La Roche-Posay is a skincare brand that claims to be “recommended by 90,000+ dermatologists worldwide.” The brand describes their product line as “life-changing dermatology,” and sells at a premium price point.
But do La Roche-Posay products contain ingredients proven to enhance skin quality? Do they contain any unhealthy ingredients? Does La Roche Posay contain a cancer-causing ingredient? And is La Roche Posay better or worse than other popular cosmetic brands like Il Makiage?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in two of the most popular La Roche Posay products (Mineral Tinted Sunscreen and Brightening Deep Cleanser) to give our take on whether or not they're likely to improve skin quality, and whether or not they're healthy.
We'll also highlight a class action lawsuit alleging that some La Roche Posay products may contain a carcinogenic compound, and compare La Roche Posay to other popular skincare brands to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- Mineral Tinted Sunscreen contains two preservatives we consider unhealthy
- Pigmentclar Cleanser contains one ingredient we consider unhealthy
- We do not currently recommend La Roche Posay
La Roche-Posay Sunscreen Review
The ingredients in La Roche-Posay Anthelios Mineral Tinted Sunscreen are shown below:
There are a number of research-backed ingredients in this formulation.
Titanium dioxide is the only active ingredient, which makes this product a “physical” sunscreen. This is safer in our opinion than “chemical” sunscreens.
A medical review published in the Journal of Cosmetic Science reports that titanium dioxide is highly effective at blocking damaging UV rays, and is not absorbed into the bloodstream when applied topically, making it an ideal non-toxic sunscreen ingredient.
Iron oxides are included as an inactive ingredient, but these compounds can also help provide sun protection.
A 2021 medical review on tinted sunscreen ingredients concludes that iron oxides can help “to provide protection against visible light.”
Cassia alata leaf extract was shown in a medical review published in the Molecules journal to be a potent natural anti-microbial, suggesting it may help prevent skin irritation.
Tocopherol, otherwise known as vitamin E, is clinically shown to help protect skin against UV damage as we referenced in our Ogee Makeup reviews article on another cosmetics brand that uses this ingredient.
While there are clearly effective ingredients in this formulation, there are also a few ingredients that may be questionable from a health perspective.
Phenoxyethanol is a synthetic preservative shown in a 2020 clinical trial to be toxic to human cells, and this sunscreen contains another synthetic preservative called benzoic acid.
Talc was shown to be contaminated with toxic asbestos in 10% of cosmetic products surveyed in a research report published in the Environmental Health Insights journal.
Overall, we consider Anthelios Mineral Tinted Sunscreen likely to be effective for protecting skin from the sun, but we don't currently recommend it due to the inactive ingredients highlighted above.
Does La Roche-Posay Cause Cancer?
Benzene is a carcinogen that can be found in sunscreen.
According to a law firm called Taylor King Law, many different cosmetics brands were found to contain benzene, and La Roche-Posay was one of them.
A medical review published in the Critical Reviews in Toxicology journal concludes that the chemical may increase risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, although specifies that airborne benzene is the main risk factor.
Presumably a sunscreen would expose users to risks from topical absorption rather than airborne inhalation, unless it was a spray product.
The above-linked report from the law firm does not specify which La Roche-Posay sunscreen product was allegedly found to be contaminated with benzene.
La Roche-Posay Cleanser Review
The ingredients in La Roche-Posay Pigmentclar Brightening Deep Cleanser are shown below:
Glycerin can improve skin moisture content by up to 15% according to a clinical trial published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science.
Palmitic acid has an anti-inflammatory effect on skin when applied topically according to a 2018 clinical trial.
Lauric acid is derived from coconut or palm kernel, and has natural anti-bacterial effects according to a clinical trial published in the Journal of Dermatological Science. This suggests that it may reduce acne on skin.
Capryloyl salicylic acid, also known as LHA, may have anti-aging effects.
A 2008 clinical trial found that this ingredient caused significant reduction of wrinkles in 41% of participants after 12 weeks of treatment.
While there are a number of research-backed ingredients in this formulation, there is one inactive ingredient that health-conscious consumers may wish to avoid.
Fragrance is clinically shown to have toxic effects in humans and in the environment, as we referenced in our article reviewing Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream, another cosmetic product containing this ingredient.
Overall, we consider La Roche-Posay Pigmentclar Brightening Deep Cleanser likely effective for cleansing the skin, and potentially effective for reducing acne and reducing wrinkles.
However, we don’t currently recommend this product due to the inclusion of fragrance.
La Roche Posay vs. Popular Cosmetics
Here's how La Roche Posay compares to other popular skincare brands in terms of potential effectiveness and healthiness, in our opinion:
Il Makiage
Both brands use ingredients we consider unhealthy (Il Makiage uses BHT which was clinically shown to be toxic to animals).
The La Roche Posay formulations we analyzed contained more active ingredients we consider likely to be effective, so we give La Roche Posay the (slight) edge from a potential efficacy standpoint.
Winner: La Roche Posay
Olay
Olay's anti-aging serum contains many effective active ingredients, and only one inactive ingredient we consider unhealthy, as we documented in our Olay Super Serum review article.
Because both brands use a multitude of research-backed active ingredients, we give Olay the edge from a health perspective (based on the inactive ingredients discussed).
Winner: Olay
Spoiled Child
Both brands sell effectively-formulated products with some ingredients we consider unheatlhy.
Spoild Child makes health claims about AI personalization that we consider unscientific, and we consider La Roche Posay to be a more reputable and trustworthy brand.
Winner: La Roche Posay
Our Clean Skincare Pick
MindBodyGreen Best Skin+ is our top anti-aging skin supplement.
It contains orange extract which is clinically shown to increase skin moisturization, skin elasticity and skin radiance.
This supplement also contains astaxanthin which is clinically shown to cause "wrinkle formation reduction."
This supplement is free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
La Roche-Posay Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Beautiful packaging
- Many research-backed active ingredients
- Sunscreen contains the safest active ingredient
- Cleanser should clean skin and may have anti-aging effect
- Priced lower than similar luxury brands
Cons:
- Sunscreen contains talc
- Sunscreen contains synthetic preservatives
- Cleanser contains fragrance
- Brand website charges for shipping
- Some online customer reviews describe products as too harsh
