This Hydrating SPF Is Basically My Entire Skin Care Routine In One Bottle

In our series Trial Run, TZR editors and writers put the buzziest new beauty products to the test and share their honest reviews. This week, it’s the new La Roche-Posay Anthelios Mineral SPF Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid.

La Roche-Posay’s new Anthelios HA Mineral Moisturizer, a physical sunscreen that promises to plump and hydrate the skin with hyaluronic acid while protecting it from the sun with SPF 30, has quickly become a cult-favorite in the world of skin care. But does it deliver on all it’s promises?

Now, the market is currently experiencing a flood of mineral sunscreens that promise to do the *most*: leave behind no white cast, glide across the skin seamlessly, and, most importantly, make you fall in love with them so much that you actually use them every single day. As an avid sunscreen user, I’m always on the hunt for the next best sun protection product to add a dewy glow to my complexion while warding off harmful UVA and UVB rays. Given that the Anthelios HA Mineral Moisturizer has both hyaluronic acid *and* a physical sunscreen inside, I decided to test the product out for a month. Here are my thoughts.

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Fast Facts

• Price: $34.00
• Best For: All skin types, especially dry, dehydrated skin.
• Your rating: 4/5
• Brand: La Roche-Posay is a heritage French skin care brand with a long-standing tradition of exceptional (and gentle) skin care products.
• What we like: It’s a physical sunblock that also has hydrating and softening skin care ingredients.
• What we don’t like: A slight cast for darker skin tones.

My Skin Care Concerns

Although I’m no longer fighting acne (thanks to the intense regimen my dermatologist and I developed), I am dealing with a new beast that I didn’t know I would ever encounter: dry, lackluster skin. I suppose this is what happens as a person gets older. Sometimes, it feels like my skin is personally attacking me and telling me, I don’t care how many brightening products you use or how much water you consume, these dark circles, this transparent skin, and these rough patches are not budging!

In addition to this, I often experience intense dullness in the middle of the day — the same way an average person experiences a mid-day slump around 2 p.m. My skin goes through a transition come mid-afternoon where it completely lacks radiance and hydration. Although it’s not enough to make me cry myself to sleep every night, I’m still constantly searching for products to add a juicy glow to my complexion. Here’s a photo of what I’m talking about.

The 411 On La Roche-Posay’s Anthelios HA Mineral Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid

Now, this sunscreen isn’t your typical mineral formula. Of course, like the other sunscreens La Roche-Posay produces, it is oil-free, fragrance-free, and suitable for sensitive skin, which is why the brand continues to make some of the best drugstore sun protection products on the market. However, in addition to titanium dioxide and zinc oxide — the minerals that most physical sunscreens contain to provide a broad-spectrum protection against UVA and UVB rays — the Anthelios Mineral SPF Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid also incorporates a slew of good-for-your-skin ingredients.

The Star Ingredients Inside La Roche-Posay’s Anthelios HA Mineral Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid

First up, this formula contains hyaluronic acid, a humectant that helps draw water to the skin and add a plumping effect. In addition to this, there is glycerin, another humectant that attracts hydration to the skin. And finally, there is a load of panthenol (also known as vitamin B5) inside, which works as both a humectant and emollient, adding a surge of hydration while softening it with moisturizing properties. Additionally, this product contains Senna Alata, a tropical leaf extract, which contains powerful antioxidant properties to protect your skin from free radical damage from the sun and pollution, among other stressors.

These ingredients are precisely why this sunscreen is considered to be more of a moisturizer than just a plain old SPF. And it promises to provide 12-hour hydration that will have you glowing all day.

My Skin On The La Roche-Posay HA Mineral Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid

The actual cream is thick but never too weighty, which my dry skin seems to love, and glides effortlessly without ever tugging at my delicate epidermis. It’s very moisturizing and provides me with a soft glow that never looks greasy or slick. There’s also no smell to speak of (again, it’s fragrance-free) so if you’re sensitive to that classic sunscreen scent, this will be especially pleasant to use.

Also, there is a bit of a white cast (as expected with a zinc oxide formula), but it’s barely noticeable on my olive-toned complexion, and it subsides within a few minutes. It’s typically nothing a little bit of bronzer can’t fix. You might just have to spend a few minutes really working the product into your skin, especially if you have a darker skin tone, but once you do, there’s barely any tint to speak of.

It sits beautifully on my skin on its own, but I notice that it also acts as a great makeup primer since it has never once caused pilling during my makeup application. To make sure your makeup doesn’t pill, allow yourself at least t10 minutes between the time you finish your skin care routine and when you start to apply your complexion products.

I’ve noticed that I don’t feel the need to spritz my face with a hydrating mist or essence as often throughout the day when I’m wearing this SPF, and I also see that my skin no longer looks lifeless by the afternoon, but rather rocks a delicate radiance that makes my complexion look calm and healthy.

Plus, the more I use it, the more it looks like I’ve been dusting diamond powder onto my skin first thing in the morning — I’m truly that dewy. It’s softened my skin to a texture comparable to a baby’s bottom, and I notice that my forehead looks especially even and fine line-free (an effect I thought was only available after a trip to the plastic surgeon’s office for a bit of Botox). Plus, with my skin thoroughly protected from UVA and UVB damage, it’s had the chance to repair and restore that lost radiance and leave me with a healthier complexion than before.

Is La Roche-Posay HA Mineral Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid Worth The Investment?

Given that most sunscreens in the $34.99 price range are just that, sunscreen (no added moisturizer), this HA Mineral Moisturizer is undoubtedly worth a try. In addition to containing the crème de la crème ingredients of the physical SPF world, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, this formula also includes humectants, emollients, and antioxidants to hydrate, moisturize, and protect against free radical damage. These are all ingredients vital to a stellar skin-care routine, which essentially makes this product act as your entire skin care routine in one easy-to-use pump bottle. There’s no need for additional hydrating serums and moisturizers if you’d rather skin those steps, and sitting at just $34.99 for all these fantastic ingredients, it really is the greatest bang for your buck. Consider this my whole-hearted recommendation for you and your skin.