When I was first notified of La Roche Posay’s reformulation of their Anthelios Ultra-Fluid Lotion SPF60, my first thought was, “IS IT THE SAME AS SHAKA FLUID!?!?!?”

In short, LRP Canada on their Instagram informed me it was the same formula. I looked at both ingredients list, and there is a difference between the two, so it’s not 100% the same. In addition, I discovered the PPD is not the same either, so don’t expect this to be like Shaka Fluid’s PPD 46 that I originally thought despite the slight differences.

Either way, I have got a good feel of the new La Roche Posay Anthelios Ultra-Fluid Lotion SPF50+ and am ready to review! I have also compared its ingredients list to the Shaka Fluid if you’re like me and were interested in the similarities and differences.

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Information on La Roche Posay Anthelios Ultra-Fluid Lotion SPF50+

High UVA-UVB protection with an invisible finish. A unique combination of invisible yet ultra-resistant protection developed for sensitive skin. – Shoppers Drug Mart.

Price: $29 CAD
Amount: 50 ml

UV FILTERS (Total: 7):
Drometrizole Trisiloxane (Mexoryl XL) 7%
Bemotrizinol (Tinosorb S) 5%
Octisalate 5%
Octocrylene 5%
Avobenzone 3%
Homosalate 2%
Ensulizole 0.5%

Protection:
UVB: SPF50+ (~60)
UVA: LRP Canada said on their Instagram the PPD is 35.

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ANTHELIOS ULTRA-FLUID VS. SHAKA FLUID

Feel free to skip past this part if you really don’t care lol.

CANADIAN LRP INCI Canadian website
Active ingredients: Drometrizole Trisiloxane (Mexoryl XL) 7%, Bemotrizinol 5%, Octisalate 5%, Octocrylene 5%, Avobenzone 3%, Homosalate 2%, Ensulizole 0.5%
Inactive ingredients: Aqua/Water/Eau, Alcohol Denat., Silica, Isopropyl Myristate, Glycerin, Diisopropyl Sebacate, C12-22 Alkyl Acrylate/Hydroxyethylacrylate Copolymer, Propanediol, Perlite, Tocopherol, Triethanolamine, Caprylyl Glycol, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Disodium Edta, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

EUROPEAN LRP INCIDecoder
Aqua/​Water, Alcohol Denat, Diisopropyl Sebacate, Silica, Isopropyl Myristate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Butylmethoxydibenzoylmethane, Glycerin, C12-22 Alkyl Acrylate/​Hydroxyethylacrylate Copolymer, Propanediol, Drometrizole Trisiloxane, Perlite, Tocopherol, Caprylic/​Capric Triglyceride, Acrylates/​C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Terephthalylidene Dicamphor Sulfonic Acid, Triethanolamine, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

SHARED UV FILTERS
Mexoryl XL – Drometrizole Trisiloxane  (UVB UVA)
Tinosorb S – Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine – Bimotrizinol (UVB UVAI UVAII)
Avobenzone – Butylmethoxydibenzoylmethane (UVAI UVAII)
Octisalate – Ethylhexyl Salicylate (UVB)

CANADIAN ONLY
Octocrylene (UVB some UVA II)
Homosalate (UVB)
Ensulizole (UVB)

EUROPEAN ONLY
Mexoryl SX – Terephthalylidene Dicamphor Sulfonic Acid (UVB UVAI UVAII)
Uvinul T 150 – EthylHexyl Triazone (UVB)

In short, first 10 inactive ingredients are the same, 5 of the same ingredients are in different order, and there is 1 different ingredient:

Canada – Disodium Edta – viscosity
Europe – Caprylic/​Capric Triglyceride – emollient

Skinthusiast Perspective…

Uvinul T 150 is not a regulated UV filter in Canada, so that’s why we see Homosalate and Ensulizole in our ingredient list instead as extra UVB filters. Aside from Uvinul T 150, I do not understand why Mexoryl SX is not in our formula and we could not have the additional emollient ingredient. But then again, I’m not a chemist, and cannot assume we can have it all “cooked” together.

As shown in the first screenshot, La Roche Posay Canada’s Instagram stated this is the same formula as Shaka Fluid, it is just named differently here. However after comparing the ingredients list, this is incorrect. I don’t blame the Social Media Manager not knowing, their job is to mostly know the Canadian products. I also emailed LRP Canada’s customer service to ask further about this sunscreen compared to the Shaka Fluid and received no answer (this was months ago). After doing the digging myself with the ingredients and filters, it is clear it is not the same formula, but it is pretty dang close! I still can’t help but feel a little disappointed the Canadian formula doesn’t have Mexoryl SX though, it’s in Ombrelle’s sunscreens (a Canadian sunscreen brand that also uses the patented Mexoryl UV filers).

In the next screenhot, LRPCa provided the PPD of their new Anthelios Ultra-Fluid Lotion SPF50+ is 35. This makes sense, considering we don’t have the additional high-protection UVA filter Mexoryl SX. This blog post by a French independent lab however tested the rating of the Shaka Fluid. Their test results showed that the Shaka Fluid’s PPD was a 27! Everything just becomes more confusing, doesn’t it? Either way, PPD of 27 or 35 is still better than 16, and my experience with the La Roche Posay Anthelios Ultra-Fluid Lotion was overall a very positive one!

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My Experience with La Roche Posay Anthelios Ultra-Fluid Lotion SPF50+

PACKAGING:  Opaque white plastic bottle, twist off cap with a small spout.

CONSISTENCY:  Thin fluid.

FRAGRANCE: None.

APPLICATION: Slides on very easily with a light touch.

FINISH: Glowy.

FEEL: Emollient, like my skin has a moisturizer on it.

STINGS EYES? Surprisingly, it does not!

WHITECAST / TINTED? No, there are no mineral UV filters that could potentially leave a cast. In addition, the Silica, a white powdery substance, is not leaving a white streaky film.

WATER RESISTANT? Yes – 80 minutes.

SKIN BENEFITS? This has denat. alcohol in the formula, but the sunsreen still manages to add extra moisture to my skin. I have actually managed to wear this without moisturizer in the summer! In winter, this has worn fairly comfortably throughout the day, but I do gravitate to “greasier” sunscreens to avoid any dry feeling all together.

UNDER MAKEUP: Does not add or subtract to longevity for my drier skin type.

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Final Thoughts on La Roche Posay Anthelios Ultra-Fluid Lotion SPF50+

PROS:

• High protection – SPF50+ PPD 35
• Easy to apply the 2mg/cm2
• Feels light
• Can wear it as a moisturizing SPF in the summer
• This does not sting my eyes

CONS:

• Sometimes stings my skin if I used an active that impaired my skin a little bit (eg. too much chemical exfoliation)

IN-BETWEEN FEELS

• Bit pricey per ml, but it’s a sunscreen I would wear everyday if I didn’t have such a collection of SPF 😀
• Sometimes I look too glowy, borderline oily in the summer time
• I don’t expect the social media manager to know everything about their products, but I wouldn’t go telling customers that it’s the same formula as the Shaka Fluid in Europe

The La Roche Posay Anthelios Ultra-Fluid Lotion SPF50+ definitely knocks my other high protecting sunscreen out of the park when it comes to cosmetic elegance. I went through a bottle of this no problem in the summer without issues. Also the fact that I’m able to wear this without moisturizer underneath just amazes me (in the summer). Overall, the La Roche Posay Anthelios Ultra-Fluid Lotion SPF50+ is great despite the price point and it’s in my top favourite sunscreens so far.

WHERE TO BUY:
Well.ca *
Shoppers Drug Mart

*This is an affiliate link. If you click on this link and make a purchase, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you so much if you decide to use it! If you feel uncomfortable, feel free to google a new link.

As, always I hope you found this post helpful and informative!

xo, M