I am sorry to have left this space empty for so many months! Since most of you know I am a notorious starter-non-finisher I will leave the apology there, but for those of you who don’t know me, I possess one closet dedicated to knitting projects I’ve never finished.
Do you know how many of you have emailed/called/texted/slacked about sunscreen? So many. I’m frankly overwhelmed by the subject now -- and so in an effort to overcome my anxiety about getting it right I’m just going to get right into it, and say this is part one of a million.
Let’s assume you are sunscreen positive since you are subscribed to this incredibly haphazard newsletter. But if you aren’t, here’s a basic primer. Wear it, it’s good for you.
The perfect sunscreen doesn’t exist. It really doesn’t! It’s not like, for instance, the perfect sleep mask (Morning Edition should issue this to its staff), the perfect fire pit, or the perfect seltzer. This is not an original thought or formulation, but it is absolutely true: the best sunscreen is the one you will use every day.
Important stuff to remember: My skin is not your skin. I am not a doctor. (Although I do have a degree by osmosis from lurking and listening to the good people from several of the best Reddit communities (r/skincareaddiction, r/tretinoin, r/asianbeauty, and others).
A note about types: I am not Team Chemical/Organic or Team Physical/Inorganic when it comes to sunscreen. I wear both! In fact most of the ones I wear are a combo. I am a little testy about people who say you have to wear mineral sunscreen, because that really only works for white people, as they can leave a white cast, and I think that fear-mongering on behalf of so-called “clean” beauty is irresponsible (though I’ve heard great things about the Goop vibrator). Here are the most comprehensive explanations on the internet that debunk all the sunscreen myths. On my list you will find both flavors of filter, including sunscreens for people with darker skin who are allergic to chemical filters, concerned about white cast, and want or need an option that is mostly or all physical. I acknowledge that some people would also prefer a “reef-safe” sunscreen -- unfortunately there is no real agreed-upon definition, since sunscreen manufacturers aren’t required to test for that. If it’s something you’re concerned about here’s a helpful primer on what to look for, and how much we do and don’t know about it. I will say I am constitutionally unable not to shout “no such thing” if I hear one of my Barrie Godchildren say something about “clean sunscreen.”
One more note! This is not a perfect list. Nor is it finished! I recognize that in order to really do a service here I should probably write about Asian sunscreen filters, but I think that in this case, getting this one out there now that Memorial Day has come and gone is probably the most important thing.
A little about me and my skin:
I’m a white lady in my forties. I am prone to hyperpigmentation, have recently diagnosed rosacea (I suspect it is the universe giving me something new to throw myself into during the pandemic!), and am very pale with yellowish undertones. I wear sunscreen to prevent cancer as well as wrinkles and spots. I have grown up loving and respecting sunscreen, but of course I made bad decisions in my teens, twenties, thirties (not just about my skin) and there’s some damage to prove it. Also a little damage in my soul, but hey, that’s youth. My skin is super sensitive and easily angered by dry air or bristly beards or products with too high a percentage of their active ingredients. I am also often dry and dehydrated, though my humidifier (which I love, and Wirecutter does too), has helped a great deal.
I wear SPF 50 mostly, though on a rainy day or day I’m inside I settle for SPF 30. I really do try to do SPF 50 every day in the summer. Yes, it’s true that SPF 50 only protects you from about 1.33% more UV radiation which isn’t much over the course of a day, but quite a bit over a year. It drives me crazy to see a sunspot reappear when I’ve worked so hard to get rid of it. In my pre-pandemic life I adored wearing makeup, so wearing well under all my highlighters and blushes is a must. Hmm, what else. I’m almost too exhausted now to even recommend sunscreens at all! Just kidding, I’m never too tired to tell you what to buy.
Colorescience Sunforgettable Total Protection Face Shield SPF 50 is 100% mineral, and great under makeup. It’s 100% physical blockers, and the only one of its kind that I truly love. Why it is so expensive, I don’t know. But I do know that for me it has been worth the investment. It’s thick and kind of moisturizing with a nice sheen, and since it’s just a tad tinted it feels like I get a little coverage from it too. When I want to be fancy, I wear the highlighting version of this (they call it glow) which really is beautiful and not glittery at all. (There is also a bronze version.) The other day I was looking in the rear view mirror and got mesmerized by my own glow! And I mean, this is with greasy hair and no makeup. I also tend to add this cream blush from Colorescience which is SPF 50 on my cheeks where I get a lot of hyperpigmentation just as an extra layer of protection. I just realized it is supposed to be a lip balm -- but I have never used it that way. Colorescience also makes a sunscreen powder which is good for touch ups over makeup, or your hair part, but not enough to wear on its own. (I’m worried people are doing this, please don’t.) The downside of this one is that for darker skins I don’t love the white cast it leaves -- this can be covered with makeup, but shouldn’t have to be.
If you have darker skin and want an all mineral option, I would recommend the Olay Regenerist Mineral Hydrating Sunscreen. It’s very good, with truly very little cast at all. I have seen this on a wide range of skin shades and I was extremely impressed with how well it performed. The downside is that it’s a smallish bottle, even though it is reasonably priced, and it is only SPF 30, so I’d recommend frequent application. But it’s an excellent option that I am always glad to have for those of you invested in a physical filter.
I feel like people haven’t tried the magic of Black Girl Sunscreen enough. They are the most affordable sunscreens on this list, and they leave zero white cast. My very favorite is the one for kids. It’s super moisturizing, SPF 50, terrific over makeup, made by a black-owned business, and is only ten bucks. This is a chemical sunscreen, but doesn’t contain oxybenzone, which is usually the filter that gives sensitive skins that stinging sensation around the eyes. They also make a matte version, which I’ve heard terrific things about, but I like to be a little dewy (shiny? glowy?) so I haven’t tried it. If you do, reporting back would be a mitzvah.
Make p:rem SPF 50 is really terrific. It is definitely a pain to get, but as I’m sure you know, Asian sunscreens are light years ahead of us and worth it. And this one is all mineral! Also this is a HUGE bottle. I also have their moisturizing face sunscreen which I like very much and can’t remember why I haven’t been using it, now that I write this down. It’s light and just feels great, and it’s the one that my husband -- bald, mind you! -- will use regularly, which is a real selling point because it’s very hard to get him to commit to skincare. I think there’s something about the giant bottle that appeals to him aesthetically, too?
If you want a pretty good stick that’s all mineral, I really like the MDSolarSciences one. This is the one I stick in my kids’ backpacks and I’m sure they use diligently every two hours (haha nope), but I also love to have it for myself on the beach when I suddenly panic about my eyelids or sunspots or anything. It’s SPF 40, and doesn’t really have a white cast, but I worry that that means it’s not as protective, so I only use it for touch-ups and extra security. MDSolarSciences does have other great mineral sunscreens, but the tubes are pretty small.
I love almost all of the EltaMD sunscreens. I suspect there is one that fits you, too, Barrie Godchildren! They are premium priced as well, but Dermstore has sales on it once or twice a year, along with a subscribe and save option, and I stock up. Their UV Facial SPF 30 is just gorgeous in texture and wears perfectly under makeup. I don’t buy jar stuff (I think jarred makeup is a little yucky, and skincare in a jar often degrades with exposure), but they make it in tubes, and the one that purports to be for the body is pretty much the exact same thing, so I just buy that and put it on my face. They also make an SPF 50 which is a little thicker but great for outdoorsing, and is generally what I slather on my kids as well. I love UV Clear SPF 46 (only four SPFs off of my 50 requirement!) as well though this is a pretty teensy bottle. In fact, if you do not like a sheen under your makeup at all, I think that UV Clear is better for you than the Colorescience that I mentioned earlier. All of these EltaMD sunscreens are a mix of chemical and physical, with little to no white cast. They do make an all physical sunscreen: but it was a disaster for me. Maybe you will have better luck!
A friend and colleague asked me for this specific recommendation the other day - so this one’s for you, M. If you are really fighting hyperpigmentation then you need a sunscreen with heavy duty filters. La Roche Posay just gets so much right with their sunscreens! Unfortunately many of my favorites, like the Asian sunscreens I love, are kind of a pain to get because they are using innovative filters that aren’t available here. But the European sun filters are really great and worth going the extra mile to get. Here’s the good news: my favorite sunscreen for beach or pool is the SPF 60 Melt-In Milk, which is widely available, and I’m not sure why I don’t wear it under makeup regularly? I’m going to try and report back. I bought this awesome Anthelios Shaka Fluid SPF 50 in London, but you can get it on the internet pretty easily. This is a shamefully tiny bottle, but I really trust this one to prevent the pigmentation that drives me batty. I swear I have seen spots disappear when using it diligently. There are a slew of other European ones that I love from LRP -- but I’m going to try to test some of the ones you can get here once I run out of a few more open bottles. Stay tuned.
Honorable mention goes to Coppertone Pure and Simple, which isn’t so bad for a 100% mineral sunscreen in terms of white cast. I love Farmacy Green Screen for days that I am fine with an SPF 30 -- it’s all mineral, and has zero white cast on my pale self. People tell me they love Supergoop Unseen SPF 40 -- I haven’t tried it yet.
Ugh, you guys there is so much more I have to say! I wanted to tell you about the great Purito sunscreen scandal of 2021! I wanted to complain about the way Gwyneth Paltrow applies sunscreen! I wanted to rant more about the “clean” beauty fallacy! I wanted to try to explain why we can’t get the better sunscreen filters from overseas here in the US! But instead I will leave you with these recommendations, a promise to send some more your way, and a wish for your sun safety and enjoyment. Please try to find a sunscreen you like and will wear! And let me know how I can help you in your quest.
Love, Your Barrie Godmother
P.S. The picture of Miss Piggy tanning is from my favorite self-help book in the world, Miss Piggy’s Guide to Life. (It contains my favorite advice of all time on ordering appetizers: when ordering escargot, “hold the snails.”) In general I believe advice from a femme fatale (or maybe truie fatale in this case) is pretty good, but do not take advice from Miss Piggy about sun safety.