L’Oréal sees opportunity in sun care with skin care benefits
“We are proud to be a part of the L'Oréal Research and Innovation team that continues to lead the industry in scientific developments that help improve patient outcomes by providing safe and effective therapeutic skincare,” says Tom Allison, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Professional Marketing at CeraVe, in this month’s press release about the brand’s latest consumer survey.
And he comments on why research like that published this past April in JDD is particularly relevant to the CeraVe brand: “As the leader in therapeutic skincare, we at CeraVe are committed to working with dermatologists to better understand the skin barrier and develop efficacious formulas with critical ingredients for healthy skin, like ceramides, that deliver therapeutic solutions for all skin needs.”
A closer look at ceramides and sun care
There are numerous scientific and scholarly articles to be found on the ceramides and the effects of UV radiation on the skin.
But, according to the scientists from the L’Oréal Research and Innovation facility—Hawasatu Dumbuya PhD, Xi Yan MD PhD, Ying Chen PhD, Janet Wangari-Olivero PhD, Stephen Lynch PhD, Patricia Brieva PhD, Qian Zheng MD PhD, Charbel Bouez PhD—"the direct impact of UVR on skin barrier integrity under clinical settings remains poorly explored.”
The team’s research findings, published in the article titled Efficacy of Ceramide-Containing Formulations on UV-Induced Skin Surface Barrier Alterations, show that, “treatment with a ceramide-containing sunscreen and moisturizing cream routine reduced erythema and hyperpigmentation, improved skin hydration, and maintained normal superficial skin cells morphology and turnover after UVR,” according to the article abstract. “Our results,” they write, “indicate that barrier-enforcing lipids formulations can provide additional benefits in patient’s daily routine by strengthening the barrier and improving skin health overall against chronic sun exposure.”
2021 consumer sun care use and expectations
In partnership with international market research company OnePoll, CeraVe ran a survey in early June 2021, asking 2,000 adults in the US about their sun care use and expectations. 96% reportedly do not use sun care daily.
However (and perhaps this is more relevant to the CeraVe brand), 64% “say they wish their sunscreen had skincare benefits,” according to this month’s press release.
The CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 Sheer Tint is the brand’s answer to this expectation. The topical sun care product offers not only UV protection benefits but also the hydration benefits of skin care and the sheer coverage of complexion product, “so consumers do not have to choose between skincare and sun care,” as the release notes.
“CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 Sheer Tint is the perfect daily step in a skincare routine,” says Dr DiAnne Davis, a dermatologist who works with the brand, “because it has broad-spectrum sun protection we need every day, plus the barrier-restoring ingredients I tell my clients to look for and a tint that blends nicely with most skin tones.”