What Sunscreen Should I Use? Your Guide to Choosing the Right Protection.

Sunscreen is your skin’s primary defense against these complications. Adding a broad-spectrum sunscreen, like our UV Filters SPF 45 Serum, into your daily skincare regimen can help defend against harmful UV rays. Without sunscreen, your skin is left vulnerable to the sun’s impact—on sunny days, cloudy days, and even indoors.

Let’s explore how sun damage happens, what factors to consider when choosing the right sunscreen for your skin, and how to incorporate an SPF into your daily routine.

The answer is a resounding yes. Dermatologists recommend applying sunscreen daily, regardless of the weather, the season, or your skin tone. Even deeper skin tones, which have more melanin and offer some natural protection, are not immune to the harmful effects of UV rays. Studies show that regular sunscreen use can significantly reduce the risk of skin cancer and slow down visible signs of aging, when used as directed with other sun protection measures.

Why Sunscreen Matters Every Day

The sun emits two main types of UV radiation that impact your skin. Both types are harmful, and protection against them is important for long-term skin health.

Cumulative Damage

UV damage doesn’t occur all at once. Small exposures to UV radiation accumulate over time, and can lead to visible signs of aging, like wrinkles, fine lines, and dark spots.

More critically, sunburn and prolonged exposure can damage the DNA in your skin cells, causing them to lose function or grow uncontrollably. This increases the risk of developing skin cancers like melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and basal cell carcinoma.

There are three factors to consider when choosing the right sunscreen:

1. SPF (Sun Protection Factor)

Sunscreens help protect your skin from sun damage by reflecting or absorbing UV rays. SPF is a measure of how much protection a sunscreen offers. The higher the SPF, the more UV rays it may filter out, but this difference is often marginal. Take the two most common sunscreen SPF levels for example:

• SPF 30: Provides sufficient protection for everyday use, filtering about 97% of UVB rays when used as directed
• SPF 50: Ideal for prolonged outdoor activities, filtering about 98% of UVB rays when used as directed.

SPF 50 offers slightly better protection, but only by around 1%. That’s why all SPF levels should be applied generously and reapplied every two hours to remain effective. UV Filters SPF 45 Serum provides broad-spectrum protection while also supporting hydration, making it an ideal option for daily wear.

2. Broad-Spectrum Protection

While UVA radiation is more likely to lead to skin aging, and UVB radiation is the main cause of sunburn, both types of UV rays affect aging and can cause burning. For this reason, protecting your skin from both is important.

Broad-spectrum sunscreens can help. Every UF filter works differently by blocking certain parts of UV light. Some filters are better at blocking UVB light, while others are better at blocking UVA light. A broad-spectrum sunscreen mixes different filters that complement each other, to protect against both UVB and UVA radiation.

Essentially, even if a sunscreen has a high SPF, it won’t protect against both UVA and UBA rays unless it’s broad-spectrum. This dual protection is crucial for helping to prevent sun-induced signs of aging, like wrinkles and fine lines, and decreasing your risk of developing skin cancer (if used as directed with other sun protection measures).

Our new UV Filters SPF 45 Serum is a broad-spectrum, lightweight sunscreen that offers daily SPF 45 protection against sun damage. It also contains ceramides to support the skin’s moisture barrier while providing a white cast-free, natural-looking glow.

Understanding the differences between physical and chemical sunscreens will help you choose the best product for you.

Physical (Mineral) Sunscreens

• Key Ingredients: Zinc oxide, titanium dioxide.
• How They Work: Mineral sunscreens absorb UV radiation to release the energy as heat. They also scatter some UV rays to provide further protection against UVA and UVB radiation.

Chemical Sunscreens

• Key Ingredients: Avobenzone, octinoxate, oxybenzone.
• How They Work: Chemical sunscreens absorb UV rays and convert them into heat, which is released from the skin. This process is repeated, helping protect the skin from UV damage for as long as the sunscreen remains effective.

UV Filters SPF 45 Serum is a chemical sunscreen formulated with Homosalate, Octisalate, Octocrylene, and Avobenzone. These filters absorb radiation across different wavelengths of the UVA and UVB spectrum to provide effective broad-spectrum protection.

It’s important to apply sunscreen as directed and at the right stage in your skincare regimen to help ensure its effectiveness.

Morning Routine

Sunscreen should be the final step in your morning skincare routine, applied after serums, moisturizers, and before makeup. Allow a few minutes for your serums and moisturizers to fully absorb before moving to the next step. This helps prevent skincare pilling or uneven coverage.

UV Filters SPF 45 Serum is designed to work seamlessly within a skincare regimen, providing a lightweight, non-comedogenic formulation that layers well under makeup. Its ceramide content also supports hydration, making it a multi-functional step in your morning routine.

Before Sun Exposure

Apply sunscreen at least 15-30 minutes before stepping outside. This time allows the sunscreen to form a protective layer and helps ensure proper absorption. Don’t forget areas like your ears, neck, hands, and feet, which are often overlooked but exposed.

Reapplication

Sunscreen should be reapplied every two hours or immediately after swimming, sweating, or towel drying, as its effectiveness diminishes. To reapply over makeup, try dabbing sunscreen powders or using sunscreen sprays for minimal disruption.

Morning Routine

1. Prep: Cleanse

Use a gentle cleanser to remove overnight impurities. Choose one with hydrating ingredients like our Squalane Cleanser to support the skin’s moisture barrier.

2. Prep: Tone (Optional)

Apply a toner with mild exfoliating properties such as Saccharomyces Ferment 30% Milky Tonerto help remove dead skin cells for a smoother, more even texture.

3. Treat: Eye Serum

Gently apply an eye serum formulated with peptides, like our Multi-Peptide Eye Serum, or caffeine, like Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG, to reduce puffiness and improve firmness.

4. Treat: Serum

Use an antioxidant serum like Multi-Antioxdant Radiance Serum to visibly reduce signs of aging by brightening and balancing the look of uneven skin tone.

5. Seal: Moisturize

Lock in hydration with a lightweight moisturizer that suits your skin type. Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA hydrates without leaving a greasy residue, making it suitable for most skin types.

6. Seal: Sunscreen

Apply a broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher sunscreen, like our UV Filters SPF 45 Serum, to help protect against UV damage. Be sure to reapply throughout the day, as directed.

Evening Routine

1. Prep: Cleanse

If you’re wearing makeup or sunscreen, it’s helpful to double cleanse—first with our Squalane Cleanser, which contains lipophilic esters to help dissolve makeup without stripping the skin, followed by a gentle cleanser like Glucoside Foaming Cleanser.

2. Treat: Serum

Apply Retinol 0.5% in Squalane to support the skin’s natural collagen content and target fine lines. Since retinoids can make skin more vulnerable to sun damage, it’s important to wear an SPF when using retinol.

3. Seal: Moisturize

Follow with a rich, nourishing night cream, like Natural Moisturizing Factors + PhytoCeramides, to support the skin’s repair process while you sleep

While sunscreen is no doubt essential, there are many misconceptions about when it’s needed and who needs it most.

Some of these common myths include:

• “I don’t need sunscreen indoors.” UVA rays can pass through glass, leaving your skin vulnerable inside, near windows, or in a car.
• “Deep skin tones don’t need sunscreen.” Deeper skin tones are still susceptible to hyperpigmentation, photoaging, and skin cancers caused by UV damage.

Protecting your skin from premature aging and reducing the risk of skin cancer starts with making SPF a daily habit. Keep your sunscreen within arm’s reach—place it alongside your skincare essentials so it’s always in sight. Set a morning reminder to apply it before stepping out, and carry an extra SPF in your bag for easy reapplication throughout the day. Small steps like these can make a big difference for your skin.

Whatever works best for you will be a proactive step toward taking care of your skin—and promoting smoother, brighter skin as you age.

Discover our Regimen Builder—a quick and easy tool that provides personalized product recommendations designed specifically for your skin type and unique concerns.

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