Three Game-Changing Sunscreens You’ll Want To Use Year-Round
With fall only weeks away, you may be preparing yourself mentally for the inevitable moment when you have to pack your bikinis, shorts, sarongs, and straw fedoras, but don’t even think about stashing your sunscreen along with your beach attire! Though the sun’s rays might not be quite as potent during the autumn and winter seasons, they can still wreak havoc on the skin, which is why the number one anti-aging rule is to apply sunscreen daily and, most importantly, year-round. The following three sunscreens feature lightweight, barely-there formulas and deliver additional benefits — from diminishing the appearance of dark under-eye circles to protecting the complexion from harmful pollutants, and illuminating the entire visage.
Check out these three sunscreens, which you’ll want to keep handy no matter the season:
Supergoop! City Sunscreen Serum SPF 30 with Soft Focus Finish, $42. Available at QVC.com and Sephora.com
Want women to reach for their sunscreen, not out of a sense of obligation, like it’s some dreadful yet unavoidable chore, but, instead, because they actually relish the way it feels on their skin and, moreover, yearn for the luminosity it bestows upon their complexions? The key is delivering SPF protection in the form of a lightweight serum with skin perfecting capabilities. This feat is precisely what Supergoop! accomplished with its new City Sunscreen Serum SPF 30 with Soft Focus Finish. The latest iteration of Supergoop’s beloved City Serum features a barely-there tint that helps to prime the skin and soften the look of fine lines, pores, and any redness via light-diffusing silica particles that create an appealing blurring effect. You can use the serum on no-makeup days, as the final step in your skincare regimen, or as a primer before applying makeup. And, if you’re using a tinted moisturizer or CC cream, you can mix 1-2 drops of the serum with your moisturizer in order to obtain the coverage you desire , along with an airbrushed, soft-focus finish.
In terms of its moisturizing and skin-nourishing properties, this ultra lightweight, non-greasy serum is formulated with vitamin E, which is known to condition the skin and protect it against free radical damage; vitamin B5, a powerful emollient; and Hydroviton 24, a moisturizing agent consisting of a mixture of amino acids like serine, glycerin (a natural humectant), sodium lactate (which clinical studies have shown can incrase the skin’s moisture content by 90%), urea (a nitrogen-containing substance typically found in urine and other body fluids that has been shown to greatly moisturize the skin), and allantoin (a nitrogenous compound commonly used as a conditioning agent). Moreover, this tinted serum contains Uniprotect PT-3, an active ingredient complex that protects the skin against UV-induced oxidation, thereby helping to prevent the formation of fine lines and wrinkles, as well as dark spots.
Because the serum is only available in one tinted hue, I’m not certain how well it would suit women with darker skin (hopefully they’ll develop more tinted options soon!), but if you’re on the fair-to-medium side of the spectrum, it should work wonders!
Clarins UV Plus Anti-Pollution Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Sunscreen, $42. Available at ClarinsUSA.com
You might wince when you first squeeze out the Clarins UV Plus Anti-Pollution Sunscreen since it does, in fact, come out looking white, but don’t fret: there will be no ghost-like cast on your complexion! The ultra-fluid, almost milky sunscreen is rapidly absorbed by skin and, after a moment of massaging it into your visage, any pasty white hue will dissipate. The formula is so lightweight, you’ll forget you’re even wearing sunscreen — a far cry from the formulas of yore that would feel stifling and cumbersome.
The SPF 50 protection is delivered via a combination of physical sunblocks (titanium dioxide) and chemical sunscreens (homosalate, ocotcrylene, and oxybenzone), but it’s the moisturizing, skin-strengthening, pollution-filtering botanical ingredients that really make this a star product. First, there’s Clarins’ exclusive organic sanicle extract. If you’re unfamiliar with sanicle, it’s an herb that’s been described as a cure-all by natural medicine experts due to its use in treating a number of ailments — from pulmonary congestion to ear infections, sore throats, blood disorders (some healers believe this herb can actually remove toxins from the bloodstream), rashes, and eczema. Clarins scientists found that Alpine sanicle could also reinforce the skin’s natural defenses, thereby equipping it with the tools (so to speak) to better protect itself from free radicals. Other great ingredients include antioxidant-rich cantaloupe melon extract and organic blackcurrant extract, which helps to prevent the redness caused by pollution and UV rays.
And, of course, the formula includes the brand’s exclusive Anti-Pollution Complex, which helps to screen out environmental factors that can lead to premature skin aging.. How can pollution affect the skin? Well, let’s start with the nanoparticles released by combustion engines, which can bounce around the skin, poking holes in the collagen therein, thereby leading to a loss in elasticity. Similarly, toxin particles in the air can attach to skin and lead to targeted increased melanin production, leading to the emergence of age spots.
If you live in Los Angeles, New York City, or any other city where you’re constantly exposed to smog, car engine exhaust fumes, cigarette smoke, coal fire fumes, and other sources of pollution, this may just be your anti-aging sunscreen genie.
Kiehl’s Clearly Corrective Dark Circle Perfector SPF 30, $38. Available at Kiehls.com
Specifically designed for use under the eye, this treatment moisturizes this most delicate skin, brightens the area, provides a hint of tinted color (thereby functioning as a concealer of sorts), and protects it against harmful UV rays. Because it’s lightly tinted, the moment you apply this treatment to the area under your eyes, any dark circles and signs of fatigue will be less visible; but, unlike a matte concealer, which might appear flat or even cake-y, this product offers just a veil of sheer color and relies on the light-diffusing quality of the mineral pigments to really illuminate the area and blur any existing darkness.
These, of course, are the immediate noticeable differences, but there’s much more to love about tis product! In addition to concealing any dark under-eye circles, this product works to brighten this area in the long-term thanks to the inclusion of activated C, a stable form of vitamin C that tackles hyperpigmentation, and licorice root, which has been used for centuries to eliminate dark spots and yield a more even skin tone.
Moreover, the paraben- and fragrance-free cream offers SPF 30 protection via titanium dioxide. If you’ve ever applied sunscreen to your face and wound up unwittingly rubbing it into your eyes, then you know how much this snafu can sting and burn. And yet given how thin and fragile the skin under the eyes is, it’s essential to protect it from harmful UV rays. For this reason, it’s key to find a sunscreen specifically designed for use in this area — and I’ve yet to find one better than this one.
