I cannot emphasise this point enough to anyone reading this blog: a moisturiser with an SPF is not a substitute for a sunscreen.
Lakme is an excellent example of this: it makes Lakme Ultra Matte SPF 50 (click LINK) which is a stable sunscreen formulation that provides protection against damages caused by UVA and UVB.
It also makes this product which is not meant to be a substitute for sunscreen.
What damages should sunscreen be protecting against?
We want our sunscreen to contain photostable UVA and UVB filters that protect against these damages:
What filters does this product have?
The UVB filters are Octylc Salicylate and Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid. The UVA filter is Avobenzone, that is a notoriously unstable UVA filter. Without a stabilizer, even the most complacent sunscreen regulator, the US Food & Drug Administration has said its effectiveness goes down from 50% to 90% within one hour of application.
This product does not provide sufficient protection against UVA.
Closing
At the time of writing (27th April 2020), the price of this sunscreen is INR 350 for 200ml, which makes this one of the cheapest sunscreens on Nykaa’s bestselling sunscreen list.
I understand why it has such widespread appeal amongst women as a sunscreen, but it is not a sunscreen substitute. Use Lakme’s Ultra Matte SPF 50 instead.
I will leave you with sunscreen best practices! Drop me a line if you have any questions at email@happyskindays.com
Notes
Ingredient list is available from Amazon
See also: