As we move toward the summer months the amount of sun exposure we get increases dramatically. As an individual with a darker complexion, sun protection was never something at the forefront of my thought. I never suffered the severe discomfort of the burning or irritation sunburn caused which allowed me to push the effects of sunburn out of mind. Although my only symptom after being in the sun was a nice tan, it did not take away from any damage that could have occurred beneath the surface of my skin. Long and direct exposure to ultraviolet light can cause skin cancer, hyperpigmentation, reduced elasticity, and premature aging of the skin (Vorvick and Sieve, 2019). Self-care has been a huge addition to my daily practices especially since the start of the pandemic. Taking care of my skin has been made more of a priority in my life and I strongly promote the same to you! Here are my thoughts are 3 daily-wear sunscreen products…
- CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion w/ Sunscreen (SPF 30)
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I am an avid user of CeraVe products. I love how moisturizing and soft their facial cleansers and moisturizers feel on my skin. I liked the idea that this product was both a moisturizer and sunscreen. In general, my idea to incorporate sunscreen into my daily routine was to apply it before any face makeup like foundation or concealer. On a clean face, this product ended up pilling on itself. Meaning, when I rubbed the product in it would eventually feel as though I was rubbing off dry or dead skin. In fact, it wasn’t my skin but the product itself. This may not be the experience for every individual. However, I do use other CeraVe products to wash my face so I would find it interesting if the ingredients in the sunscreen by the same brand would react poorly to ingredients in a cleanser. The pilling effect eventually made me feel like I wasn’t getting full coverage of the product regarding sun protection and it also made my makeup bumpy and peel off. Again, this may just be my experience with the product I have plenty of friends who enjoy CeraVe’s sunscreen.
- Ultra-Sheer Dry-touch Neutrogena Sunscreen (SPF 55)
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This Neutrogena product is just a sunscreen that I also applied on a clean face before any facial makeup. I loved this product. It felt very heavy at first right out of the bottle but once I rubbed it in it sat very lightly on the skin. I also noticed that it did not leave a white cast on my tanner skin which is exactly what I’m looking for under makeup. I also noticed it did not leave an oily or shiny residue on the surface of my skin. This is also favorable under makeup because I didn’t feel as though I needed to apply extra powder to get rid of shine.
- Ultra-Sheer Face Mist Neutrogena Sunscreen (SPF 55)
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Ultra-Sheer Face Mist Neutrogena Sunscreen (SPF 55)
This Neutrogena product is very similar to the previously mentioned dry-touch product. Since this product was a mist, I tried applying it both before my makeup and after. I noticed on dry clean skin the mist was very light and refreshing but did leave a shinier and slightly oily residue on the skin (more than the dry-touch product). However, I did love the application. There weren’t any signs of a white cast on my skin, and it was very fast drying.
Like any sunscreen, you need to reapply the product to get the full effect. This poses a problem when you’re wearing makeup. The reapplication of sunscreen can remove or smudge existing makeup. I found using the Ultra-Sheer Dry-touch Neutrogena sunscreen as a base before makeup and using the Ultra-Sheer Face Mist Neutrogena sunscreen in tandem provided the best option for sunscreen protection. I was able to reapply the sunscreen using the mist which was quick drying and didn’t require me to rub the product in while also having the dry-touch product directly absorbed into my skin.
Sunscreen is important to protect your skin even if you don’t see immediate effects such as burning. Every product is different for each individual, but I strongly suggest you take the time to find a good sunscreen product that works for you to maintain healthy glowing skin!
References:
Vorvick, Linda J., and David Sieve. “Sun’s Effect on Skin – Health Video: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia.” MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 10 May 2019, medlineplus.gov/ency/anatomyvideos/000125.htm.