If you hate reapplying sunscreen while wearing makeup, try these 2 dermatologist-recommended hacks
- Most people know sunscreen is vital to protect skin from cancer and prevent aging.
- But it can be tricky to combine with makeup without adding a white cast to your foundation.
By now, most people know that sunscreen protects against cancer-causing UV rays and is also crucial to maintaining youthful-looking skin.
But it doesn't always play well with makeup, and it can be tempting to avoid wearing the two together — no one wants to smudge that eyeliner they worked so hard to get symmetrical or give their bronzed cheeks a white cast.
While some people's solution (ahem, mine) is to put on sunscreen once, slather on an SPF 15 foundation, and call it a day, Dr. Ivy Lee, a dermatologist practicing in Los Angeles, said that probably doesn't give you as much sun protection as you think.
"SPF is not additive," she told Insider. So unfortunately, SPF 50 sunscreen plus whatever SPF your tinted moisturizer is won't amount to some superhuman sun protection. She also said that putting on sunscreen before makeup can lead to uneven coverage because you can wipe away part of your sunblock in the process of applying makeup.
Luckily, Lee herself relates to the struggle of combining makeup and sunscreen, and shared two hacks for wearing the two together.
Swap foundation for tinted sunscreens
Rather than layering on foundation and sunscreen, Lee recommended using a tinted, broad-spectrum sunscreen that's at least SPF 30.
One TikTok-viral option is La Roche Posay's SPF 50 mineral sunscreen which comes in tinted and clear versions. And one of our favorite facial sunscreens, EltaMD's UV Clear formula, is available tinted as well. Both only come in one shade but are designed to blend into a wide range of skin tones.
Tinted sunscreen won't offer as much coverage as a heavier foundation, so it's a great option if you just want to slightly even out your skin.
Use sunscreen powders to remove shine and add protection
If you want to use a full-coverage foundation, or if you're worried that reapplying a fresh coat of sunscreen later in the day will mess up your makeup, Lee suggested using sunscreen powder, which functions as a matte finishing product and an added layer of protection. She said it makes reapplying sunscreen every two to four hours "effortless."
Lee really likes ISDIN's SPF 50 mineral brush, which contains ingredients like zinc oxide to block out both UVA and UVB rays. Meanwhile, in a TikTok video titled "My favorite way to reapply my sunscreen as an oily girl" user Elisabeth Hartman drew in over 500,000 viewers by recommending Supergoop's SPF 35 mineral setting powder, which comes in four different shades.
Unfortunately, there's no one-step trick to putting on all your sunscreen and SPF makeup once a day — you really do have to reapply sun protection to get the maximum benefits. But, at the very least, the process just got a lot easier for the makeup lovers among us.