By now, everyone KNOWS that sunscreen is something that HAS to be applied, every single day in order to take care of your skin. (Right? Right?? You do KNOW this, right?)
Although [we hope] everyone knows the importance of sunscreen, whether or not everyone actually adheres to the rule is another story…
Since so many people HATE the idea of sunscreen, it can sometimes seem like an impossible feat to convert everyone into an everyday user. So? what?s a skin care company to do?
Genuisly, the latest crop of sunscreens all share similar components: they are fun to use, immediately make you look better, and are more like makeup than any sunscreen of yore.
Three brand-new sunscreens have recently come across our desk, all from completely separate companies that are remarkably similar. No smell, no greasiness, no muss. With a velvety, mousse-like texture, and a ?universal? tint that helps boost the complexion of any wearer, these sunscreens provide awesome sun-protection under the guise of essentially being makeup.
Meet the newbies:
SkinCeuticals Physical Matte UV Defense (with an SPF-50, $34.00 for 1 fl oz.) has a whipped formulation, goes on silky smooth, and leaves your skin (sun-safely) radiant. It?s like makeup, but safer. (If you are a SkinCeuticals Fusion fan, this feels like the 2.0 version, it dries with a matte finish, and offers more coverage.)
A new option for the Porification Protect was recently created, which is almost exactly like the SkinCeuticals Physical Matte (and again, is like version 2.0 of Porification Protect). Fluffy, tinted, and super appealing to use, the Porification ?Perfect? also contains super-good-for-your-skin ingredients such as Resveratrol, Vitamin C, Co-Q10, and Green Tea extracts. It?s like a fancy anti-aging BB cream, that also happens to have UVA/UVB protection of 50. ($43.00 for 1.5 oz)
Sente (the maker of our team?s favorite after-washing, anti-aging product Dermal Repair) also came out with a sunscreen along this vein, and it?s been getting some great national press (was recently featured on ?The Talk?). Sente?s Daily Repair Complex has a formulation that feels just like the others, creamy, blendy, and the perfect shade of tan that somehow melts into everyone?s skin color. (NO idea how this works, but it looks great on every skin tone we?ve tried it on.) It feels great, works great, and looks great, however at $130 per 30mL, this sunscreen requires a larger monetary commitment than the others.
Other similarities between this latest sunscreen crop?
Finish:
The finish of each of these products is smooth and matte. (The Skinceuticals base actually is oil absorbent, which is great for a summertime face product as we get shinier throughout the day.) They also have this delicious, mousse texture which feels more substantial than liquid formulations.
Multi-Use
There are so many uses for these products because they are tinted! They can be used as a conventional facial sunscreen, but they can also be used under makeup as a primer, or because of the tint and matte-finish, these sunscreens can even be used as stand-alone foundations.
No Acne Worries!
Many people worry that makeup and/or sunscreen will make them break out. These sunscreens are perfect for sensitive skins as well as acne-prone skin, and are all noncomedogenic. (All Porification sunscreens are oil-free and meant for acne-prone skin, and the Skinceuticals and Sente sunscreens are non-comedogenic and non-acnegenic.)
Disadvantages?
The only down-side is that currently these products are only available in one shade. Although to date this somehow hasn?t been a problem, it might be nice to eventually have different colors to choose from. (Perhaps one that is specially formulated to cancel out red undertones, or one that can correct sallow skin colors? I?m sure these will be future options.)
Sum Total
Making great sun protection that is akin to makeup was truly genius ? if the product is fun to use (and come on, makeup is always fun to use) and makes the wearer immediately look (and ergo feel!) better, it will immensely increase the likelihood of getting applied. When using these new sunscreens, the skin looks better now, and thanks to the sun protection, the skin will also look better in the future. It?s a win-win all around.
Now? if they could just make body soap that was also a deodorant, and curling irons that somehow made hair healthier, our (or at least my) bathroom countertops would be utterly complete.