A great winter sunscreen for me has good UVA protection, has some calming ingredients and a texture that’s moisturizing but isn’t overly glowy or sticky. The one I’m showing you come close to that. On the my best winter sunscreens!
My skin barrier, due to Tretinoin, is also a bit compromised at the moment. That’s the reason I look for a gentle formula without alcohol or fragrance (some barrier strengthening ingredients are also nice).
Why sunscreen in winter?
The Australian Meteorologist Office’s advice is that below a UV index of 3 (apart from being outside for an extraordinary amount of time) sun protection isn’t necessary. Australian sunscreen regulations are among the strictest in the world, and they really know their stuff.
In Europe, during winter the UV index is generally under 3, so sun protection for cancer prevention is rather unnecessary.
If you want to reap the anti-aging benefits of sunscreen, it’s a different matter. UVA will be around even the sun doesn’t shine, it’s cloudy and a miserable 7C. I still wear sunscreen in winter on most days, because a) I’m usually sitting at a desk directly in front of a huge window, and b) and I can’t be arsed to apply sunscreen if I spontaneously decide to go out – so I automatically apply it every morning. (I found Labmuffin’s post about wearing SPF inside really helpful to determine if I want to do that.)
Your mileage may vary, of course: people’s preferences, lifestyle, living conditions and budget all come into play here.
- More: on UVA protection
An oldie but goodie: Evy Technology Daily UV Face Mousse
I love Evy’s mousse SPF (initial review) in winter.
While it’s still fiddly to figure out the appropriate amount for full protection (I use one cap full of mousse or a walnut sized dollop), the finish is so good in the colder months: it yields a healthy, dewy-looking skin with only a minimal amount of tackiness and also is great under foundation.
What I love, though, is the incredible UVA rating. It always bugs me to use SPF50 to reap the usual 1/3 of the UVB broad spectrum amount you’ll get with most US and EU sunscreens.
Evy’s SPF30 has a Boots 5 Star rating, meaning it has a UVA of 27 or more. In winter, when I’m mostly concerned about UVA to prevent signs of aging and hyperpigmentation, that’s exactly what I want: A low UVB with a high UVA.
Available (for example) at Cult Beauty and Douglas.
New and ticks a lot of my boxes: Skingineered UVA Booster
Cosmetic scientist and skincare enthusiast Ying developed the UVA Booster for exactly that: to ‘boost’ the UVA protection of your regular skincare. It’s great in winter when you don’t need a high UVB protection (the UVA protection factor is 55, the PPD is 38,8). It’s a chemical sunscreen with antioxidants and soothing ectoin. Filters used are 10% Uvinul® A Plus, 6% Tinosorb® S, 4% Neo Heliopan® AP, 3% Avobenzon.
The finish, for me, is nearly perfect: it’s glowy, but not overly so, it’s absolutely non-sticky. It tends to pill a tiny bit during the day, though. My problem, right now, is of course Tretinoin: I use a very elaborate AM skincare routine with a lot of products, and it’s always a bit dicey to layer that many products on top of each other and demand that the SPF will perform marvelously. It’s a big ask. I assume the UVA Booster would be great with a more minimal skincare routine.
50ml are 39€ which is an great price for a product from a one-woman-startup. It also shows that it’s possible to formulate wearable sunscreens with a high UVA protection – take note L’Oreal and co.! The only downside: right now, they only ship to Germany and Austria.
The allrounders: Tocobo Watery Sun Cream and Skin Aqua Moisture Milk
These are two Asian sunscreens that never give me hassle when applying them. They never pill nor apply streaky, and work well with foundation over it. On stressful mornings these will always be the ones I’m reaching for, because they have a minimal drying period, a skin-like finish and are always fuss-free and dependable.
Astonishingly, Tocobo (initial review) is starting to be a great allrounder option for me. It’s cost-effective, has great filters, and will work on a variety of skin types. It also has a lot of niacinamide that’s good for your skin barrier, and the most modern filters you can get.
Skin Aqua Moisture Milk (initial review) is conservatively formulated, but just works amazingly well on me. I can literally throw this on and forget that I’m wearing sunscreen at all. Filter- and protection-wise, though, it’s the weakest named here. That’s why I mainly wear it in winter.
Both are available at the A-Beauty retailer of your choice for around $10-15.
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