The word sunscreen might bring up images of beach vacations and sunny hikes, but sunscreen is probably the most important part of your daily skincare routine.
Think about all the time spent researching wrinkle serums or learning about the latest skincare ingredients in skin whitening creams and of course, don’t forget about the cost of keeping your skin healthy.
With all this effort committed to caring for your skin, we’ll show you why sunscreen should be a priority in your skincare routine!
What does sunscreen do and why is sunscreen important for skincare?
A balanced skincare routine focuses on repair and hydrating the skin as well as preventing and protecting the skin from damage.
Most of the attention in skincare is in discovering new skincare products because it’s fun and exciting but who gets excited for sunscreen?
Well, an eye-opening study estimated that:
Approximately 80% of facial skin aging is attributed to UV-exposure.
Papakonstantinou, Roth & Karakiulakis, 2012
So, if having healthier skin with less signs of aging is your goal, it’s time to start getting excited about sunscreen!
SKINCARE PRODUCT REVIEW
Is a Korean Italy Towel part of your skincare routine?
It’s surprisingly easy to use this secret beauty product from Korea and start scrubbing like a pro!
How does the sun affect the skin?
You probably know that the sun provides a daily stream of UV-ray but did you know there are actually 3 types of UV-rays?
Let’s take a look and see how these differ from each other:
- UV-A
- UV-B
- UV-C
- Ozone layer absorbs 100%.[2]
If you apply sunscreen only when going to the beach or a sunny hike, you might want to start using it everyday!
It turns out, most UV damage comes from the short, daily exposure.[8]
The daily commute to and from work or the quick trip to the store.
Year after year, this sort of repeated exposure to the sun slowly changes, and potentially damages, the skin.
60 DAY SKINCARE PRODUCT REVIEW
Can Vitamins help improve really deep wrinkles and fine lines?
We apply Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Serum to crow’s feet to find out!
UV’s affect on skin health and appearance
Scientists studied the effects that UV-rays have on the skin for many years and found that both UVA and UVB radiation affects cellular DNA.[2][6][9]
Over time, these cells can cause skin cancer.[2]
About 90% of cases of skin cancer are associated with exposure to the sun’s harmful UV rays.
Shanbhag, Nayak, Narayan & Nayak, 2019
Ultraviolet rays also causes the skin to age much faster and has the following affects to the skin:
- UV-rays destroy collagen, which is needed to keep the skin elastic and tight.
- Long enough exposure leads to the “irreversible loss of skin elasticity.”[9]
- UV-rays weakens the skins ability to make new collagen[6][9]
- Collagen loss causes the skin to lose support, resulting in sagging and wrinkly skin.
- Dry and sensitive skin.
- Skin becomes darker by producing dark Melanin pigments.[9]
- Some areas produce more Melanin, causing hyperpigmentation and dark spots.
This scientist summed up the importance of sunscreen best by saying:
Sunscreen is the most biologically active anti-aging ingredient in skin care products.
Draelos, 2010
90 DAY SKINCARE PRODUCT REVIEW
Can Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum brighten dark spots and hyperpigmentation?
See the difference this brightening serum makes in just 2 weeks!
Different types of sunscreen and how they affect skincare
Hopefully by now, you have the urge to start using sunblock everyday.
But, it’s important to keep in mind that not all sunscreens are the same.
Here are some of the major differences between the common sunscreen available now:
Chemical Based Sunscreen
Referred as organic sunscreen (organic is not the same as “organic” used to describe food products), chemical based sunscreen uses active ingredients that absorbs and stabilizes high energy UV particles.
The most common active ingredients in chemical based sunscreens are:
- Aminobenzoate
- Most effective protection against UVB but does not absorb UVA.
- Some people are allergic/sensitive to Para-aminobenzoic Acid (PABA).
- Cinnamate*
- Second most effective UVB absorber.
- Octinoxate*
- Absorbs UVB and commonly used in United States.[2]
- Ensulizole
- Only absorbs UVB and not UVA.
- Common ingredient used in cosmetics.
- Benzophenone*
- Absorbs UVA.
- Avobnezone
- Absorbs UVA.
- Unstable to light and “lose from 50% to 90% of their particles after 1 hour of UV exposure.”[2]
Organic sunscreen is incredibly popular because it’s easy to apply on the skin and it does so without leaving a white cast on the skin!
However, there are concerns that some active ingredients can be harmful if absorbed into the body (*details in the next section).
Also, some chemical sunscreens may not have complete UV protection, so it’s important to look for “Broad Spectrum” sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB.
30 DAY SKINCARE PRODUCT REVIEW
How effective is The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% for helping acne scars fade?
We find out how this serum really improves the skin.
Mineral Based Sunscreen
Commonly called Physical or Inorganic sunscreen, this type of sunscreen uses minerals to physically reflect and scatter UV particles away from the skin.[9]
The main active ingredients[7] found in mineral based sunscreen are:
- Titanium Dioxide
- Blocks mostly UVB
- Zinc Oxide
- Blocks both UVA and UVB.
Mineral based sunscreen is becoming more popular because studies have shown that these active ingredients are not absorbed by the body and stays on the surface of the skin[3].
Also, there’s less irritation when applying this sunscreen so it’s an option for those with sensitive skin.[3][7][9]
Using mineral based sunscreen isn’t as convenient as the organic based sunscreen as the minerals in the sunscreen does not spread easily on the skin and commonly leaves a noticeable white cast on the skin!
In the past, almost all sunscreen were chemical based[3] and mineral sunscreens were a niche product.
However, scientists found concerning results when testing chemical based sunscreens that made people question the safety of sunscreen.
SKINCARE PRODUCT REVIEW
Do you have “Chicken Skin“?
See which skincare products help improve the appearance of skin affected by the dark red Keratosis Pilaris bumps!
Sunscreen skincare controversies
Has anyone ever told you sunscreen is bad for you?
Well, they had a good reason to be concerned.
In 2003, scientists studied if the body absorbed any active ingredients in chemical based sunscreens and they found:
- Out of 2517 urine samples, 97% of urine had benzophenone-3.[3]
- Some UV active ingredients were able to cross the blood-brain barrier[3] possibly collecting in the brain.
- Octyl methoxycinnamate had “statistically significant effects on the levels of testosterone and estradiol.”[3]
- Ethylhexyl methoxy cinnamate & octocrylene showed up in human milk samples.[3]
Also, there’s the environmental issue of sunscreen and water pollution.
In 2018, Hawaii banned chemical based sunscreens using oxybenzone & octinoxate.[7]
SKINCARE PRODUCT REVIEW
Looking for an effective Vitamin C serum?
These are the TOP skincare products using Vitamin C that completely transformed the skin in our skincare product reviews!
The future of sunscreen and skincare
Although chemical based sunscreens still make up a majority of the market, mineral based sunscreen have become more popular.
Scientists even developed smaller, nano-particle mineral sunscreens so it spreads easier without leaving a white hue on the skin.
Now, you may be wondering if nano-sized minerals has the same absorb issues.
Studies show that zinc oxide and titanium dioxide nanoparticles in sunscreens do not penetrate past the level of the stratum corneum (the outermost “dead” layer of skin cells) after topical application to intact skin.
Kuritzky & Beecker, 2015
But, that isn’t all!
Currently, new mineral sunscreens are being developed with the environment in mind:
Importantly, these products have been formulated to be reef‐friendly and replace chemical‐based active sunscreen ingredients with mineral‐based protection.
Bernstein, Sarkas, Boland & Bouche, 2020
If you haven’t already, it’s time to get serious about sunscreen and skincare.
A daily sunscreen habit is just as important as the rest of your skincare routine.
If you can’t wear sunblock, try covering up with clothing and hats and avoid going outside when UV levels are high!
Also, don’t forget to apply sunscreen on cloudy days!
Up to 80% of UVR is still transmitted to the Earth’s surface.
Wilson, Moon & Armstrong, 2012
Remember, sunscreen is skincare.
SKINCARE PRODUCT REVIEW
What is our FAVORITE skincare products?
These are the top skincare products that showed the most noticeable improvements during our reviews!
30 DAY SKINCARE PRODUCT REVIEW
Does The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% really shrink large pores?
We used this serum for 30 days but saw results in just 2 weeks.
SKINCARE PRODUCT REVIEW
How does Mighty Patch The Original help get rid of whiteheads?
See the surprising before and after results.
Sources:
- Wilson, B., Moon, S., Armstrong, F. (2012). Comprehensive Review of ultraviolet Radiation and the Current Status on Sunscreens.
- Gabros, S., Nessel, T., Zito, P. (2020). Sunscreens And Photoprotection.
- Ruszkiewicz, J., Pinkas, A., Ferrer, B., Peres, T., Tsatsakis, A., Aschner, M. (2017). Neurotoxic effect of active ingredients in sunscreen products, a contemporary review.
- Kuritzky, L., Beecker, J. (2015). Sunscreens.
- Bens, G. (2014). Sunscreens.
- Shanbhag, S., Nayak, A., Narayan, R., Nayak, U. (2019). Anti-Aging and Sunscreens: Paradigm Shift in Cosmetics.
- Bernstein, E., Sarkas, H., Boland, P., Bouche, D. (2020). Beyond sun protection factor: An approach to environmental protection with novel mineral coatings in a vehicle containing a blend of skincare ingredients.
- Rodan, K., Fields, K., Majewski, G., Falla, T. (2016). Skincare Bootcamp: The Evolving Role of Skincare.
- Geoffrey, K., Mwangi, A., Maru, S. (2019). Sunscreen products: Rationale for use, formulation development and regulatory considerations.