This summer, have your sunscreen with a side of skin care — not the other way around. While the line between cosmetics and sun care is increasingly blurred (foundations and moisturizers usually contain SPFs nowadays), doctors say that dog-day rays require the real deal.
“In the dead of winter, it’s okay to use a product with added SPF, like a tinted moisturizer, especially if you’re going to sit in an office all day,” says Dr. Patricia Wexler, cosmetic dermatologist and associate clinical professor at Icahn School of Medicine in New York. “But certainly between April and September, you should wear a separate sunscreen.” The good news is this year’s class of high-tech blockers are packed with more antioxidants and botanicals than ever before.
Antioxidants, it turns out, do double duty. Not only are they great at fighting collagen-damaging free radicals and inflammation, but they help sunscreen do its job better. “Look for a sunscreen with antioxidants. They make the sunscreen more stable, meaning they won’t decompose as readily in the sun,” says Wexler.
Dr. Dennis Gross Dark Spot Sun Defense Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Sunscreen, meanwhile, is packed with the antioxidants melatonin and vitamin C — which treat hyperpigmentation — along with titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, which act as physical shields. It’s priced $42 at sephora.com.
Getty ImagesIn a major innovation,
has turned water — always the enemy of sunscreen — into a helper. The Japanese giant’s
and
actually become more effective after being in contact with water for 15 minutes or longer.
The WetForce duo contains a stabilized form of Ionic Mineral Sensor, which bonds with minerals in water to create a highly water-repellent layer. Thus, the “UV-protective veil” becomes even more protective.
The innovative Korean brand Amore Pacific has introduced a sunscreen cushion compact, Sun Protection Cushion Broad Spectrum SPF 30+, said to be the first of its kind. Up until now, the trendy format — a formula-soaked sponge in a compact — has been reserved for tinted moisturizers, foundations and alphabet products like BB and CC creams (foundation and treatment hybrids). Find it at Bergdorf Goodman.
“Combinations of ingredients are good,” notes Dr. Gary Goldfaden, a Florida-based dermatologist and creator of the Goldfaden MD skincare range. “But sometimes they can give a false sense of security.”
To keep sun protection effective, reapply every two to four hours, he says.
C+C Oil-Free Macroantioxidant Sun Protection SPF 30, $60 at naturabisse.com
