Why your SPF makeup is not enough protection – Experts Warn

by Dakota Brown

When I first started investing my time and money into establishing a solid skin care routine, I had absolutely no idea that my most valued product would be my moisturizing SPF spray. Not my cleansers, toners or exfoliating masks, nor my A and B vitamin serums. And no, not even my beloved Jour Gelée Payot Moisturizer that I use religiously. I kid you not, ever since the trusty skin experts at Riverside Beauty enlightened me (and still continue to remind me whenever I pop in) on the importance of protecting my face from the sun, I have never not – and never will – not carry my SPF spray with me…everywhere!

So, when I began my skincare journey, I was only interested in getting my hands on the most quality cleansers and masks that promised clear skin and refined pores. Yet while I believed at the time that constant cleansing would deliver me glowing skin, little did I know that using a facial based sunscreen now would be the reason my skin could glow and appear youthful for years and years to come.

Morning Routine

With that being said, I now understand how crucial it is to always apply my light SPF spray of a morning before I bunker down in front of the mirror with my makeup and brushes. Yes, my Issada mineral powder and cream do contain SPF 15 in them, however I’ve learnt that this on its own isn’t enough protection for me.

According to dermatologist Justine Hextall from La Roche-Posay skincare, relying solely on the SPF within your moisturizer or foundation to fully protect you from the sun all day is a very risky gamble. But to ensure your chances of winning the long-term glowing skin jackpot, Justine recommends applying an SPF 50 sun cream before your foundation. Optimally, she suggests one with ‘both good UVB and UVA protection and preferably anti-oxidants to protect against the more visible light spectrum.’

Research

After a little research, I discovered just how damaging UVA rays can be on our skin. Particularly, because we often never feel the harmful effects of UVA rays. Known as the sun’s silent killers, UVA rays deceivingly penetrate through glass and deep into our skin, harming our skin’s firmness and elasticity, consequently resulting in age spots, fine lines, and unnecessary wrinkles (not due to aging but rather sun exposure) that could look a lot like this…..

Yikes

So if UVA is strong enough to cut through glass and damage our skin…then doesn’t that mean whenever we’re driving along lost in our current podcast obsession, lounging near the glass window at home binging Netflix, or hunched over our work desk slowly getting irritated at the beams that pierce through the office windows and blur our desktop screens…we’re actually being exposed to these damaging UVA rays? But, and here’s the catch, without even knowing we’re exposing ourselves to sun damage because we can’t feel these silent killers?

Clare O’Connor, a Suncare Expert at Boots Soltan, highlights just how easily our foundation comes off during the day, regardless of whether your makeup is SPF based or not: ‘As we tend to touch our faces a great deal and remove products slightly, layering SPF products is always a good thing to ensure protection and maximum coverage across the face.’

So, would you rather have to continue re-applying your SPF based makeup all day? Or simply apply an SPF cream once in the morning before your foundation, and relax in the fact that you are strongly protected from the sun, however you may encounter its rays?

I know what I prefer…because I value healthy, glowing skin now and in the long-term 🙂

Bakslap is a brand that understands the importance of protecting yourself in the sun. We work to educate Sunshine Coast locals on the importance of covering themselves from the potential harsh rays that our beautiful beaches and landscapes are so often accustomed to here in Queensland. We are passionate about advocating for healthy, sun protected skin, and will always do our best to share with you all of the expert tips and tricks we find to ensure you are always sun protected, and able to enjoy our natural playgrounds without worry.

Mahalo for reading,

🌺

Dakota

We’re delighted to have Dakota share her passion for writing and be a part of the bakslap team. Who is Dakota?

‘I am a young, Sunshine Coast based local writer studying a Bachelor of Creative Industries. Driven by ambition and resilience, I am a creative who crafts my work with a mix of eye for detail, passion and integrity. I love to put words onto (digital) paper and watch them ignite curiosity and emotion within my readers. I am also always up for a sudoku challenge.’