The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% Serum 30ml vs La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Sunscreen SPF 60
What separates them
These two differ on 3 recorded specifications. The La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Sunscreen SPF 60 is ₹1,790 dearer.
The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% Serum 30ml vs La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Sunscreen SPF 60
The Ordinary
The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% Serum 30ml
₹700
10 percent is the number to think about, because it is not a better version of 5 percent.
Full details →
La Roche-Posay
La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Sunscreen SPF 60
₹2,490
SPF does not scale the way people read it: SPF 30 blocks about 97 percent of UVB and SPF 60 about 98, so doubling the number buys one percentage point.
Full details →Who the The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% Serum 30ml is for
Buy it if: People with resilient, oily or congestion-prone skin who tolerate high active concentrations.
Avoid it if: Anyone with reactive or sensitised skin -- start at 5 percent instead.
Who the La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Sunscreen SPF 60 is for
Buy it if: Anyone who will apply a proper quarter teaspoon and reapply every two hours.
Avoid it if: Anyone applying a thin layer once a day and expecting SPF 60 protection.
Specifications, side by side
3 of 18 rows differ. Differences first.
| Specification | The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% Serum 30ml | La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-in Milk Sunscreen SPF 60 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ₹700 | ₹2,490 |
| Fragrance | Fragrance free | Fragranced |
| Key actives | Niacinamide 10 percent, zinc PCA 1 percent | Avobenzone 3 percent, homosalate 10 percent, octisalate 5 percent, octocrylene 10 percent |
| Volume | 30 ml | 90 ml |
| Mains voltage | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Period after opening | 12 months after opening | 12 months after opening |
| Warranty | 1 Year Official Brand Warranty | 1 Year Official Brand Warranty |
| Concentration note | 10 percent is high. Most published benefit occurs at 4 to 5 percent, and above that the main change is more irritation, not more effect | not published |
| Finish | not published | Milky, absorbs without a white cast |
| How SPF scales | not published | Not linearly. SPF 30 blocks about 97 percent of UVB and SPF 60 about 98 percent. Doubling the number buys roughly one percentage point |
| Patch test | Recommended, given the concentration | not published |
| Reapplication | not published | Every 2 hours in sun, and after swimming or heavy sweating |
| Texture | Water-light, slightly tacky as it dries | not published |
| The vitamin C myth | Niacinamide and vitamin C were long said to cancel out. That came from a 1960s study at high heat and does not apply to modern formulations at skin temperature | not published |
| UVA | not published | SPF measures UVB only. UVA causes most ageing and tanning and is rated by the PA system, which US-labelled sunscreens do not carry |
| Water resistance | not published | 80 minutes, which is a tested claim rather than a marketing one |
| What actually matters | not published | Quantity. SPF is measured at 2 mg per square centimetre, about a quarter teaspoon for a face, and almost nobody applies that much. Applying half gives far less than half the rated protection |
| Who reacts | A significant minority get flushing or stinging at 10 percent. Starting at 5 percent and building up avoids it | not published |
| Zinc PCA | 1 percent, included for oil regulation rather than for the niacinamide effect | not published |
Every row is a figure one or both products record. A blank is a figure the catalogue does not hold, not a zero.
Compare the The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% Serum 30ml with something else →