If you've seen the #antisunscreen trend on social media, don't follow it! Adopting sun protection in your skincare routine is more essential than ever, all year round and especially in summer.
It is essential, as soon as the UV index exceeds index 3, to no longer leave home without sufficient sun protection. You need at least an index 30 in autumn or spring, when the sky is a little overcast and an index 50+, imperatively, in summer to protect against the harmful effects of UVA and UVB rays (pigmentation spots, melanoma, skin aging). The best: an index 50+ all year round when you know that you will be in contact with UVs.
But how exactly do you integrate sun protection into your routine? Is it before or after moisturizer? Can you wear makeup over it? We explain everything.
The right method
If we don't wear makeup:
Here are the essential steps to follow: treat, hydrate and protect.
In the morning when you wake up, you can apply a mist or thermal water to refresh your skin without necessarily cleaning it, then apply your serum and move on to your moisturizer and, at the end of your routine, apply your sunscreen.
If you then expose yourself, whether at the beach, during a hike or on a terrace; don't forget to reapply protection! The more you sweat or swim, the less protected you are. So we remain vigilant and the most careful; a hat, sunglasses and anti-UV clothing or a parasol if you plan to be exposed for a long time.
If we wear makeup:
Here's how to use it: same process as if you don't wear makeup, except that after applying your sunscreen, wait a few minutes for the skin to completely absorb the sunscreen before applying makeup because sometimes small "fluff" can form on its surface. Your sunscreen is therefore the last step of your skincare routine and then you can apply makeup on top.
If your foundation or tinted fluid contains an SPF, no worries about applying it afterwards. Note that there are also tinted sunscreen fluids, which allow you to do without foundation.
And what texture do we favor?
To choose your sunscreen well, you should ideally choose fluid textures that can be reapplied over your makeup without risking damaging it.
There are several options available to you to reapply your protection:
- You have sun sticks, which you can slip into your bag and apply over your makeup.
- If you have blemishes or sensitive skin or want to reapply your sunscreen while wearing makeup, you can opt for a sun mist.
- And even less known, a sun powder. Ideal if you have oily skin, it can be applied over makeup as a finishing powder, which is practical for touch-ups throughout the day without altering the makeup.
And above all, the golden rule: never leave these sunscreens in direct sunlight in the summer! With the heat, sunscreens become much less effective and you risk no longer being sufficiently protected. So we put all that away from the light. And if you have sunscreens lying around in your drawers from last year, it goes in the trash because Sunscreens tend to degrade over time and thus reduce the effectiveness of the protection.
