SUNSCREEN AND SKINCARE: INTEGRATING SPF INTO YOUR DAILY ROUTINE

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF WEARING SUNSCREEN EVERYDAY?

While we often think of sunscreen as an essential for summer pool days or a beachside vacation, sunscreen is in fact a key player of any skincare routine—rain or shine! Let’s get into some SPF benefits. Daily sunscreen use provides a bevy of skin-boosting advantages.

Prevents skin damage — Want to avoid painful sunburns, skin peeling, swelling, itching, hives and blisters? Intentionally shielding your skin daily is a surefire way to maintain skin’s health and preserve smooth, glowing skin—and not only on days spent basking in the sun. UV rays can penetrate glass, affecting your skin even through windows. For these reasons and more, daily sunscreen is a must for healthy skin.

Moisturizes, too — Many sunscreen formulas today feature ingredients that moisturize and enhance the look of your skin. Take our GinZing™ SPF 40 Energy-Boosting Tinted Moisturizer. In addition to protecting your skin with SPF, Ginseng helps brighten and awaken the skin, while Caffeine from Coffee Beans helps energize and revitalize to give you a vibrant, healthy look.

Minimizes signs of premature aging — While aging is inevitable, an everyday sunscreen routine offers youth-boosting benefits. Exposure to UV rays compromises the well-being of essential skin proteins, like collagen and elastin, which help to give your skin a plump, supple, youthful look. Daily sunscreen will help avoid fine lines, wrinkles and dark spots, too.

Improves skin tone — Did you know sun damage is one of the key causes of uneven skin tones? UV rays from the sun can cause hyperpigmentation, sunspots and discoloration to appear and darken. Wearing sunscreen daily offers preventative protection, which helps support a more even-looking complexion.

Reduces risk of cancer — To give you some context on just how damaging the sun can be, the American Academy of Dermatology found that 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer at some point in their lifetime. Sunscreen decreases the risk of skin cancers, like melanoma.

BEYOND THE BASICS: 4 THINGS YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT SUNSCREEN, BUT PROBABLY SHOULD

From beach vacations to long weekends spent lounging around the pool and warm afternoons basking in the summer heat, the season of the sun has officially made its much-awaited debut. While many of us have adopted the habit of applying SPF moisturizers daily, here are some sun facts and tips to remind you of the benefits of sunscreen and help keep you (and your skin) protected through the summer and beyond.

1. Make sure you’re using a broad-spectrum sunscreen that’s SPF 15 or higher
When it comes to sunscreen, our experts agree on one non-negotiable that applies to all skin types: you must use a broad-spectrum formula. Whether you use a traditional sunscreen or a daily moisturizer with SPF, protection from UVA rays (the “aging rays”) and UVB rays (the “burning rays”) is a must. Once you’ve found a broad-spectrum formula you love, double-check its SPF strength. Qin Qin, our Director of Global Education, suggests a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher. Including GinZing™ SPF 40 Tinted Moisturizer Plantscription™ SPF 25 Power Anti-Aging Cream and Mega-Bright SPF 30 Oil-Free Moisturizer, we have broad-spectrum sunscreens for every skin type. You can even take our SPF quiz to find the best sunscreen for your skin type.

2. Makeup with SPF isn’t your best bet
SPF-infused makeup is another option to consider. Elizabeth Starr, our Executive Director, Global Product Development cautions against using makeup with SPF as your sole source of sun protection due to wear. “Makeup may wear off on oilier places of the face or transfer to clothing, leaving skin less protected. The best scenario is to use a treatment product, like a moisturizer with sunscreen for example, and follow with SPF-infused makeup.”

3. Apply face SPF every single day (even when it’s raining)
To recap the beauty of SPF benefits, daily use is necessary. A common misconception is that sunscreen is only necessary when it’s sunny outside, but you should always wear SPF, even if you’re staying indoors! According to Qin Qin, “UV rays are strong and can penetrate through clouds and windows. Whether you’re in your car, at the office, or in the comfort of your home, your skin is always exposed to UV rays. Apply sunscreen daily, always, rain or shine.”

4. Reapply throughout the day with this makeup-preserving tip

Sunscreen reapplication is an important thing to keep top of mind throughout the day, but everyone wants to know: how do you properly layer or easily reapply sunscreen throughout the day without messing up or re-doing your makeup? Qin Qin says, “To get all the sunscreen benefits your skin needs, it’s best to reapply with a makeup sponge. Pat it in little by little onto skin and allow time to absorb to ensure you won’t mess up your makeup.”

INCORPORATING SUNSCREEN INTO YOUR DAILY SKINCARE ROUTINE

If you’ve gotten this far and you’re feeling inspired to add a daily sunscreen to your skincare regimen, allow us to share a glowing recommendation.

When implementing this step into your routine, we recommend you follow your cadence as usual, beginning with a cleanser and following with your toner, serum, eye cream, spot treatment or any other essentials you may be using. Because our GinZing SPF 30 Moisturizer formula functions as a daily moisturizer with SPF, be sure to use this as the final step of your routine.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Sunscreens have come a long way since the days of thick, greasy formulas with a heavy white cast. Now, with formulas for every skin type and tone designed to layer seamlessly with makeup, there’s no excuse for keeping sun protection at bay. Take our SPF Quiz to explore our full collection of Origins sunscreen moisturizers, infused with age-defying, skin-caring ingredients that will help keep your skin looking youthful, naturally radiant and happily protected from the sun.

SPF Quiz