Doing the catch-up and reporting back on the shelf porn discovery expedition from last weekend.
otyt, hope you're doing ok this week.
notamammy, had you been planning to use the form but never got round to it and missed out in the changeover? I don't mind discussing people's routines in detail or setting them up with a base routine, the only thing I've been trying to avoid is becoming this random answering machine for people who would only engage with the thread (and likely not read most of the valuable info already available) on that basis. If you have specific questions/need help don't be afraid to ask.
Welcome, Stansmith01. I usually avoid Avene due to their use of fragrance, though I understand theirs isn't always considered to be irritating. Is that SPF the one Sali Hughes recommended a few weeks back by any chance?
mint, I tried it in store, I think. I may be mixing it up with a serum possibly, it was a new product but it was very siliconey and I didn't find it all that hydrating on the back of my hand.
Wilting, IIRC you had a bad reaction to the DHC, right? So the olive oil cleansers are all off the table? Vanity Rex just posted this overview, 1ST CLEANSERS FOR PEOPLE WHO DISLIKE MICROPLASTICS AND OIL CLEANSERS. The Matsuyama one looks really promising, very little possible irritants there, seems to work a treat on makeup and I've been eyeing the brand for a while. Will defo order it with my next Amazon JP haul. The Muji one has also sparked my interest but with your issues, the extracts may work against you. The Avene Extremely Gentle Lotion may also work, think Victoria was happily using that as a first (or only?) cleanser. Dr Sam did mention something about it becoming discontinued, still have to recheck if she really meant this one.
Good to hear you're still getting on well Cinderella. The flannels and water temp is standard advice here, and generally, the less you mess with your skin the better. Whoever ended up also buying Cinder's Goat Milk cream, wondering if you have any feedback on it?
cad186, sorry, I didn't really do my due diligence with that in checking she was discussing the EU or US formulations (she's an Italian in London but her audience is predominantly US). IIRC Octocrylene is often used with Avobenzone for stabilisation purposes but moreso in the US than here.
With regards to Octocrylene, it's one of those cases where there is a faint kernel of truth to it and the internet has run wild with it proclaiming it a toxic monster. Octocrylene and a few other chemical filters (Avobenzone, (non-encapsulated) Octicoxinate, Oxybenzone and a fifth I'm failing to remember now) have been found in trace amounts (very very minute) in breast milk giving evidence that the chemicals are somehow absorbed by the body. At present the scientific community has signalled it as not of significant concern but those who'd rather err on the side of caution avoid it for that reason. The reason I think that blogger has made it such an issue is that she gave quite a bit of platform to a former ob-gyn turned special sunscreen salesman (in the US) allegedly after seeing so much of these trace amounts in newborns, etc on her blog a few weeks ago. I linked to those articles in a SS too with a bit of disclaimer as most of the info was worthwhile, the sales pitch and the 'listen to me I'm a doctor of a completely different specialistion' spiel, not so much.
I tend to say if pregnant or breastfeeding at that point it's usually best to go with mineral sunscreen anyhow as the risk of melasma is higher. It's a tricky thing with chemical filters, I don't rate them all as 'evil' but there's definitely tiers of preffered and less preferred filters (the latter being the ones the US allows). It also depends what else is going on, eg. I'd really avoid anyone with eczema using anything with chemical filters. The skin is so heavily compromised and fragile the risk of absorption or developing an allergy to the filters is that much higher and not worth the risk. Equally with children, I'd stick with the preferred chemical filters (will adress which in a sheet I'm working on currently) or physical filters.
Shelf Porn Findings
Vichy 89 Mineral Lotion (Lotion in France is the same as in Japan, it's not a moisturiser but more akin to a hydrating toner/serum)
I'd flagged this one up as a thing of interest already, BBB gave it a very positive review and my backs of hands really liked it. I scared the poor man trying to very enthusiastically sell it to me with bullshit anti-ageing rhetoric, ahem, it's age delaying/preventative. I like it for its very simple formulation, no potentially irritating different molecular weights of HA, it has a slightly lighter than gel feel but absorbs quickly without any sort of film or similar and definitely gave a good plump and hydrated effect. Will purchase to give a proper test once I've finished up my current arsenal of HA products.
SVR Sun Secure Blur SPF50
This has been crazy popular on the French Beaute-test site (which ranks bestselling and most popular products with user reviews) and constantly sold out with EPP. Ehm... I don't know why though. It's super thick, it looks like it's curdled with orange bits in it and feels like a really heavy siliconey primer when it's described as a creme mousse. The blurring effect was difficult to gauge on my hand, the heavy feeling did dissipate but I'm still struggling to see the appeal. Didn't really feel like trying it on my face but only that would really end any further speculation. Or maybe it really was curdled? Also it smelled like nasty coconuts
SVR Sun Secure Fluide SPF50
For combo to oily skin. I really liked the feel of this, not super elegant like some of the Japanese formulations but very close. I think it could be a nice alternative to the Anthelios Fluide. Contains fragrance (which is promised to be non-irritating even to those with fragrance allergies, though I do vouch for this with SVR their insistence on using it still baffles me and I'm sure someone somewhere won't get on with it).
SVR Mineral SPF50
This comes in two versions, for normal to dry skin and combo to oily. I liked the feel of both and liked the concept of mineral SPFs for specific skin types as, especially combo-oily, struggle with finding an elegant mineral SPF. These are really new or really old as I can't find them online anywhere 
.
Lierac Cleansing Balm
Contains fragrance and colourants to make it bloody pink. I was intrigued despite that (in a wash off product not as potentially problematic than otherwise) and French Pharmacy doesn't really do cleansing balms. It's a bit a cleansing balm on steroid though, it's coconut derivatives based (with a few choice oils in smaller amounts, camelia and castor) with a ton of acids (glycolic, malic, lactic), hyaluronic acid, and a bunch of fruit extracts. So basically exfoliator and cleanser in one. They refer to it as a double cleanser (by which I think they mean it covers the ground of two separate cleansers in one, see also the Erborian -French despite appearances- CB for the same concept) but I wouldn't be surprised that you could skip an acid toner with this too. How that all works out pH wise (and therefore how effective the acids are) I'm unsure. I couldn't really test this out properly beyond a bit of prodding it, potentially of interest I think for hardy (and probably mature) skin that either wants a very efficient routine or is using something like prescription Retin-A and wants a 'gentler' approach elsewhere.