Femme Facade

Do you wear the best anti aging product, which is facial sunscreen? Do you know of any sunscreens that should be on the good UVA sunscreen list? Not all sunscreens are created equal. The sun’s rays are very harsh and proper protection is needed. Skin cancer is the most common forms of cancer and it is increasing. Applying sunscreen everyday also helps with anti-aging. In fact sunscreen is the best anti wrinkle cream you can buy! Read on for a short list of good UVA sunscreens in the mix as well. I had a list of good UVA sunscreens posted here before, but their UVA estimations were lower than I thought, so I have update the list. Read on to find out what the most important factors are when you wear sunscreens. 

The SPF number on your bottle of sunscreen is the amount of protection against UVB rays and not UVA rays. UVB rays causes burning/tanning, while the UVA rays causes aging and tanning. UVA rays can also penetrate your skin deeper than UVB rays can. UVA rays can also affect your skin through the clouds and windows, unlike UVB rays. Since, UVA rays causes wrinkles, skin sagging, and aging, it is important to make sure you are wearing face sunscreen with adequate protection, because it’s the best anti aging beauty products. 

Sunscreens in the U.S. are not quite on par yet with Europe when it comes to UVA protection. In Europe you can find sunscreen with very high UVA protection. They call this protection Persistent Pigment Darkening or PPD. They have a PPD number as well as a SPF number marked on their sunscreen bottles. They have PPD numbers of 20! However, over the last few years the sunscreens in the U.S. have gotten better and better. The sunscreens with the Mexoryl ingredient has very good UVA protection of PPD 15. La Roche Posay Anthelios and L’Oreal’s Ombrelle contain the ingredient Mexoryl, which was patented by L’Oreal in 1993 in Europe. Now you can find these Mexoryl sunscreens in the U.S. with a PPD of 15.  Wear Mexoryl sunscreen if you have normal or dry skin. Although some oily skin types like the Anthelios texture too. It all comes down to your skin type. Eau  Thermale Avene, one of my favorite skincare companies also has good UVA sunscreens. Vichy is another great European UVA sunscreen brand.

Facial Sunscreen = Great Anti Aging Product

Some other good UVA sunscreens in the U.S. drugstores are the Neutrogena Dry Touch sunscreens with the Helioplex ingredient. Make sure to only buy the SPF 55 or higher though, because the ones under SPF 55 are not photo-stable. Meaning they will degrade faster in sunlight, thus you will loose protection. They have a PPD of around 12. I used to use the CIBA.com PPD calculator on the active ingredients in the sunscreen to find out the PPD, but that is just a self-estimation. And I have found out that the U.S. drugstore sunscreen’s PPD can’t be higher than around 12. PPD 12 is good protection, in fact anything over PPD 8 is good. Of course, anything higher is better. Good UVA protection will protect your skin from age spots, wrinkles, and cancer. Another good UVA sunscreen with a PPD of around 10 is the Coppertone Dual Defense SPF 30 or 70.

One important thing to know is ingredients. It is all comes down to knowing what the ingredients mean. If the sunscreen contains the Avobenzone ingredient make sure it does not contain Octinoxate as well. These two ingredients together can destabilize the sunscreen. So when you see Avo and OctiNoxate, then don’t buy it. Think of it as OctiNOxate. This is only for chemical sunscreens. If you prefer physical sunscreens then make sure there is a high percentage of both Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide. Make sure they especially have a high percentages of Zinc Oxide, the higher the better. Shiesido makes a very nice Ultimate Sun Protection lotion with an SPF 55. This lotion has a PPD of around 8. This facial sunblock has a very light texture and leaves a nice smooth matte finish, which makes it excellent for oily skin types. Blue Lizard, Coppertone Sensitive Skin SPF 50, and Neutrogena Pure and Free Baby SPF 60 are some other great physical sunscreens. Physicals sunscreens generally have lower PPD protection than chemical sunscreen lotion, of 8 or lower, but wearing physical sunscreen can last longer on your skin.

Wear sunscreen, sunglasses, and a wide brimmed hat whenever you are out in the sun. Make sure to apply ¼ teaspoon to your face and another ¼ teaspoon to your neck. If you don’t apply enough you will not get the recommended protection. Remember, the UVA rays penetrates through clouds and windows. Keep testing the sunscreens until you find one that your skin loves.What good UVA sunscreens list do you have? Please list some of your favorite sunblocks in the comments.  Remember, wear facial sunscreen everyday, rain or shine, because it’s the best anti aging skincare products.

Bookmarks: