little white truths

I only started using this product a few weeks ago, but I wanted to jump online and post about it now because I love it and I can't wait to sing its praises.

Also, it's not one of those products that's eg designed to fade age spots, so you don't need to use it for a long time to see if it does anything. It's just a balm that's meant to soothe irritated skin, so you can tell almost straight away if it works.

It does work. It works well.

La Roche-Posay claims/product details:

• A multi-repairing balm that aims to repair sensitive and irritated skin
• Contains active ingredients that favour skin recovery and soothe dry, irritated areas
• Formulated with panthenol and madecassoside, a skin restorative botanical ingredient derived from centella asiatica
• Panthanol (provitamin B5), soothes irritation and redness, while the soothing properties of madecassoside rapidly aid skin function
• Also contains moisturising lipids to protect the skin while it's vulnerable
• Its rich, soothing texture and antibacterial agents provide ultimate skin relief and protection
• Non greasy, non sticky, dry finish
• Paraben free, fragrance free, lanolin free and white-mark free
• Dermatologically tested and suitable for sensitive skin
• Suitable for the entire family: babies, children and adults
• Can be used for: skin irritations in adults, children and babies; cracks and rough areas; infant redness; dry patches and chafing; intense dryness; superficial burns 
• Can be applied to the body, face and lips
• RRP $15.95 AUD for 40ml, but do shop around

Verdict

This is a brilliant product and I'm so glad I found it. It was given to me by my mum: she received a showbag at a football game (it contained things like tissues, sunscreen and an after-sun mist) and she passed the whole thing on to me because she wasn't going to use it. This was in the bag. Thank golly!

It's a white cream and yes it's a little thick and emollient, but it doesn't have the same balm-like texture I was expecting, given the title. It also spreads and absorbs well - while still leaving a slight, protective barrier on the skin - so I'm not sure that I would even call this a balm because it doesn't behave like any other balm I've tried.

It doesn't have a fragrance although I can detect a very slight, cream-like scent (of course: it's a cream), so I think it should suit those who can't tolerate fragrance in their skincare or who just don't like scented products.

I've been using this overnight for about three weeks now because I've been using some acids and chemical exfoliants - and I've probably been going a bit overboard with those, silly me - so my skin has been a little sensitised and drier than usual. This balm brought my skin back into balance within a few days: I couldn't believe it!

Funnily enough, before this product I was using another balm from Alpha-H and also a thick Alpha-H cream that's meant to be repairing, and this unassuming little La Roche-Posay balm has blown those out of the park. And it's so cheap!

As soon as I apply this, my skin feels very soothed and comfortable. Any dryness or sensitivity I might be feeling vanishes, and after using this every night for three weeks, my skin couldn't be in better shape - so I think it does have a cumulative effect in the sense that it not only targets any discomfort, but it also makes your skin more tolerant and less prone to sensitivity overall.

Indeed, my skin feels so happy when I wake up in the morning and I'm not used to that: with dry skin, I almost always wake up feeling a little dry and tight, but with this, I can almost pretend that my skin is normal. Hallelujah.

Maybe I can start using even more acids now... Yeah ok. Calm down Jane.

On the claims: yes this repairs irritated, vulnerable and sensitive skin; yes it soothes dry skin and targets redness; yes it restores and moisturises; and yes it has a non greasy and non sticky finish.

As for how you can use this, I can't speak to whether it's good for things like chafing and superficial burns because I haven't had anything like that recently (touch wood), but I absolutely agree that it's perfect for intense dryness, cracks and rough areas, and that it works well for dry skin on babies.

Now that I've been using this every night for three weeks and have brought my skin back to a happy place, I'll probably give it a rest and save it for use on the nights when I've used a strong acid or chemical exfoliant - but to be honest, I'd be quite happy to keep using it indefinitely because it's done so much for me. I do want to ration my tube, though, so I don't need to buy a new one!

In sum, I so rarely say 'buy it; you need it' with any product because I reckon some people say that too often (and really, how much do we really 'need' anything?), but if you have dry or sensitised skin - or even if you have normal skin and need something soothing to apply after peels/acids/exfoliants or just being out in the sun - then I think almost everyone would benefit from having this on hand. And because it's so reasonably priced, I'm happy to tell you to run straight to the chemist. Today.

I've given this an HG tag. It works, it's cheap and it's blown the other repairing treatments I've tried out of the water. I've seen that there's also a hand cream and a lip treatment in this line so I'm absolutely going to buy those next time that Priceline has one of its big skincare sales.

Love.