Cicaplast is a good name for this soothing, repairing balm because it does act as a sort of ‘elastoplast’ for irritated skin, creating an antibacterial barrier to protect skin from the daily assault of freezing weather, drying central heating or even harsh detergents in household cleaning products (switch to Ecover!)
It’s on sale (33% OFF) at Escentual at the moment where they’re celebrating France’s leading pharmaceutical-style beauty brands including Vichy, La Roche-Posay and Klorane.
Cicaplast contains 5% concentrated Panthenol and Madecassoside which I haven’t had time to research but apparently acts as an anti-inflammatory and collagen synthesiser. What I can vouch for is that this balm really does seem to soothe over-dry irritated skin, although I wouldn’t go as far as using it as a night cream as some users do – it feels too cloying for that and I’m not sure skin would be able to breathe overnight with a layer of it on but it’s a bit of a miracle worker for dry, irritated hands.
A triple-action of copper, zinc and manganese encourages optimal skin recovery, perfect for now, while winter refuses to leave and so do those stubborn dry and irritated patches.
Fast forwarding to summer and sunshine, here’s La Roche-Posay’s Anthelios XL Fluide Extreme for the Face SPF50 (also in the Escentual sale)…
If your skin needs strong protection, I test-drove Anthelios XL SPF50 last spring in a surprise heatwave in Fez (43C) and my ‘half Celtic’ skin didn’t even go slightly pink. Normally in those sort of sun-scorching conditions I’d have to head for the nearest covered terrace or glue myself to a sunlounger with a massive sunshade overhead but this stuff was so effective it’s now my go-to SPF face protector for trips to parts of the planet where the sun shines brightly. Another plus is, it comes in an airport and handbag-friendly flat plastic bottle so it’s ultra-portable – in fact I’m still not sure how La Roche squeezed 50ml into such a “thin” container. (Take that, Ryanair!) Also comes as an SPF30 or SPF50 spray, as well as an SPF 50 Body Lotion.
If you’re thinking “hah! SPF30 in Britain??” just watch what happens on the SPF launch front this summer… We all have different skin and sun tolerance levels but but skin cancer rates are soaring and I have a feeling it won’t be long before SPF15 goes the way of the dinosaur. (UVA = Ageing rays; UVB = Burning)
La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL Fluide Extreme Face SPF50
WINNER, BEST ADVANCED PROTECTION SPF – 2013 Beauty Shortlist Awards (was £16.50 now £11 in Escentual’s 33% OFF sale)