If you are building a morning skincare routine or already have one, you must know that the last step of your routine, and maybe the most important one, is to keep your skin protected from sun damage since it can lead to premature aging and discoloration. However, it doesn't seem easy to choose a product to protect your skin from UV rays when you don’t understand how they work, so we have prepared an easy guideline for you to make the right choice for your skin. 

 

How can UV rays affect my skin? 

The exposure to UV rays can have several effects on the skin, short and long-term depending on the intensity and time of exposure, but all of them generate a decline in skin quality. The most commonly seen effects are sunburns, leading to redness, pain, and peeling due to the damage caused on the main surface of the skin (epidermis); tanning and hyperpigmentation, an increase in the skin’s melanin levels as a response to the UV damage, and premature aging, an early lack of elastin and collagen fibers on the skin due to the deep penetration of UV rays.

There are two main UV rays that we must prevent our skin from being exposed to, to maintain healthy and young-looking skin:

  1. UVA (Ultraviolet A): These rays penetrate deeply into the skin and can cause long-term skin damage, such as hyperpigmentation, premature aging, and wrinkles.
  2. UVB (Ultraviolet B): These rays affect the skin's outer layer, causing sunburn and potentially leading to skin cancer.

How does UV protection work?

In order to protect your skin from the exposure to the sun, cosmetic products are formulated either to block or to absorb the UV radiation, and their functionality can be easily separated into two categories:

  1. Chemical Sunscreens: they contain organic UV filters (like oxybenzone or avobenzone) that absorb UV rays, converting them into heat and then releasing them from the skin.
  2. Physical (Mineral) Sunscreens: they use UV filters like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide that sit on the skin's surface and reflect or block UV radiation away from the body

Sunscreen products have SPF (Sun Protection Factor), which indicates their effectiveness against UVB rays. The higher the SPF, the more protection the product offers. Broad-spectrum sunscreens protect against both UVA and UVB rays.

Which UV filter is better for my skin?

In general, the selection of a sun protection product and UV filters will depend on the texture and finish that you prefer to have on your skin since generally physical (mineral) filters will leave a white-cast effect on the skin due to their main ingredients powder origin; on the other hand, chemical filters tend to be weightless and more suitable for every skin type. 

Here are our recommendations:

1.  If you have a dry skin type: Use our Daily Mild Sun Fluid, a lightweight texture chemical sunscreen with a nourishing formula infused with 11% V11TM complex that helps to moisturize and balance the skin condition

If you are looking for an easy-to-re-apply and convenient sunscreen, we recommend you to use our Perfect Airy Sun Cushion, a lightweight texture hybrid mineral & chemical sunscreen with a soothing formula including 2% V11TM complex and 5 plant extracts to moisturize and balance the skin condition

2.  If you have oily & pro-acne skin type: We recommend our Daily Mineral Tone-Up Sunblock, a creamy texture mineral sunscreen with a smooth matte finish infused with V11TM complex to keep your skin hydrated. Please keep in mind that this sunscreen has a tone-up effect, so there is a gentle white-cast finish on the skin. 

If you are looking for an easy-to-re-apply and convenient sunscreen, use our Daily Fresh Sun Stick, an easy blending chemical filter formula with a gentle matte finish and infused with V11TM complex to keep your skin moisturized throughout the day.

3.  If you want sun protection and a bit of color: we recommend you to try our Daily Mineral Tinted Sun Lotion, a lightweight texture mineral sunscreen with a natural veil of color to provide a natural makeup look while hydrating your skin with our exclusive 11TM complex.

BEAUTY TIP!

Remember that to maintain safe sun protection is necessary to re-apply your UV protection every 2~3 hours, especially if you are outdoors or under long-term sun exposure. Wear protective clothing, glasses, and hats that help you to protect your skin from the sun and prevent damage. 

 

 

We hope that you could learn more about UV filters and that you can easily select the right sun protection for your skin. 

Village 11 Factory® will help you take care of your skin with natural ingredients while guiding you to use the correct products for your skin type. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at info@pfdbrand.com

References:

[1] Skin Cancer Foundation. https://www.skincancer.org/risk-factors/uv-radiation/ 

[2] Yale Medicine. https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/sun-damage