Ask any dermatologist or skin expert and they’ll tell you that sunscreen is the single most important product to use each and every day.
“Sunscreen can be your best defence against premature ageing and is seen by the medical industry as a preventative tool against developing skin cancer induced by the sun,” says Dr Howard Murad, a dermatologist and founder of Murad Skincare. “Sun damage caused by UV radiation is directly responsible for environmental premature ageing of the skin.”
There are two main types of UV rays: UVA is responsible for ageing skin and can penetrate clouds and windows, while UVB rays are the ones that burn skin.
Of course, there’s no denying that, in times gone by, many sunscreen formulas weren’t exactly created for daily application. They were thick, white, gloopy liquids that didn’t blend well, certainly didn’t sit well underneath make-up and were often responsible for acne breakouts.
But things have changed a lot in the last few years. As well as often being formulated with a host of skincare benefiting substances or for specific skin types, many sunscreens are now more lightweight than ever and generally easy to slot into a daily routine.
While many sunscreens solely concentrate on UVB protection, which is indicated by the SPF (sun protection factor) number, it’s important to look for products that also protect against UVA rays. For UK products this is indicated by a star rating, while in the EU you’ll find the word “UVA” in a circle and in the US you’ll find the term “broad spectrum”.
In short, there is no excuse to not be wearing sunscreen every day, so if you haven’t yet found your holy-grail formula, keep reading to discover a selection of our favourites.
These SPFs have all been used by our tester multiple times; for some, we’ve used multiple tubes over the years, while the others were a part of our routine for at least a week. For each, we took into consideration texture, how easy it was to blend into the skin, whether it left any sort of white cast and how make-up sat on top (and, more importantly, whether it impacted the longevity or appearance of make-up throughout the day).
