Your ultimate sunscreen guide with Renée Rouleau

Unlike most skincare products, which are considered cosmetics, sunscreen is classified as a drug by the FDA. This means that before it hits the shelves, it undergoes rigorous testing to ensure that the final product does exactly what the label claims: to protect your skin from harmful UV rays.

Of course, testing something in a lab and using it in the real world are two different things. While we can't recreate the circumstances in which our sunscreen was tested, we can make sure we’re not interfering with its protection. Sunscreen is your number-one defence when it comes to protecting the skin against premature ageing and skin cancer – and proper application is everything.

Read on to find out if you could be making your sunscreen less effective with these common mistakes.

Mixing your sunscreen with other products

When sunscreen comes out of the tube, you’re getting the exact formula that’s been tested to determine SPF (Sun Protection Factor is a measurement of how well a sunscreen will protect your skin against harmful UV rays). The moment you mix it with another product, you’re altering a carefully crafted formula and can no longer guarantee full protection. 

Instead of mixing your sunscreen with other products, like serum or moisturiser, layer one product on at a time. A generous layer of sunscreen should always be your final application in the morning. Here’s how much you should be using.

Applying a facial oil in the morning

The popularity of facial oils has skyrocketed over the past few years thanks to their ability to give a luminous glow almost instantaneously. Unfortunately, facial oil and sunscreen may not be a match made in heaven. While there aren’t any conclusive studies showing that oils interfere with sunscreen, the concern is that they may break it down and make it less effective.

If it’s a dewy finish you’re after, look for a sunscreen that supports this instead. Many are now formulated in hydrating bases, some of which even include oils. This doesn’t mean you have to forego oils in your routine altogether – just save them for night time and make sure you’re applying them correctly.

 

Too many products under your sunscreen

Another common mistake is that people layer on product after product, before finally getting to their sunscreen. At the end of the day, your skin can only absorb so much. At a certain point, you’re just wasting money by applying tons of serum or moisturiser. What’s worse is that you risk creating a barrier between your skin and the sunscreen, so it may not be able to properly coat the skin cells.

To avoid this, skip the 10-step morning routine and keep things as simple as possible: cleanser, alcohol-free toner, antioxidant serum, and sunscreen. If you’re concerned about getting enough moisture, there are a few ways to maximise hydration:

• Make sure your cleanser is gentle and sulphate-free, so it doesn’t strip your skin. 
• Use an essence-like toner that’s infused with hydrating ingredients to plump your complexion.
• Look for a vitamin C serum that has the texture of a light lotion.
• Use a lotion- or cream-based sunscreen that doubles as a moisturiser for your specific skin type. This will eliminate the need for a daily moisturiser.

If you have a face mist that you love using, spritz it after you cleanse as the ‘toner’ step in your routine.

 

Not letting your sunscreen dry before applying make-up

The good news about modern sunscreens is that once they’ve dried, most of them are really stable. But if you add make-up on top before they’re dry, you risk interfering with the formula. Since make-up application usually involves a lot of dabbing, rubbing and brushing, you can also end up wiping away some of the sunscreen you applied.

The solution is simple: wait until your sunscreen is fully dry before going in with foundation. While it should never be used as a replacement for sunscreen, the iron oxides found in most bases and concealers add an extra layer of sun protection.