La Roche-Posay Mela B3 UV Daily Moisturizer SPF 30

What the experts use it for.

The concerns the experts tie this product to, in their own words. Paid and founder takes don't count.

Dark spots and post-acne marks1 expert

“It's formulated with melanin regulating ingredients to help fade dark spots over time.”

Dr. Aleksandra Brown, watch at 11:17

Melasma1 expert

“La Roche-Posay also has a sunscreen, Mela B3 UV Daily SPF 30, which is really really good for melasma patients and contains their famous thermal spring water, niacinamide, and SPF.”

Dr. Aleksandra Brown, watch at 8:38

Dark circles1 expert

“But if brown pigmentation around the eyes is your primary concern, this is the most strategic combination of ingredients I've seen in a drugstore product for it.”

Dr. Aleksandra Brown, watch at 7:21

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored

Dr. Aleksandra Brown

153k subs

~Yay

"It doesn't look white. It sits comfortably under the eye area without feeling heavy or occlusive. Pigmentation is going to take a long time and consistency. You're not going to see results in a week. You're going to need months of daily consistent use. But if brown pigmentation around the eyes is your primary concern, this is the most strategic combination of ingredients I've seen in a drugstore product for it. The key ingredients here are Niacinamide 5%, SPF 30, and glycerin."

Top Pick: pigmented dark circles

All 4 takes from Dr. Aleksandra Brown

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"La Roche-Posay Mela B3 UV Daily Moisturizer is SPF 30. This targets sun damage and hyperpigmentation while delivering that daily sun protection. It's a super hydrating formula. Works really well for dry, mature skin. It's formulated with melanin regulating ingredients to help fade dark spots over time. The key ingredients here are the niacinamide, melanin targeting peptides, and broadspectrum UV filters."

How a Dermatologist Transitions Her Skincare for Spring & Summer | Dr. Aleksandra Brown

"This is only SPF 30, but I really like it underneath my tinted sunscreen. This one targets sun damage and hyperpigmentation while delivering that sun protection. It's a very hydrating formula, probably a little bit more hydrating than the other one. It may leave you a little bit shiny if you're on the more oily side, but it's very hydrating. It's formulated also with melanin regulating ingredients to help fade some of the dark spots. So I really like it for that purpose."

Dermatologist's Guide to Melasma: Causes, Prevention & Treatments | Dr. Aleksandra Brown

"La Roche-Posay also has a sunscreen, Mela B3 UV Daily SPF 30, which is really really good for melasma patients and contains their famous thermal spring water, niacinamide, and SPF. [...] It's one of those where you can get it all in one."

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"It doesn't look white. It sits comfortably under the eye area without feeling heavy or occlusive. Pigmentation is going to take a long time and consistency. You're not going to see results in a week. You're going to need months of daily consistent use. But if brown pigmentation around the eyes is your primary concern, this is the most strategic combination of ingredients I've seen in a drugstore product for it. The key ingredients here are Niacinamide 5%, SPF 30, and glycerin."

Doctorly

3.59M subs

~Nay

"I found this sunscreen to smell terrible. And I think for both of these products, given that they're meant to target dark spots and treat dark spots and protect, I wish that both of these were actually tinted sunscreens. I'd be really nice to see this use in one fragrance-free and tinted because I think it would give you an extra boost, especially for those people with dark spots. For me, the Mela B3 was a miss."

Dr Dray

2.69M subs

~Nay

"La Roche-Posay chooses to tell us that their product has 5% niacinamide but doesn't tell us anything about the percentage of melisil. La Roche-Posay as a brand, it's got to have thermal spring water so that's going to be a key difference. [...] Thermal spring water in La Roche-Posay, is that going to transform your life? It may offer some soothing property but it's a bit of a reach. I hated the fact that this had strong fragrance in it albeit it doesn't linger too much."

All 3 takes from Dr Dray

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"La Roche-Posay chooses to tell us that their product has 5% niacinamide but doesn't tell us anything about the percentage of melisil. La Roche-Posay as a brand, it's got to have thermal spring water so that's going to be a key difference. [...] Thermal spring water in La Roche-Posay, is that going to transform your life? It may offer some soothing property but it's a bit of a reach. I hated the fact that this had strong fragrance in it albeit it doesn't linger too much."

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"This is a sunscreen with 5% niacinamide and that's a reasonable strength. This has fragrance in it and the fragrance is pretty strong. It's an organic, AKA chemical sunscreen. It doesn't leave a cast, it doesn't look too bad on the skin."

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"The daily sunscreen Mela B3 has similar ingredients, 5% niacinamide, which is a more reasonable percentage. [...] It's a good sunscreen for just daily use purposes, and it has the micil ingredient as well. [...] Those are pretty good products, but steep price point. Micil is a Lancôme thing, so that's about the only way you're going to get it."

208SkinDoc

2.10M subs

~Yay

"La Roche-Posay also created the MelaB3 UV sunscreen. It's a chemical sunscreen and it's not tinted. My personal preference is that if you have significant melasma I like my patients to use a tinted sunscreen, but this one feels really nice on the skin, it's very lightweight, and it spreads very easily. It also contains MelaB3, so you're getting an extra dose of that compound to help target excess pigmentation. It's an SPF 30 sunscreen and it also contains five percent niacinamide."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Niacinamide

Niacinamide has evidence behind it for redness, uneven tone and supporting the skin barrier, and it is usually well tolerated even by skin that reacts to most things.

Source: DermNet

Salicylic acid

Salicylic acid dissolves in oil, so it can get into a pore rather than just working on the surface. That is why it has long-standing evidence for blackheads and milder acne.

Source: DermNet

Sunscreen filters

Sun protection is the best evidenced way to slow visible ageing, and the filters are what does the work. Mineral and chemical filters both protect when a product is applied thickly enough and often enough, which is where most people fall short rather than on the choice of filter.

Source: DermNet

Frequently asked.

What is La Roche-Posay Mela B3 UV Daily Moisturizer SPF 30?

A daily facial moisturizer with SPF 30 broad-spectrum sun protection and 5% niacinamide, designed to protect skin from UV and help target dark spots and uneven pigmentation.

Is La Roche-Posay Mela B3 UV Daily Moisturizer SPF 30 worth it?

The gurus are split. 2 of the 4 gurus give it their stamp of approval while 2 would skip it, which lands it in the middle at a Guru Score of 69%.

What is La Roche-Posay Mela B3 UV Daily Moisturizer SPF 30's Guru Score?

La Roche-Posay Mela B3 UV Daily Moisturizer SPF 30 holds a Guru Score of 69%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 4 expert reviewers we have collected. At least one expert has named it a Top Pick in its category.

What is La Roche-Posay Mela B3 UV Daily Moisturizer SPF 30 good for, according to the experts?

In their reviews, experts say La Roche-Posay Mela B3 UV Daily Moisturizer SPF 30 is good for dark spots and post-acne marks (1 expert), melasma (1 expert) and dark circles (1 expert).