Protecting your skin every day with sunscreen will not only help you maintain a youthful complexion, but it will also ensure a smooth canvas for your makeup or set your makeup depending on the texture of the SPF. With so many recalls and so many skin reactions, which SPF is effective and how long do I wear sunscreen? Is sunscreen waterproof and where did our Mineral Dust SPF 50 go? I am going to break it down for you and educate you to know!
Let's start with what does that number mean? I get asked this on the daily. A sun protection factor means you have so many minutes to stay in the sun without burning. The number of the SPF starts breaking down in the sun or when swimming depending on the formula and this is why it's crucial we reapply. Let's imagine you have medium toned skin and you usually don't burn in the sun for about 20 minutes without wearing SPF. If you wear an SPF 40, you can add the 20 minutes that you know you don't burn and then add the 40 to get a total of 60 minutes of protection... 20+40=60. So, you will need to reapply after 60 minutes.
Now, let's consider a different scenario where you have very pale skin. Without wearing SPF, you know you burn within 10 minutes of being in the sun. If you wear an SPF 50, you can add the 10 minutes to the 50, which also equals 60 minutes before you need to reapply. Make sense?
Are you more protected if you have more melanin in your skin cells? The answer is yes AND no. Melanin is generally considered to be the perfect protection against UV-induced photodamage. If you have darker skin you have more melanin which filters UV better than skin with less melanin (lighter skin).
The more melanin rich (darker) your skin is, it's twice as effective compared to whiter skin in inhibiting UVB (burning rays) radiation from penetrating. While the darker epidermis allows only 7.4% of UVB and 17.5% of UVA (aging) to penetrate, 24% UVB and 55% UVA passes through whiter skin. However you still need to wear sunscreen for protection of burning which leads to skin cancer regardless of how much melanin you have... it means you just won't burn as fast if you are melanin rich and have more leeway with SPF application but, detection of skin cancer is harder to spot. This chart should help.
Do you need to wear a daily SPF just for running errands or going to work? Yes you do! It’s a popular misconception that you don’t need sunscreen in certain scenarios, such as a cloudy day or when you’re just running errands. But the fact is that any time in the sun is potentially risky and requires smart sun habits.
About 80 percent of ultraviolet rays penetrate right through the clouds to reach your skin. Spending time outside without sunscreen on an overcast day is very risky, Estheticians agree. If you’re curious about how strong UV rays are, even on a cloudy day, check the UV Index, which can be found on most weather apps. It’s a tool that ranks the sun’s intensity on a scale of 1 to 11+. Dermatologists and Estheticians agree that when the UV Index is 3 or higher, it’s especially important to protect your skin. Oh, it also penetrates through windows like car windows. So, it's extremely beneficial to wear a minimum of SPF 20 at all times year round!
Wearing a trusted clean beauty brand with a minimum of SPF 20 is essential everyday. At Face It we have 6 tinted moisturizer shades that wear like foundation, nourishes and protects with an SPF 20 that is sweat resistant. Our Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 is broad spectrum, feels weightless on your skin while providing sun block for a flawless makeup look. It's perfect for those light sun exposure days driving around town or going to work. It's easy to carry with you for re-application if needed. Our oil-free formula will never feel heavy, is for all skin, mineral enriched and is European registered. It's the perfect healthy makeup wear if I do say so myself! We offer free samples of all of our products. For a free one-on-one makeup session virtually or in-person CLICK HERE to get color matched, or for samples or to shop CLICK HERE.
Is sunscreen really waterproof? No.
All sunscreens, even those labeled “water resistant,” eventually wash off. Water resistance claims, for 40 or 80 minutes, tell you how much time you can expect to get the labeled SPF-level of protection while moving in and out of the water and manufacturers may not make claims that their sunscreens are “waterproof” or “sweatproof.” If they do, don't trust it 100%. Please use the math formula at the top of the blog to calculate re-application of these sunscreens.
What happened to our Mineral Dust SPF 50? Unfortunately I had to make a hard decision to stop producing our lovely dust as I didn't have enough sales to meet the demands of my manufacturers MOQ (minimum order quantity). I am actively looking for a way to bring it back.
We really care about your skin health. Every product, service and interaction with you is emotional and intentional. If you have any skin or makeup concerns with questions that need answers please reach out and use Face It as your resource! Thank you for reading my blog.
~ Genelle
MUA, LE, NCE
Face It Skin Founder
#YOGB (you only get better) use our hashtag.
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