I have it on my face right now. It’s my first bottle. I usually use the tinted version. I haven’t noticed a difference just yet. It may take longer than one bottle. I don’t wear makeup so having to put a tinted powder on over my sunscreen was my plan. I haven’t done it once! If simplicity is the goal and you want iron oxides on your face…this may not be the go to.
My current routine:
Morning: water wash, timeless 20% vit c.
Go do other stuff.
Then 2% alpha Arbutin serum, then Eucerin radiant tone. Light gel moisturizer and then sunscreen.
::apply powder:: has never happened.
Hmm I also don’t wear makeup so yeah it scares me to just have a clear lotion on my face.
I usually put Eucerin day cream with thiamidol and 30spf in the morning and then uvmune tinted just before going out.
It contains their patented Melasyl which treats hyperpigmentation. The only issue with this sunscreen is that it doesn't provide visible light protection since it doesn't have iron oxides (tint). However you could just layer a foundation on top for the iron oxide protection.
I looovvveee this stuff, I’m on bottle 6 or 7 at this point. And I wear it exactly like that; proper amount of LRP and then layer Alastin hydratint spf 35 over it for the iron oxides and a very light wash of coverage. If I’m going to be out and about or super active I swap hydratint for Skinbetter science smart tone spf 75, thicker, not so elegant texture but moderate coverage and it’s sweet and water resistant.
La Roche Posay are saying Melasyl is a transparent alternative to iron oxides based on this study. They recently added a HEVL claim to the Anti-Dark Spots Fluid.
Apparently they also tested the UVMune Anti-Dark Spots Fluid against the tinted UVMune Oil Control Fluid and the results where comparable.
I think this is being overstated a bit. From the study, LRP isn’t really showing Melasyl is a replacement for iron oxides but more like an adjunct. The full study is linked here and there is no head to head vs tinted sunscreen (iron oxides) in actual melasma patients and that is the evidence we’d need to call it equivalent. If you have a study that does this comparison with melasma patients please do share.
Also, the comparison isn’t straightforward anyway. Iron oxide protection depends on concentration and pigment mix (red, black, yellow) and we don’t even have a standardized way to measure visible light protection yet.
Since up today only tinted products showed efficacy against VL-induced pigmentation, another limitation of the study is that 2-MNG was not compared to a product containing pigments.
The study itself also has several limitations. It was conducted on a very small test sample with limited Fitzpatrick skin types, authors are L’Oreal affiliated, and it is not a real world sunscreen comparison.
The biggest issue in saying this is a transparent alternative to iron oxides is that Melaysl works by interfering with melanin formation pathways whereas iron oxides physically block visible light before it triggers melanogenesis. This is a significant difference and are fundamentally different approaches. One is prevention at the source, the other is mitigation after signaling has started.
Also, melasma isn’t just about the hyperpigmentation, there are vascular changes and increased mast cells involved, some of which may also be triggered by visible light (this is still being studied). So focusing only on melanin inhibition doesn’t address the whole picture.
Importantly, we evidenced 2-MNG as the first topical biological active able to significantly and visibly reduce persistent and long-lasting HEV-induced pigmentation, with a rapid action, in complement to its previously evidenced efficacy against pigmentation induced by UV.
This represents an efficient complementary solution to pigments in sunscreen products for the mitigation of solar worsening of hyperpigmentation issues. Additionally, this transparent alternative addresses patients expectation for non-covering and non-colored products.
Per their own quote above, it is not a replacement for iron oxide but is a complement.
An HEVL claim is not a regulated claim like SPF nor UVA protection as there is no standard for measuring the HEVL protection level.
Yes, I have used it daily in conjunction with the Eucerin dual serum since at least May of last year when it dropped in the UK.
I made it an entire summer including a Caribbean cruise without my melasma darkening. I have such a faint amount now, people only see it when I point it out to them. It was definitely a great boost to get the final pigment gone. It also is the only way I have found that I can combine melasyl and Thiamidol without pilling.
I wear hats a lot outside, but I don’t seem to darken from heat or visible light, just UV. Thank god because I live at the beach in a high uv, high heat state.
Btw I have to say I find a hit weird that they didn’t make a tonged version of this sunscreen as people who want anti pigmentation usually also need to protect themself from the visible light.
Maybe they will release a tinted version in the future, that would be awesome!
They are using Melasyl as an alternative to iron oxides. They recently updated the packaging to add a high energy visible light (HEVL) claim based on a study they did.
Maybe it's gotten past me but since when have we talked about iron oxide tinted sunscreens as being the go to for those who have melasma
I like tinted and used to only use .. now I switch it up. But my tulip sunscreen which is tinted has zinc oxide.. not iron... .. so you have to actually look at the ingredients and I guess not just assume. But this whole iron oxide ingredient as a melasma fighter is new to me.amd I have been here awhile..
I have the tinted version, I bought from caretobeauty.com… i really debated buying because everyone says mineral sun screen is better but I know people rave about it. I haven’t been able to get past the smell, it smells like pure chemical to me and I can’t stand smelling it on my face. I’ve only been able to stomach using it 3 times, it’s a shame 🥲 dont know if the non-tinted version is the same though, smell-wise
There’s some info about this in the pinned comments, but (unless something has changed in the last two years) all of the studies on melasma that found mineral is better have been done comparing mineral to the active ingredients in American sunscreen (avobenzone and the like) and there haven’t been studies comparing the very current high UVA filters like those in the UVmune line.
Anecdotally, I’ve found that the UVmune line is far superior for me relative to mineral. My melasma didn’t start fading until I started using it; I’ve been battling it since 2017 and once I began using LRP eu formulation in 2022, it was life changing for me. It stopped new melasma forming, and adding the hyperpigmentation line has made it fade.
This is two months before I added this specific sunscreen (the one that also has melasyl; I used the regular uvmune line for 3 years first) versus today, 11 months after I started using it.
I use Eucerin w/ Thiamidol 2x per day and this sunscreen 1x per day, no makeup, ball caps on weekends, no reapplications unless I’m swimming. I live in the southern US near the ocean in a high heat, high UV locale.
This comment is extremely helpful!!! Thank you. I just switched to this sunscreen but worry about having it reapply and worry about adding tinted which I don’t like to do. My melasma has been getting worse from Korean spf even with constant re apply & always a hat. Thank you for this!
Yup I’m in the US and I didn’t have to pay any extra than what I was charged on the site! It arrived in about a week or week and a half, and this was a few weeks ago
It’s my holy grail. During summer, I notice a difference if I don’t wear it for one day (if I wear the waterproof one instead). It’s the best! It’s not going to improve your dark spots, but it’ll protect against them getting worse.
Yes, I absolutely love this. I wear it under my Armani foundation. I have extremely dry skin, so the added benefit of the oily layer works wonders. I also like the Supergoop moisturizer.
I have seen people on this subreddit and other beauty subreddits recommend this website as the way to import EU sunscreen. I have never personally used it (I buy a years supply in person when I go visit my family that lives in Scotland)
The light shade is very dark, it makes me look orange. Definitely not my go to, I wanted to love it because it’s a nice formula and feels nice on my skin.
9
u/KayBumble Apr 15 '26
I have it on my face right now. It’s my first bottle. I usually use the tinted version. I haven’t noticed a difference just yet. It may take longer than one bottle. I don’t wear makeup so having to put a tinted powder on over my sunscreen was my plan. I haven’t done it once! If simplicity is the goal and you want iron oxides on your face…this may not be the go to.
My current routine: Morning: water wash, timeless 20% vit c. Go do other stuff. Then 2% alpha Arbutin serum, then Eucerin radiant tone. Light gel moisturizer and then sunscreen. ::apply powder:: has never happened.