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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Maryland chapter.

When you ask the average woman what products she uses as part of her daily routine the results are basically the same. Foundation, blush, mascara, maybe even a little bit of eyeliner. But what if you knew that everyone should be using a basic product that most people overlook?

Sunscreen is an essential product that should be used daily. About 90 percent of skin cancer is associated with the sun’s harmful radiation exposure and sunscreen is one’s barrier to those death rays.

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer and sunscreen has been proven to protect against it.

Unfortunately applying sunscreen is associated primarily with going to a sunny beach in Mexico or hanging out at the pool. But it is an essential weapon against skin cancer that should be incorporated into everyone’s daily beauty routine.

And if the thought of getting skin cancer is not terrifying enough, maybe appealing to people’s vain side would do the trick. Because let’s be honest, the threat of not looking one’s best is a great motivator.

A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine revealed to us that people who applied sunscreen everyday showed 24 percent less wrinkles or skin aging in general. That’s huge!

A few years ago a very shocking picture circulated the Internet. The subject: the face of a trucker who had driven his vehicle for 28 years. The shock factor: half his face was extremely damaged by the sun radiation that only that side was exposed to over the years. Half his face was prematurely aged because of the sun.

Kristen Gough is a University of Maryland student with a history of skin problems. Her wake up call happened after one day she was extremely burnt from the sun and the sun damage she received went away after three years.

“I looked like a Dalmatian,” Gough said. “Not only will sunscreen save your life but it will also keep you from having unwanted marks on your skin.”

Sunscreen is extremely important. There is no doubt about that. The issue is that we tend to be lazy and the thought of applying a gooey pale past to our face and bodies every day is really disheartening.

We think: Will the sunscreen make my face look pale? God forbid it clog my pores!

“Many people just don’t want to add that extra layer of seemingly unnecessary and uncomfortable ‘make-up,’” Alyssa Judson, a Philosophy major, said. “It feels unnatural to wear but it so necessary, and it’s frustrating how people don’t understand the greater risk nowadays of contracting skin cancer.”

Luckily the scientific and beautician community has come up with a revolutionary product that has really swept the make-up world. BB Cream, which stands for Beauty Balm, is widely used in Asia where skin care is an obsession for many. It is now gaining popularity in Western markets as people realize how great it is.

BB Cream is a combination of moisturizer, foundation, and sunscreen. It is a multipurpose product that does the job of a moisturizer, primer, sunscreen, skin treatment, concealer, and foundation.

It saves time, makes you loom good, and provides protection, all in one.

One can buy BB Cream with different levels of SPF, sun protection factor, but like with sunscreen, the best protection is offered by a greater number. SPF 30 is a recommended level to use daily.

The Ozone layer that provides us with extra protection from the Sun’s Ultra-Violet rays has been damaged by us humans. Our activities are leading to higher skin cancer and until the human race figures out a way to stop this damage, apply that sunscreen because it will save your life.