When it’s unbearably hot and humid (“air you can wear” as it’s known in the American south) the last thing you want to do is apply sunscreen to a damp and sticky face.
But apply sunscreen you must, both as protection against cellular damage that can mutate into skin cancer and for vanity’s sake, to keep your skin from mottling and wrinkling up like an old leather shoe. Sunscreen is so powerful it can even reverse the passage of time because (louder for the people in the back) wearing sunscreen allows your skin to heal from any prior damage instead of just compounding it. This from a 2016 study in the Journal for Dermatalogical Surgery.
And If you are truly sunscreen averse, especially during these dog days of summer, the three ‘best of breed’ lotions (pictured above, top to bottom) deliver on lightness with protection.
Garnier Ombrelle Ultra Light Advanced SPF 60 face lotion, $18.99, Shoppers Drug Mart, is a high SPF, broad spectrum screen (i.e. it protects against both UVA’s aging and UVB’s burning rays) that is so pleasingly lightweight, you will actually use it. And the non-sticky lotion absorbs into skin immediately so it’s perfect under makeup.
Because Shiseido Oil Free Urban Environment Oil Free sunscreen SPF 42 $45, Sephora.com, is oil-free, it’s perfect for those brutal days when your skin is unpleasantly slick. It plays the clever trick of actually hydrating your poor depleted skin while leaving a soft suède-like finish, so you can look fresh while everyone around you is melting.
Burt’s Bees SPF 30, Gentle Day Lotion, $29.99, Well.ca, is perfect for anyone whose skin reacts to temperature extremes by immediately going scarlet. This mineral, paraben-free lotion is gentle gentle gentle, and restores your moisture barrier and calms redness while protecting skin against UVA and UVB damage.