I’ll be honest: Up until this point, makeup and sunscreen have been completely separate concepts in my head. It wasn’t until recently that I learned about the wonderful world of sunscreen makeup, aka tinted moisturizers, foundations, lip balms, and setting powders that have a SPF of 30 or higher, meaning they can help protect your skin from sun damage when used with your daily sunscreen (more on that below). And as someone who spends 90 percent of her life applying sunscreen (seriously, I have a constant supply of hand cream with SPF at my desk, water-resistant sunscreen on hand during the summer, and reef-safe sunscreen near me every damn day), this revelation was huge. I mean, if you’re already going to be wearing makeup, why not wear makeup that can give your face a little boost of protection too?
But before you (ahem, I) get ahead of yourself, let’s go over two myth-busting basics:
I know, major bummer. Still, the experts I spoke with all recommend wearing sunscreen makeup every day for a little extra protection against sun damage and blue-light damage (yes, it’s real, and it’s coming from your phone and computer). Even though sunscreen makeup isn’t strong enough to protect you on its own, it still helps to ensure that you’re getting a full-coverage application of SPF after your tablespoon’s worth of regular sunscreen. K, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get to how to actually choose the right products.
First and foremost, set your shopping filters to “SPF 30 or higher.” We’ll say it again and again, but SPF 30 is the bare minimum that’ll fully protect you from sun damage, especially considering, per my previous email, how little protection you’re getting from sunscreen makeup in general.
Makeup artist Neil Scibelli says the type of sunscreen makeup you choose depends on your skin type. If you have oily skin, he says, opt for lightweight, oil-free primers, foundations, and concealers with SPF, then set your skin with an SPF-filled powder. “I’m a big fan of powders with SPF, because they help mattify the skin while also giving you that sun protection,” says Scibelli. If you have “normal” skin, look for any type of products with SPF for your ~protective glow~, and for dry skin, look for medium-weight, moisturizing primers, foundations, and concealers.