Sunscreen 101
Sun protection in India is still a topic which is not taken seriously. Most of us did not apply spf as a child when we spent hours in the sun and we see the effects and damage of the sun in our skin today. As a country which receives sun throughout the year we should be wearing sunscreen everyday but sadly sunscreen is so overpriced and not easily available locally too. It really came as a surprise to me because until lockdown and me finding lab muffin beauty science on YouTube and binge watching her content made me realize that we all have been making a huge mistake for a very long time in my case 21 years of my life. It also stems from the problem that most households in India still believe in 'natural is better' skincare which in itself is an issue but that is a topic for another day but most of our parents never really did skincare or got sunscreen. So its still a relatively new step in their daily life for most people and the companies also don't provide proper guide on how to use sunscreens on their packaging either so we end up getting very little to no results from sunscreen products.
First we will be learning the types of sunscreen, how much to apply, results of sunscreen and why it is necessary and finally product recommendations.
Types of sunscreen: There are generally two types of sunscreen mineral and synthetic sunscreen which are available in the market. The main difference between the two types are generally the sunscreen filters used in the product.
Mineral sunscreens contain two ingredients namely zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. These filters work on the top layer of your skin by both absorbing and deflecting the sun's rays at a lesser rate. These sunscreens are also called physical sunscreens.
Synthetic sunscreen or chemical sunscreens contain over 30 synthetic sunscreen ingredients which absorb into the top layers of skin, where they work similar to mineral sunscreens: by scattering and deflecting the sun’s harmful rays, and by converting UV rays into heat and “deactivating” them. The common chemical sunscreen ingredients are oxybenzone, octinoxate, octisalate, and avobenzone.
There are also some sunscreens available in the market which contain both physical and chemical filters which can be called as a hybrid sunscreen.
To be honest it doesn't really matters which sunscreen filters use because they mostly work the same way but sometimes with chemical sunscreen people with sensitive skin can find it sensitizing.
Application of sunscreen: Until very recent times I had no idea that you need two fingers worth of sunscreen to cover your entire face and neck and you need to reapply it every three hours. Yes, you read it right. You need two fingers worth of sunscreen (i.e. your index and middle finger).
Why is sunscreen necessary?
Skincare aside but sunscreen should be part and parcel of everyone's life. We live in a country with sun exposure all year long so in order to protect ourselves from the harmful UV rays and prevent and protect ourselves from skin cancer. Sunscreen also helps slow down the process of aging and to prevent pigmentation.
Product recommendations:
1. Re'equil Ultra Matte Dry Touch Sunscreen: This is my holygrail powder finish matte sunscreen which is a hybrid product. It contains both chemical and mineral filters and it retails for 695 rupees. It is available on Re'equil's offical website, nykaa and amazon. It contains spf 50 with pa++++ with little to no white cast.
2. Bello Photostable: This is another sunscreen which I absolutely love. It is a synthetic sunscreen and it contains spf 40+ and pa+++. It is priced at 626 rupees and available on amazon. It has a dewy finish and does not give any white cast.
3. La Sheild Fisco Matte sunscreen: This sunscreen is raved by many but unfortunately did not work very well on my acne prone skin. This contains 25% zinc oxide and it is a mineral sunscreen. This sunscreen is available on nykaa and amazon and is priced at 630 rupees. On application it has a light purple tint but within few minutes of application it fades away and even though it states that it is a matte sunscreen it gave me a dewy finish and irritated my forehead a bit which ended up with me having a lot of closed comedones.
4. Neutrogena UltraSheer dry touch sunscreen: This was my first sunscreen and it was an absolute disaster for me. Even though it is a chemical sunscreen it had a weird purple cast to it and whenever I applied it my eyes stung and then ended up with irritated and watery eyes. Will not recommend this to anyone with sensitive eyes and skin. It contains spf 50 pa+++ and is priced at 225 rs for 30 ml. It is available on nykaa, amazon and most online shopping sites.
I hope you guys found this post helpful. This is a beginner friendly post on sunscreen and I know there are many more products available in India but these are the few sunscreen products which I could find the full ingredient list to and at a very pocket friendly price range.
Sources:
Mineral vs. Synthetic Sunscreen Ingredients
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