‘Imagine if you could rub a cream on your breasts to prevent breast cancer … We would do it in a heartbeat, wouldn’t we? Then why, when there’s a cream that can be rubbed all over our skin to prevent skin cancer, do we not apply SPF every single day?”
Well, that’s one way to get a room full of beauty editors to be quiet and listen.
I am sitting next to Holly Thaggard, the founder of Supergoop! — a brand on a mission to change the way the world thinks about sunscreen — as she makes an impassioned speech on why SPF is crucial 365 days a year. She finished with a plea: “Don’t wait for the summer months to talk to your readers about SPF. We need to carry on the conversation all year round.”
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I am guilty as charged. I’ve been waiting for holiday season to write about my picks. But here I am, mid-April, doing as Thaggard asked and talking about sunscreen in spring, because it turns out that we Brits haven’t quite caught on. According to the beauty retailer Face the Future, only 22 per cent of us wear SPF daily and 40 per cent — that’s almost half of us — only buy it for holidays.
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Each year I’ve thought long and hard about how to persuade you to treat applying SPF as a mundane but necessary chore like, say, brushing your teeth, something you do daily. But nowadays I don’t see it as a chore. We’ve come such a long way with textures and formulas and innovation that I would go as far as to say it’s a joy to apply. Indeed, anyone who used to find excuses — “It interferes with my make-up”, “It gives me spots”, “It makes my eyes water” (the reasons for not wearing SPF are endless) — no longer has a valid argument. So much so, I feel confident that whatever your peeve I can find you a sunscreen match. Here goes …
Too chalky? Unflattering? Glossier Invisible Shield SPF 50 (£32, from April 16) has had an upgrade and is now completely undetectable in both look and feel. The built-in primer sets complexions up for make-up and leaves zero residue on the skin. As the brand says, it’s sunscreen for people who hate wearing sunscreen. Similarly, the new Murad Environmental Shield Multi-Vitamin Clear Coat Broad Spectrum SPF 50 (£42, from May 1) is packed with hydrators and vitamins and is invisible. No, seriously, what SPF? You won’t know you’ve applied it.
Drying? Stinging eyes? Dermatica SPF 50 PhotoAge Reverse UV Shield (£20, dermatica.co.uk) is like applying a souped-up moisturiser. Pump three fingers’ worth (three lines of lotion the length of your finger) into your hands and smooth over your face as you would with a moisturiser. It disappears in moments and leaves skin feeling plump and hydrated and fresh to touch.
Not keen on the ingredients in chemical SPFs? Mineral sunscreens used to be hard to come by and not very user-friendly (read: difficult to rub in and would leave a white cast). Supergoop! has rewritten the rules with its Play Mineral Lotion SPF 30 (£36, revolve.com). It has your name all over it if you’re sensitive or even oily.
No time for all the faff? I’ve got you covered — literally. CeraVe Facial Moisturising Lotion AM SPF 50 (£17, boots.com) is your moisturiser and sun protection in one. Yes, really. Pop this on at the moisturiser stage and you’re done. No extra layers.
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Ruins your make-up? No problem. Choose an SPF that doubles up as make-up. Heliocare Color Gelcream SPF 50 (£28, facethefuture.co.uk) is better than most foundations. It evens out discolouration and adds warmth to skin while providing ample sun protection. Two other completely brilliant options are Ultra Violette Daydream Screen Tinted Veil SPF 50 (£38, spacenk.com) and Dr Sam’s Flawless Gossamer Tint SPF 50 (£35, drsambunting.com).
Too expensive? Beauty Pie FeatherLight UVA/UVB SPF 50 (from £15, beautypie.com) is non-comedogenic, so no spots, and it works as a primer, so your base won’t budge. And if you’re after one for under £10 then there is Altruist Sunscreen SPF 50 (£5, altruistsun.com), as recommended by dermatologists.
I remember a few years ago struggling to put together an SPF shopping list that I felt proud of; now I don’t have enough space to list them all. SPF has had a glow-up like no other category and you are spoilt for choice. Go forth and buy — and please remember to apply all year round.
