We all know that sunscreen is a health and beauty must! After all, 90% of aging is due to the sun’s strong UV rays but some of us (we’re not looking at you!) still aren’t wearing it on a daily basis. You don’t need to be at the beach to necessitate sunscreen…the sun’s rays are out every day, everywhere.

London-based Facial Aesthetics & Ocuplastic Surgeon, Maryam Zamani explains: “Sunscreen is an essential protection from the harmful UV radiation that contributes to DNA damage. This can manifest itself in the form of skin cancers and photo ageing signs, such as pigmentation, lines and wrinkles. I prefer SPF that have double filters: physical and chemical SPF to ensure a more complete coverage.”

How to select sunscreen

There’s a virtual sea of sunscreen choices out there but you need to be on the lookout for two things:

A minimum of SPF 30: the SPF number refers to the length of time you can stay in the sun without getting burned when wearing the sunscreen versus not wearing it.
Broad-spectrum protection: to be classified as a broad-spectrum sunscreen, the formula must absorb or reflect at least 90% of the UV-A and UV-B rays. It needs chemical filters which absorb UV radiation before they penetrate the skin and/or mineral (physical) filters which reflect UV radiation away from the skin.

How much to apply: face

Applying a sunscreen once a day to your face isn’t enough and applying less than 1/4 teaspoon of sunscreen is also not enough. Enter the new sunscreen trend! Double SPF! Just as double cleansing involves washing your face with two different cleansers (an oil-based one followed by a water-based one), double SPF involves using two times the same sunscreen or different sunscreens with different formulations.

Mix a lightweight sunscreen into your moisturizer: add a few drops of the SPF into your moisturizer by mixing them together in the palm of tyour hand prior to application.
We recommend the new Cell Shock White Brightening Bi-Phase Veil SPF 45 PA++++. This feather-light formula offers advanced mineral and probiotic UVA/UVB protection.
Liberally apply second layer of sunscreen after the moisturizer: this second layer can also be applied in the form of a good CC cream or foundation containing a minimum SPF 30.

What about the eyes?

Some of us (again not looking at you!) neglect to apply an opthalmologically-tested SPF to the eye zone area. Don’t make that mistake.

New York City-based optometrist, Dr. Jennifer Tsai explains: "The skin around our eyes is one of the most delicate areas. It is most susceptible to UV damage, pigmentation, and wrinkles, which is why it's important to apply SPF daily. I recommend a minimum of SPF 50.”

After applying an eye cream, we recommend the new Brightening Eye Veil SPF 50, a broad-spectrum formula with chemical and mineral filters, as well as antioxidants, anti-inflammatories and brighteners!