The Sticky Subject of Sunscreen

"Mineral physical blockers zinc oxide and titanium dioxide have a long history of being friendly to the body and are especially nice for sensitive and allergic types."

With my clients, these are the points I usually make regarding sunscreen:

Daily sunscreen use is essential when trying to minimize hyper-pigmentation especially after more aggressive treatments using acids, including my vitamin c facial.

Apply your sunscreen after allowing your moisturizer to sink in. Ten minutes or more. Make-up can be layered immediately over it.

Mineral physical blockers zinc oxide and titanium dioxide have a long history of being friendly to the body and are especially nice for sensitive and allergic types. They are also still the most effective sunscreen ingredients to date against the full UV spectrum. You will see a white cast, especially for the first 10 minutes, but this will fade with a good formulation.

Still searching for a perfect sunscreen with only physical blockers with a matte, non-sticky, non-white finish? Me too. Meanwhile trust that the sticky occlusive nature of zinc oxide is partly why it is so effective. On days when you are wearing zinc you will need to make sure the cleanser you are using is removing it thoroughly.

An SPF 30 does not supply twice the protection of an SPF 15. SPF 30 blocks approximately 97% of UVB rays (when used as instructed) and SPF 15 blocks approximately 94%. Remember the numbers come from the length of time you can be exposed and not burn. SPF 30 allows you to be out 30 times as long as you could be unprotected.  In the US our SPF numbers are based on UVB only. Though since 2011 if the product is labeled “broad spectrum” it has been tested and protects against UVB and UVA. A certain percentage of the protection must be from UVA to qualify for this distinction. 

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