Mela B3 UV SPF 30

La Roche-Posay

Where to buy Possibly in stock

About this product

The La Roche-Posay Mela B3 UV SPF 30 is a sunscreen. Our analysis of its 32 ingredients (29 low-risk) rates it Excellent (99/100). Based on its ingredients, it looks well-suited to dry skin. Heads up: it contains fragrance, which can irritate sensitive or reactive skin.

Vegan-friendly Reef-safe

Summarised from our ingredient analysis — not brand marketing copy.

At a glance

Type
Sunscreen
Ingredients
32
Low-risk
29
Fragrance
Contains fragrance
Origin
France
SPF
30 · blocks 96.7% UVB

The evidence

Quick Product Notes

Paraben-Free Sulfate-Free Alcohol-Free Silicone-Free EU Allergen-Free Fungal Acne (Malassezia) Safe

Notable Effects & Ingredients

No Notable Effects & Ingredients

Ingredients Related to Skin Types

Good   Bad — tap a skin type to see which ingredients · estimated from ingredient functions
Dry Skin 7/6
Good for dry skin
Behenyl Alcohol Sodium Dilauramidoglutamide Lysine Arachidyl Alcohol Caprylyl Glycol Butylene Glycol Glycerin Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate
Caution for dry skin
Arachidyl Glucoside Xanthan Gum Capryloyl Glycine Glycerin Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate Silica
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin No data
Sensitive Skin 3/4
Good for sensitive skin
Glycerin Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate Hydroxyacetophenone
Caution for sensitive skin
Butylene Glycol Glycerin Citric Acid Phenoxyethanol

Ingredients list

32 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (4)
All32 Skin Conditioning12 Emulsion Stabilising10 Viscosity Controlling10 Viscosity Increasing Agent6 Solvent5 Fragrance5 Humectant5 Opacifying4
EWG CIR Ingredient Name & Cosmetic Functions Notes
1
Water
(Solvent)
3
C15-19 Alkane
(Solvent)
1
A
Niacinamide
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Smoothing)
2
A
Glycerin
(Denaturant, Fragrance, Hair Conditioning, Humectant, Oral Care Agent, Oral Health Care Drug, Skin Protecting, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Perfuming, Solvent)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
A
Butylene Glycol
(Fragrance, Skin Conditioning, Solvent, Viscositydecreasing Agent, Humectant, Masking, Viscosity Controlling)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
1
2
A
Silica
(Abrasive, Absorbent, Anticaking Agent, Bulking Agent, Opacifying, Viscosity Controlling)
1
3
Titanium/Titanium Dioxide
(Cosmetic Colorant, Opacifying)
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
(Skin Conditioning, Viscosity Controlling)
2
A
Tin Oxide
(Abrasive, Bulking Agent, Opacifying, Viscosity Controlling)
3
B
Potassium Hydroxide
(Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent)
1
A
Carbomer
(Emulsion Stabilising, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Gel Forming, Viscosity Controlling)
1
Arachidyl Alcohol
(Emulsion Stabilising, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Emollient, Viscosity Controlling)
1
B
Arachidyl Glucoside
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
1
A
Behenyl Alcohol
(Binding Agent, Emulsion Stabilising, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Binding, Emollient, Viscosity Controlling)
1
B
Capryloyl Glycine
(Cleansing, Hair Conditioning, Surfactant)
1
Sodium Dilauramidoglutamide Lysine
(Humectant)
1
Sodium Thiosulfate
(Reducing)
1
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer
(Viscosity Controlling)
1
Hydroxyacetophenone
(Antioxidant)
1
B
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid
(Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Caprylyl Glycol
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Humectant)
2
A
Citric Acid
(Chelating Agent, Fragrance, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent, Masking)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
1
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
(Chelating Agent)
1
A
Xanthan Gum
(Binding Agent, Emulsion Stabilising, Skin Conditioning, Surfactant Emulsifying Agent, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Binding, Gel Forming, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Pentylene Glycol
(Skin Conditioning, Solvent)
1
Poly C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate
(Binding Agent, Emulsion Stabilising, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
1
B
Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate
(Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Emulsifying, Surfactant)
1
A
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
(Antioxidant)
4
A
Phenoxyethanol
(Fragrance, Preservative)
Paraben
Paraben
3
CI 14700
(Cosmetic Colorant)
2
Mica
(Cosmetic Colorant, Opacifying)
PARFUM
(Fragrance, Perfuming)

My Ingredient Notes

No personal ingredient notes yet. Save ingredients to your profile to get good/bad alerts here.

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Key ingredients

Exfoliators
Removes dead skin cells to smoothe texture.
Antioxidants
Shields skin from free radical damage.
Niacinamide
Strengthens, smooths, and brightens skin.
Mineral UV Filter
Reflects UV rays using mineral barriers.

Benefits

Barrier RepairStrengthen and restore your skin's natural barrier.
HydratingBoosts hydration and relieves dry, tight skin.
Good For Oily SkinBalances oil and helps reduce shine.
Reduces Large PoresMinimizes the look of enlarged pores.
Dark SpotsFades dark spots for even skin tone.
Acne FightingFights acne and helps prevent breakouts.
Reduces IrritationEases discomfort and supports skin resilience.
Redness ReducingSoothes visible redness and calms irritation.

Concerns

Contains paraben
Not fungal acne (malassezia) safe
May not suit sensitive skin

Ingredients explained

Water
Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Solvent
C15-19 Alkane
Solvent
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 Solvent
Niacinamide
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Hair conditioningSkin conditioningSmoothing
Silica
Abrasive, Absorbent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1–2 CIR A AbrasiveAbsorbentAnticaking agentBulking agentOpacifyingViscosity controlling
Titanium/Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic colorant, Opacifying
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 1–3 Cosmetic colorantOpacifying
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin conditioning, Viscosity controlling
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Skin conditioningViscosity controlling
Tin Oxide
Abrasive, Bulking agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 2 CIR A AbrasiveBulking agentOpacifyingViscosity controlling
Potassium Hydroxide
Ph adjuster, Buffering agent
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B Ph adjusterBuffering agent
Carbomer
Emulsion stabilising, Viscosity increasing agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Emulsion stabilisingViscosity increasing agentGel formingViscosity controlling
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emulsion stabilising, Viscosity increasing agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Emulsion stabilisingViscosity increasing agentEmollientViscosity controlling
Arachidyl Glucoside
Emulsifying, Surfactant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B EmulsifyingSurfactant
Behenyl Alcohol
Binding agent, Emulsion stabilising
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Binding agentEmulsion stabilisingViscosity increasing agentBindingEmollientViscosity controlling
Capryloyl Glycine
Cleansing, Hair conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B CleansingHair conditioningSurfactant
Sodium Dilauramidoglutamide Lysine
Humectant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Humectant
Sodium Thiosulfate
Reducing
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Reducing
+ 13 more — see the full ingredients list above
Glycerin
Denaturant, Fragrance
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 2 CIR A DenaturantFragranceHair conditioningHumectantOral care agentOral health care drugSkin protectingViscosity decreasing agentPerfumingSolvent Good for Dry SkinFungal-acne trigger
Butylene Glycol
Fragrance, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A FragranceSkin conditioningSolventViscositydecreasing agentHumectantMaskingViscosity controlling Good for Dry Skin
Citric Acid
Chelating agent, Fragrance
Skin irritation can occur at high concentrationRead moreShow less
EWG 2 CIR A Chelating agentFragrancePh adjusterBuffering agentMasking Bad for Sensitive Skin
Phenoxyethanol
Fragrance, Preservative
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR A FragrancePreservative Paraben

How to use

How to use

  • 1 Morning only: Apply as the last step of your AM routine, after moisturiser, and reapply every ~2 hours of sun exposure.
  • 2 Wear SPF the next day: Acids and retinoids increase sun sensitivity — daily sunscreen is a must while using this.

General guidance from this product's category and active ingredients — always follow the directions on the package.

Trust & honesty

Pregnancy & breastfeeding

Contains ingredients some choose to avoid or double-check while pregnant or nursing.

Use with caution
BHA (salicylic) (Capryloyl Salicylic Acid)

Low-strength topical salicylic acid (BHA) is generally considered fine. Caution is usually reserved for high-strength leave-on products and salicylic peels.

This is general information, not medical advice. Pregnancy guidance varies and depends on concentration and your individual situation — always check with your doctor, midwife or pharmacist. How we flag this.

Effective levels — general guide

The concentrations these actives are typically effective at in research — not a measurement of this product.

Niacinamide 2–5% (up to 10%)

Most research uses 2–5%; some formulas go to 10%. Very high levels can cause flushing in sensitive skin.

Niacinamide

BHA (salicylic) 0.5–2%

Salicylic acid is OTC-capped at 2%; 0.5–2% is the usual leave-on range. Much below that it acts more as a soothing agent than an exfoliant.

Capryloyl Salicylic Acid

INCI lists don't disclose amounts, and we don't claim to know this product's levels — these are the ranges these ingredients are usually effective at, so you can tell a real formula from "fairy-dusting" a marketed active. How we estimate this.

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