Does Powder Sunscreen Really Work?

Sunscreen does an awesome job of defending our pores and skin from rays that may trigger pores and skin most cancers, in addition to thickening and wrinkling of the pores and skin as we age. Nevertheless it additionally feels type of greasy and goopy typically, particularly when utilized to the face, leaving many people questioning if there may not be a greater technique to apply it. Sunscreen powders sound like a promising improvement. However do they work?

What’s powder sunscreen?

Sunscreens often are available a lotion or spray format, however you may also discover them in powder kind. These merchandise typically are available a container with a built-in brush (type of like a giant floofy basis brush) and are typically costlier than conventional sunscreens.

They’re typically marketed alongside make-up, so you need to use them as a setting powder with the additional good thing about SPF. Typically they’re marketed towards mother and father of younger youngsters, as an alternative choice to getting little ones to take a seat nonetheless for a lotion or spray software.

The components are nonetheless legit sunscreens, and are sometimes mineral-based, with one thing like zinc oxide as the principle energetic ingredient.

Powder sunscreen is not efficient by itself

Finally, the issue with any type of sunscreen is that you could apply a lot of it to get the safety listed on the label—and you could reapply it in keeping with the instructions, which often means each two hours. A sunscreen lotion is the best to use this fashion, although most of us don’t come wherever close to assembly the advisable quantities. (That’s okay, although—if the SPF is excessive sufficient, we nonetheless get respectable safety.)

That brings us to the issue with nontraditional sunscreens. Are you actually going to use sufficient of it that it may truly work as supposed? That is particularly unlikely with regards to mixture merchandise. Will you actually slather on a thick layer of sunscreen-infused bug spray each two hours? How a couple of thick layer of SPF-containing basis?

I believe you see the place I’m going. Are you going to use sufficient powder sunscreen to get the safety you’re on the lookout for, after which reapply it when it’s time? It’s unlikely, particularly if the powder is your primary type of sunscreen. Beneath is a video of chemist Michelle Wong making use of sunscreen powder to her hand to point out how a lot you would want to get the labeled SPF.

When powder sunscreens make sense

So you will not be capable of get the labeled safety from a cushty layer of powder—does that imply sunscreen powder is ineffective? Right here I have to return to the one enduring rule of solar safety: The perfect sunscreen is the sunscreen you’ll put on. Powder sunscreens are a better-than-nothing choice for reapplying sunscreen over your make-up, and many individuals will skip reapplying in the event that they don’t have one thing that works on prime of make-up.

Dermatologists advocate making use of a layer of regular (cream) sunscreen first, then placing in your make-up; contemplate powder to be a software for touch-ups. Sadly, it may’t be thought of a substitute to your major sunscreen.

Equally, for youths, if powder is actually the one approach you may get some sunscreen in your squirmy toddler, then a powder is healthier than nothing. However there are different methods to make sunscreen software simpler on little ones—so do not simply purchase a bottle of powder and contemplate the issue solved.