I’ll spare you the “sunscreen is very important, you need to wear it daily, you shouldn’t invest time and money into skincare if you don’t keep your skin protected” spiel - what I will say is, you don’t have any reason not to make your sunscreen experience as enjoyable as the rest of your skincare routine.
It’s totally fair to think of sunscreen and shudder - eye-stinging formulas with that old school sunscreen smell, heavy texture and a pain to both reapply and remove.
I’d experimented with several sunscreens before finding Supergoop, and since then I’m all about this brand. For Australians, you’ll have to be satisfied with shopping online via Revolve (but the shipping is reasonable and very fast!). If you browse the brand, what strikes you is the choice of formulas and chemical vs mineral filters.
I’ve already mentioned my love affair with Supergoop’s Zinc Screen SPF40 formula, a dewy, gently-tinted and light liquid texture that cocoons your skin all day long in protection. But I get that to some people, this sounds like a nightmare.
If you want a chemical sunscreen that feels like (to quote Ned Flanders) “nothin’ at all!” (you might opt for one purely because you prefer an ultra-light texture and you get along well with common chemical protectors), the Unseen Sunscreen is the one for you.
Or there’s the Mattescreen, or the City Sunscreen Serum, the Superscreen (like a richer moisturiser and sunscreen in one), the Glowscreen (for a little extra something) all the body sprays in various finishes and formulations, and don’t forget the tinted options and SPF lip balms - get the picture?
I admittedly have not tried every formula (I’ve been fairly committed to the Zincscreen, the mineral powder touch-up SPF and the tinted CC cream), but with all but two products vegan and all cruelty-free, the line is certainly the most accommodating of all skin types and textures and preferences for coverage and protection levels.
Then there’s the price - yeah, it’s not cheap. There’s no two ways about it (although the official Supergoop website is working on international shipping, and they often have special jumbo product offers and pack deals).
Here’s the thing - if you hate your sunscreen, you won’t wear it. Or you won’t wear it regularly, and even if the product is a bargain, it’s no good to your skin sitting at the bottom of your drawer. The process of getting SPFs approved is serious and costly, let alone making a refined formula with a high SPF rating, and this is an area where you really (I’m begging you) don’t want to try and DIY it or go cheap.
A good SPF will enhance the performance of your night creams and serums, will help reduce pigmentation and premature ageing, and even things like day to day redness (it will even prevent existing and mature blemishes from becoming more inflamed by the sun), and is the foundation of keeping your skin in good condition long term.
So make 2021 the year you take your sun protection seriously (even if you’re still working from home!).