La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk SPF 60 Review: Water Resistant, but Is It for You?

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk SPF 60 is a good, fairly priced face and body sunscreen for beach days, sports and sweaty summers: it's water resistant for 80 minutes, fragrance-free and costs about $7.60 an ounce. Its four filters are all chemical (avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate and octocrylene), so it isn't the pick if you want a mineral formula or react to octocrylene.

Before you buy, you can scan the bottle's barcode or label with the ingredient scanner in Pori to check its ingredients against your skin type. Pori reads the label; it doesn't diagnose skin conditions.

Below we go through the Drug Facts actives, every inactive ingredient, what water resistance really means, the evidence on its filters, who it suits and who should skip it, sizes and price per ounce, how to apply it, and four alternatives. We compared published ingredient lists, brand claims and listed prices; we did not test these products on skin.

What is Anthelios Melt-in Milk SPF 60?

It's La Roche-Posay's best-known US body sunscreen, a lotion labeled for face and body. Retailers list it as water resistant (80 minutes), fragrance-free, oxybenzone- and octinoxate-free, paraben-free, oil-free and non-comedogenic, and the brand calls its filter and antioxidant system Cell-Ox Shield.

What's in Anthelios Melt-in Milk? Actives and full ingredient list

The current Drug Facts label on DailyMed lists avobenzone 3%, homosalate 10%, octisalate 5% and octocrylene 7% as the sunscreen actives. The inactive ingredients are water, styrene/acrylates copolymer, dimethicone, polymethylsilsesquioxane, butyloctyl salicylate, glycerin, alcohol denat., poly C10-30 alkyl acrylate, caprylyl methicone, trisiloxane, acrylates/dimethicone copolymer, diethylhexyl syringylidenemalonate, PEG-100 stearate, glyceryl stearate, phenoxyethanol, potassium cetyl phosphate, propylene glycol, caprylyl glycol, PEG-8 laurate, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, triethanolamine, tocopherol, inulin lauryl carbamate, disodium EDTA, p-anisic acid, caprylic/capric triglyceride, xanthan gum, cassia alata leaf extract and maltodextrin. (The DailyMed text has a few typos in the chemical names; we've written them out correctly.)

• Avobenzone (3%): the main UVA filter, and the reason the formula can claim broad-spectrum protection.
• Homosalate (10%) and octisalate (5%): UVB filters.
• Octocrylene (7%): a UVB filter that also helps keep avobenzone stable in sunlight.
• Styrene/acrylates copolymer and the acrylate polymers: film formers that help the lotion hold on in water and sweat.
• Dimethicone, polymethylsilsesquioxane, caprylyl methicone, trisiloxane: silicones and silica-like powders behind the light, velvety finish.
• Butyloctyl salicylate and caprylic/capric triglyceride: emollients that help the filters spread.
• Glycerin and propylene glycol: humectants.
• Alcohol denat.: eighth on the list. It helps the lotion dry fast, and it can sting dry or broken skin.
• Tocopherol and cassia alata leaf extract: vitamin E and the Senna alata extract that La Roche-Posay names as part of Cell-Ox Shield.
• PEG-100 stearate, glyceryl stearate, potassium cetyl phosphate, PEG-8 laurate, inulin lauryl carbamate: emulsifiers.
• Phenoxyethanol, caprylyl glycol, p-anisic acid, disodium EDTA: the preservative system.
• Triethanolamine, xanthan gum, maltodextrin: pH adjuster, thickener and carrier.

Older bottles had a different formula. An earlier label on DailyMed lists oxybenzone 3.86% among five actives. If you avoid oxybenzone, check that the Drug Facts box on your bottle shows four actives.

Is Anthelios Melt-in Milk water resistant?

Yes, for 80 minutes. The label tells you to reapply after 80 minutes of swimming or sweating, immediately after towel drying, and at least every 2 hours. The FDA explains that a sunscreen labeled water resistant must be tested and must say whether it stays effective for 40 or 80 minutes when you swim or sweat, and that there is no such thing as a waterproof sunscreen. Eighty minutes is the longest claim allowed, which is why this bottle travels well to the pool and the beach. Our skincare routine for swimmers covers the rest of a pool-day routine.

What does the evidence say about its filters?

All four actives are long-used US filters. The FDA's proposed rule asks for more safety data on 12 filters, including avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate and octocrylene, and the agency says that request doesn't mean they are unsafe. A 2019 FDA study in JAMA found that several chemical filters reached the bloodstream after heavy, repeated use; the authors said this doesn't mean people should stop using sunscreen. If you'd rather avoid chemical filters, the AAD notes that dermatologists recommend mineral sunscreens for people with sensitive skin.

The ingredient most worth knowing about is octocrylene. A review in Contact Dermatitis describes contact and photocontact allergy to octocrylene, seen mainly in adults who have used creams containing the anti-inflammatory drug ketoprofen. It's uncommon, but if a past sunscreen gave you an itchy rash, look for octocrylene on that label too. Our chemical sunscreen filters explainer goes through each filter.

Who is Anthelios Melt-in Milk for, and who should skip it?

It suits you if you:

• Swim, run, hike or sweat a lot and want one bottle for face and body.
• Want a fragrance-free sunscreen that doesn't leave a white cast, since it has no zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Our best sunscreen without white cast has more.
• Have normal, combination or oily skin and like a matte, fast-drying finish. Retailers list it as oil-free and non-comedogenic.
• Go through sunscreen fast and want a lower price per ounce than most face-only formulas.

Look elsewhere if you:

• Want a mineral sunscreen: all four filters are chemical. See our best mineral sunscreen for sensitive skin.
• Have reacted to octocrylene or chemical filters before: choose a zinc oxide formula.
• Have very dry, eczema-prone or broken skin: the alcohol denat. can sting, and the label says not to use it on damaged or broken skin.
• Are buying for a baby under 6 months: the label says to ask a doctor.

How much does Anthelios Melt-in Milk cost?

Dermstore lists the 5 fl oz at the same $37.99, or less with its auto-replenish discount. Because you need about an ounce for each full-body application, a 5 oz bottle covers roughly five full applications, so the per-ounce price matters more here than for a face sunscreen. La Roche-Posay also sells a Melt-in Milk SPF 100 with the same 80-minute water resistance.

How do you use it?

1. Apply 15 minutes before you go outside. The label says to apply generously 15 minutes before sun exposure.
2. Use enough. The AAD says most adults need about 1 ounce, roughly enough to fill a shot glass, to cover the body. For the face, our guide to how much sunscreen to use shows the amount.
3. Reapply on schedule: after 80 minutes in the water or of sweating, right after towel drying, and at least every 2 hours.
4. Keep it out of your eyes and rinse with water if it gets in.
5. Store it out of the heat. The label says to protect the bottle from excessive heat and direct sun, so keep it in a bag in the shade at the beach.

Sunscreen is one layer. The label also advises limiting time in the sun between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and wearing long sleeves, hats and sunglasses.

What are the best alternatives to Anthelios Melt-in Milk?

• Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch SPF 55: a cheaper drugstore option with the same four filters (octocrylene at 10%) and the same 80-minute water resistance.
• La Roche-Posay Anthelios Clear Skin SPF 60: an oil-free, dry-touch face version, also labeled water resistant for 80 minutes, if you want something made for the face.
• La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair UV SPF 30: a fragrance-free daily face moisturizer with sunscreen for everyday wear, though it isn't a beach sunscreen; see our Toleriane Double Repair UV review.
• Bubble Solar Mate Daily Mineral SPF 40: a fragrance-free, zinc-only face sunscreen if you want to avoid chemical filters altogether.

Browse our sunscreens for oily skin, compare the brand's range in the best La Roche-Posay products, or read our best drugstore sunscreen for face roundup.

Is Anthelios Melt-in Milk worth it?

For anyone who needs a water-resistant sunscreen for the body and wants one that also works on the face, yes. You get SPF 60, 80 minutes of water resistance, no fragrance and no white cast for about $7.60 an ounce. Drugstore brands such as Neutrogena use the same filter types for less, so you're paying a little for the finish and the brand. If you want mineral filters, or octocrylene has bothered you before, choose a zinc oxide formula instead.