What Makes A Good Sunscreen Great?

This excellent post is sponsored by UV-iQ Australia.

A great facial sunscreen is hard to find, but it’s the single most important beauty investment according to skin experts, beauty editors and your mother. (She knows her stuff.)

The search starts with one that doesn’t leave your skin feeling oil-slick. Another deal breaker is when it goes on like toothpaste. Ultimately, a great sunscreen should feel like it’s not there when in actual fact, it’s working harder than a bouncer in Sydney on a Friday night to block out UVA and UVB radiation, which we know can age, burn and damage the skin.

And we’re not just talking about Summer. Cancer Council Australia recommends using sun protection every time the UV is 3 or above and in some parts of the country, UV levels are high all year round.

Here’s a checklist of what we look for in our perfect sunscreen:

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A HIGH SPF

In Australia, UV levels are among the highest in the world so it’s important your sunscreen is heavy-duty enough to keep you protected. SPF factor denotes the amount of UV rays that are being filtered out. For example, SPF 50+ blocks out 98% of UVB, while SPF 30+ blocks out 96.7%, according to Cancer Council Australia. With UV-iQ Australia’s SPF 50+ sunscreens, you know you’re getting the highest level of sun protection. Winning!

BROAD SPECTRUM

High SPF sunscreens work particularly well at blocking UVB, but make sure you’ve got UVA bases covered with a sunscreen labelled “broad spectrum”, “multi-spectrum” or “UVA and UVB protection”.

SKIN LOVING INGREDIENTS

If you’re putting something on your face that’s going to be there for more than a few hours, you want it to enhance your skin, so hydrating ingredients are excellent. UV-iQ’s Hydrating Collection contains a 24-hour hydrating complex that keeps skin well moisturised as well as skin-nourishing Vitamin E.

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A MULTI-TASKING FORMULA

While Sun’s UV rays are public enemy number one, we also know now that high levels of pollution can also have detrimental affects on our skin, including premature ageing. A sunscreen that shields us against those environmental aggressors while visiting or living in cities with known high pollution should be an essential, right? Cue: UV-iQ’s Anti-Pollution collection. Containing Unicontrozon, a scientifically proven, plant-derived, active complex that helps protect skin against O-Zone pollutants. Just what we needed.

SKIN TYPED

If a sunscreen suits your skin type, you’re more likely to want to use it regularly, right? All UV-iQ formulations are available in lightweight milks for normal-oily skin types and comforting lotions for normal-dry skin types. And for those that want a bit of extra coverage with the SPF, there’s some products with a sheer tint for those makeup-free days.

CANCER COUNCIL APPROVAL

An endorsement for UV protection by the Cancer Council needs to be earned, so if you have the credentials – which UV-iQ Australia does – that’s not to be taken for granted, especially in a country like ours with one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world.

What do you look for in a daily facial sunscreen?

UV-iQ Australia Hydration (Tint and No-Tint) and Anti-Pollution collections are available now in Chemist Warehouse stores nationally.

SHOP: UV-iQ Australia

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