It’s La Roche-Posay’s Anthelios Shaka Fluid SPF50+ that I want to talk about today, notable for its PPD46 UVA protection. Most review online of it have been unblemished and so, I was expecting to be blown away by it. But I wasn’t. In fact, I was so completely underwhelmed by it.
I can tell you that I’ve now tried the sunscreen with a light moisturiser beneath it, on bare skin, in ultra-hot and unbearably humid Japanese summer, and in pleasantly warm weather. Each time I’ve come to the same conclusion: Shaka Fluid and I do not quite see eye to eye.
The facial sunscreen boasts the “highest UVA protection achieved on an Anthelios product”. In theory, it’s a “non-greasy cream” with an “invisible, light-weight texture” that “does not leave white marks and does not migrate”.
But this isn’t what happened on my (relatively normal) skin at all. In Japanese summer weather, it didn’t sink in at all — it was so off-putting that I had to wash it off. I tried it again in a much milder climate. While it was significantly more pleasant, it left a greasy, filmy residue that transferred onto everything my skin touched. It wasn’t possible to apply makeup over it without wrecking the protective layer underneath. The texture was light and fluid, but the appearance was shiny — and not in a glowing or dewy way. Its distinct sunscreen-y odour didn’t dissipate with time.
It’s worth pointing out that Shaka Fluid‘s purported PPD46 is not actually on the packaging. I find this odd considering the sunscreen is heavily marketed around it. La Roche-Posay is boasting that Shaka Fluid has the highest UVA protection ever achieved in the lineup, so why isn’t its impressive PPD on the packaging for everyone to see? It couldn’t be due to E.U.’s labelling regulations. There are, after all, French sunscreens with PPD printed on the box (e.g. Bioderma) in Europe. I’m inclined to think the reason is that the PPD46 rating has not been tested according to international standards to be true.
(I never got the hype with Mexoryl. They aren’t as great as the rumours suggest, especially Mexoryl SX. L’Oreal is secretive about their proprietary Mexoryl filters and data on them is scarce because neither is as good as they sound. The veil of secrecy both blurs their inadequacies and helps the hype going. They’d sell them if they were that great, so there’s another conspiracy theory for you.)
Regardless, superior UVA protection is a bit of a moot point if the sunscreen doesn’t agree with your skin or you simply can’t stand it. It also needs to stay put on the skin in order to be protective. Shaka Fluid claims to be resistant to water, sweat and sand, but on my skin, the only thing it is resistant to is splashes of tap water. It comes off far too easily for me to feel confident that it will protect my skin.
So why did I persevere with Shaka Fluid? Firstly, as I’ve explained, most reviews online have been glowing, which made me question my own results. Secondly, it is still a lot less greasy and shiny than any French sunscreens I’ve ever tried. So it’s not as though I hate this sunscreen. I just do not want to use it again given the myriad of better and cheaper options I have available.
La Roche-Posay Anthelios Shaka Fluid SPF50+, 50ml, is sold in drugstores across Europe for about €15.70. You can find it online for US$21.90+ here.
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I actually love this but being in the UK we really don’t have the range of facial sunscreens like in Japan. Unfortunately suncream seems to be something people only wear when they go abroad, it makes it almost impossible to buy suncream from a shop in the winter months!
This is the first facial suncream I have found in the UK that I can actually apply makeup over without it looking tacky and heavy. So, whilst some of the Asian products are much better, this is definitely the best option in the UK.
I feel that French sunscreens, in general, are formulated for occasional use only (i.e. the beach) during hot, but very dry summers. In high humidity and heat, it was simply unusable since it didn’t absorb into the skin at all.
Thank you for this review; as someone who usually uses Anessa sunscreens I was also unimpressed with this supposedly superior European one. While it certainly is less heavy than most European ones and much more pleasant than the Anthelios light fluid, it never seemed to fully set on me and felt like it slid off in high heat and humidity.
I think that your review is a bit biased against European cosmetics in favor of probably Asian cosmetics which makes perfect sense as the site was created for them. Please allow me to express my points. The European Union does not require that sunscreen manufacturers reveal the PPD value and La Roche Posay is not a niche brand aimed at skincare enthusiasts. They are the bestselling pharmacy brand in Europe and they aim their products to millions of users that have barely heard about UVA rays. Adding the PPD on a very busy packaging that must by law include so… Read more »
Thank you for taking the time to comment. I’ll address each of your points. Just because I dislike this sunscreen and find its claims questionable, doesn’t mean I’m somehow biased against European cosmetics in general. Over the past decade, I’ve written very favourably on plenty of Western skincare products here on this site, including La Roche-Posay other products! It’s worth remembering that L’Oreal, the largest, most profitable cosmetic company in the world, has a tremendous amount of power and influence. Over the years, they had lost or settled countless lawsuits against them, from patent infringements to deceptive advertisements to false… Read more »