(will post an intro in a minute)
The US sunscreen offerings, when considered by UVA protection are still fairly paltry. I'd love to be able to buy locally....for ease of access as much as anything else. I tend to leave sunscreen everywhere I go - which means I need to buy more fairly constantly.
While the US options have gotten better as Copperton, HT, Neutrogena and Banana Boat have all moved towards stabilized avobenzone for UVA protection (though they still all have some non stable formulations iirc), they still don't come close to what one can get from a euro s/s containing both tinosorbs. And the vast majority of US screens with reasonable PPD contain oxybenzone. Something I'd like to avoid for my own health, definitely won't use it on my kids, and dont' really want to be rinsing/washing a known endocrine disruptor into our lakes, rivers, streams and oceans.
The new(ish) L'oreal/Cosmair offerings containing mexoryl sx are certainly a step in the right direction, but still, compared to both tinosorbs, they miss a lot of important UVA protection (or so my skin tells me....i hyperpigment very very quickly with all but the most highly protective s/s reapplied multiple times per day)
LRP Anthelios SX is liked by many
Lancome has a mexoryl sx s/s now...slightly more whitening and thicker than the Anthelios SX but not as shiny from what i hear.
L'oreal Revitalift UV is reported to be the lightest of the three but it's as expensive or more expensive than most euro s/s of greater protection.
Banana Boat UltraMist Kids Spray 30 is a shiny, oily continuous spray mist product that contains no oxybenzone.
for those who do not like the shine/oil:
Avene Emulsion 50+ is quite matte. Too matte for me in fact. I find it uncomfortably drying.
LRP Anthelios Dermo-Pediatrics 40 spray was universally loved. Three bottles are currently remaining from my Firenze stash. I use it on my neck as it doesn't rub off on clothing. LRP has now discontinued it and replaced it with Anthelios Dermo-Pediatrics 50 *spray* which is a shinier continuous spray/mist product. great for kids, easy to apply (still needs to be rubbed in though). no oxybenzone.
On my face, I use Bioderma MAX lait 50+/PPD 35 (was labeled 100 until EU regs changed that) with a drop of Bioderma MAX tinted cream 50+ to take care of any white cast. I love love love Bioderma Anti-Age 30 spf/30ppd. However, it's hard too find and is $30 for one measly ounce. When i use it, i mix it half half with my max lait. it dries down to a great finish for me (will be too shiny for some). but i wont' use a s/s that's going to last me about 10 days (b/c of reapplications). So i save it for times when cosmetic elegance is more imporant....and still mix it with the lait.
Mixing with Bioderma MAX fluide also gives great cosmetic elegance and helps diffuse costs....as the fluide can be found for around $20/40 mL.
With all but the Anti-Age, i need to use a bit of the tinted cream to deal with the white effect.
i no longer wear body s/s.....just long sleeves, sun protective jacket etc.....Foxgloves gloves all the time. When i do swim, I wear a swimshirt, apply vv waterproof sunscreen (like lrp dermo-pediatrics....any of them) and leave my legs unprotected. To offset my sundeprivation, I take about 2000 IU D per day to maintain 25(OH)D levels of 50-55 ng/mL (always right around 52-54)
Apparently there's also a Garnier Kids Spray either 30 or 40 that's very similar in wearability to the old LRP d-p. It can be found on ebay.co.uk
katherine