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12 Face Moisturisers With SPF To Use Every Day
Sun protection all year round, people!
Fact: a good face SPF is every dermatologist's secret to keeping skin in tip-top condition. The key to protecting your complexion from damaging UVA and UVB rays, wearing SPF (or a moisturiser with SPF in it) is the number-one tip experts give for maintaining a flawless complexion. Because, even in the UK (and further still, indoors), you should be wearing sunscreen every day if you want to keep your skin looking good for as long as possible.
The ELLE UK Beauty Team's Top Picks
- Best SPF Moisturiser: Medik8 Advanced Day Total Protect™ SPF 30
- Best for dry skin: Cerave Facial Moisturising Lotion SPF50
- Best for oily skin: La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Aquagel SPF30
- Best for pigmentation: L'Oreal Paris Bright Reveal Dark Spot Hydrating Cream SPF 50
- Best for a gel texture: Byoma SPF 30 Moisturising Gel Sunscreen
- Best for a glow: Thank You Farmer Sun Project Water Sun Cream SPF50
- Best for dehydrated skin: Avène Hydrance Rich-UV Hydrating Cream SPF30
- Best for mega moisture: Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream SPF30
- Best for a dewy finish: E.l.f Skin Suntouchable Whoa Glow Moisturiser
- Best for redness and rosacea: Bioderma Bioderma Sensibio Anti-Redness Tinted Moisturiser With SPF30
- Best for mature skin: Shiseido Vital Perfection Uplifting and Firming Day Cream SPF 30
- Best for added actives: Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery
'Sunscreen is the one product everyone should be using on a daily basis,' explains skin expert Dr. Sam Bunting. 'It’s now proven to not only prevent future premature ageing but to actually improve existing wrinkles, pigmentation and texture.' In short? 'If you free skin up from the "distraction" of needing to protect itself from UV rays, it gets down to the business of repair,' says Bunting.
If you don't like to layer on a whole line-of products every morning, it's likely you've skipped the sunscreen on more than one occasion. But now, there really is no excuse, as the new school of performance-led moisturisers with SPF in-built offer a one-and-done solution to keep your skin hydrated and protected in one. What's more, the best with play well under foundation and even make bare skin look more radiant.
'As someone who struggles with acne and has taken Roaccutane for several years, SPF is the most important component of my skin routine – but I'm nervous about layering on too many potentially pore-clogging products. I need something that is lightweight, hydrating, and provides that all-important protection from UV rays my skin requires,' says ELLE UK's site director, Katie O'Malley.
Apply one every morning, sandwiched in-between your serum and foundation, and you'll thank us in years to come. And of course, if you're on holiday in a sunny climate, make sure to reapply every couple of hours to avoid sunburn and hyperpigmentation.
Read on for the ELLE UK edit of the best SPF moisturisers, from our favourite non-comedogenic sunscreen for acne-prone types to the ultimate skin-soother for eternally dry complexions.
The Best SPF Moisturisers To Wear Every Single Day
Katie Withington (she/her) is the Beauty Assistant, at ELLE UK and Harper’s Bazaar. Working alongside the ELLE UK Beauty Team, she covers all things beauty for both print and digital, from finding backstage make-up trends at London Fashion Week and investigating buzzy skincare ingredients, to unzipping the beauty bags of Julia Garner and Emily Ratajkowski. Prior to joining ELLE UK in 2022, Katie studied (BA) Fashion Journalism at London College of Fashion and has previously contributed to Red, Good Housekeeping and Prima.
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