mexoryl sx] which is newly approved and covers a previously missed portion in the UVA spectrum plus it’s long acting: La Roche-Porsay: Anthelios SX SPF 15, SPF 60, L’Oreal Ombrelle, Vichy SPF 15 (currently the one I use – looks fab in the tote).

There you have it – sunscreen recommendations from a doc in LA.”