As there are less than 100 days before we enter the next decade, I frequently ask myself what I would tell my younger self. It would be this:
“A US$ 300 Crème de la Mer product is useless without a US$ 20 sunscreen. That’s like throwing money at what’s trendy, but forgetting that the best skincare routine starts with the absolute basics.
Stay hydrated, eat colourful food (sugar is not food) and use sun protection.
Happy Skin Days’ sunscreen test
My top sunscreens all satisfy this test. An excellent sunscreen has effective and photostable UVA and UVB filters. That is, the product doesn’t start to degrade as soon as it comes out the tube. Plus all these sunscreens cover the UVB and UVA region.
Avobenzone – that difficult problem child
All listed sunscreens have the UVA1 workhorse, Avobenzone in a stable form. This makes or breaks a sunsceen, as Avobenzone is the only filter that provides effective protection in the UVA 1 region. As most of UV radiation is UVA1, its important that the Avobenzone is stabilised properly.
No 1 sunscreen: Avene SPF 50+
At time of writing, MRP is INR 1,447 for 50ml. It occupies first place because of excellent UVA coverage and its SPF 50+, which means its at least SPF 60.
Joint No 2 sunscreens…
sebamed multi-protect SPF 50+
Despite being an SPF 50+, this has 6 filters!
Bioderma photoderm AKN Mat SPF 30
RoC soleil-protect SPF 30
Concluding remarks
I have taken off dermalogica as its simply too expensive.
That’s it from me (for today). Please let me know if you have any queries or I’d love to hear your suggestions so please write to me. Click on “EMAIL ME” for my address. I look forward to hearing from you!
See also
What damage is sunscreen trying to prevent? (Explains UVA and UVB damage)
Is SPF 50 better than SPF 15? (Explains why I don’t favour below SPF 30 products)
Myths about sunscreen (Explains why Indians must wear sunscreen every day)
Why read the label? (Lack of uniform sunscreen regulation means its vital to understand the label)