Do I need to use sunscreen in the city?

It would seem that today even kids know that they need to protect themselves from the sun, otherwise it will be bad and painful. Adults add other unpleasant words to this – oncology, pigmentation, aging. Therefore, the presence of a cream with SPF in the summer arsenal has become mandatory for most of us.

But recently, sunscreens have also had opponents. They accuse manufacturers of excessively demonizing the heavenly body and heating up passions around the ultraviolet to increase sales of solar products. Reinforcing this mistrust is the fact that the number of people with heliophobia – the fear of solar radiation – has increased significantly in recent years.

In addition, they argue, sunscreens are harmful: they accumulate in the body, provoke allergic reactions, endocrine disorders and inflammation. They also prevent cells from performing their natural functions with the participation of ultraviolet radiation: the production of vitamin D and certain hormones.

Not into the hands of scientists is the recently proven fact that in those places on our planet where the most centenarians are noted – in Southern California, one of the regions of Puerto Rico, on the islands of Sardinia and Okinawa – people are united by one fact: high insolation during life. The climate, culture, food and way of life they differ radically. This allowed gerontologists to suggest that ultraviolet light is one of the factors that increase the duration of our existence.

But still, the involvement of sunlight in the rate of skin aging has been proven, and living up to a hundred years, covered with wrinkles and spots at 30, is not a good prospect. Therefore, you need to protect yourself from ultraviolet radiation. Moreover, the above facts forced the brands to intensify research and revise the composition of protective equipment. As well as the way they are presented to the consumer. First of all, this affected the SPF numbers.

Learning to count

Did you know that the difference in protection degree 50 and 30 is only 2%? The first reflects 97% of the sun’s rays, and the second reflects 95%. And SPF15 guarantees protection from 93% of ultraviolet radiation – more than enough in the city. Remember, the skin also has its own UV inactivation system. And they also bring tangible benefits to her.

Therefore, in everyday life, you do not need to rub sunscreen with SPF50 on your face earnestly. Especially if you wear makeup. The pigments that make up the foundation, powder, shadows and even lipstick perfectly combine the decorative function with the reflective one.

Scientists realized this back in the 1970s, when they analyzed the statistics of the primary localization of skin cancer in Australia. In women, it was least often on the face. Unlike men, whose foreheads and noses were affected first. The reason lay in the powder, the pigments of which did not allow the radiation to do its dirty work.

Therefore, if you use only powder every day, you already provide your face with protection equal to SPF7. And in a foundation, depending on the density, its level is equivalent to SPF20-25, even if this is not indicated on the package.

“Our new Prisme Libre Skin-Caring Glow foundation is 97% natural,” says Givenchy makeup art director Nicolas Degennes. “And among its mineral pigments is natural zinc oxide, which is used in sunscreens. It was its presence that allowed brands to write “SPF15” on the bottles of such products. We did not do this, so as not to mislead customers. The novelty protects the skin perfectly. But you can’t sunbathe with it.”

The question of whether it is possible to go to the beach with foundation or regular day cream with SPF is a concern for many. And not in vain. The meaning and mission of these three letters on the jars of beach and “city” products are different. According to the rules, the SPF number should show how many times longer you can stay in the sun and not burn compared to unprotected skin. In sunscreen products, this rule is strictly observed. But everyday means are not so honest.

But do not attack manufacturers with criticism. They just do us good by reducing the amount of B-ray filters in morning skin care products that cause burns. The risk of running into this problem while running from the metro to the office is minimal. The degree of protection against UVA provoking aging and oncology in such products is maintained at the proper level.

After all, they insidiously harm us even in cloudy weather, penetrate glass and are reflected from shiny surfaces. Reducing the number of unnecessary UVB filters in the metropolis frees up the volume in the jar for useful ingredients, and also allows the skin to produce everything that it needs ultraviolet for.

Filtering

In addition to the ratio, the filters themselves have also changed. Yes, they are still divided into physical – mechanically reflecting rays, and chemical – reacting with ultraviolet and inactivating it right in the skin. But the former make the texture heavier, leave a whitish coating, provoke acne and worsen the complexion. Chemical filters, on the other hand, can cause an allergic reaction and lose their activity after a fight with UV rays.

Some of them, oxybenzone and octinoxate, have been implicated in coral destruction and endocrine disruption. Therefore, for a long time, many, mostly pharmacy, brands urged us to use only products with physical filters for protection – zinc oxide, titanium oxide, etc. But now chemistry has made a colossal leap forward. And a new generation of substances that take on the fight against ultraviolet light does so without consequences for our health and the environment.

To date, most brands have changed the composition of their sunscreens and day creams. You can use them without fear. But without too much fanaticism. Excessive guardianship has not yet brought benefits to anyone – neither children, nor husbands, nor skin.