Skincare chat – importance of UVA protection and my current sunscreen stash

Written by Jenny Wu
Jenny Wu

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  1. Dylan says:

    Nice article! What’s the rating in PA would you consider “broad spectrum”? Since you mentioned that “PA+/PA++ isn’t even worth”

    Does it mean sunscreen with PA+++ and above is broad spectrum?

  2. John says:

    Hi Jenny,

    I’m using La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL SPF50+ Fluid Ultra-Light based on your recommendation.

    I’ve noticed a shine to my face when wearing this sunscreen. Is there any type of product you can recommend to combat this shine?

    I tried the anti-shine version of the sunscreen but find it leaves white marks and doesn’t feel that good on the skin.

    So i was hoping you could recommend something that a male could use perhaps on top of the sunscreen so my face isn’t so shiny?

    Thanks!

    • Jenny says:

      Hi John, I reviewed the $4 Althea Petal Velvet Powder, which was really good at shine control, but the pink packaging might not be to your liking. The Rimmel Stay Matte Powder is another affordable powder and has great reviews, so it’s worth checking out. Another option is misting your face with the La Roche Posay Serozinc mist, I’ve also heard good things about this one’s oil control abilities. I personally haven’t tried the latter 2 products myself, since I actually prefer a dewy finish. Hope this helps!

  3. Krystal says:

    Oh wow. Thanks for your amazing post explaining it all. I wear sunblock everyday but I’ve never paid any attention to UVA. I use a Japanese sun cream so I’m going to check it when I’m home. Hopefully it’s good enough else I’m going to invest in a new sunblock.

    • Jenny says:

      I wear sunscreen everyday specifically for the UVA protection! Japanese sunscreens are some of the best when it comes to UVA protection, so chances are you’re good :)

  4. Alice B says:

    i never thought about purchasing sunscreen since i’m mostly indoor like 80-90% of the time. the only sun exposure that i got was incidental so i never thought i’d need a sunscreen. plus, my bedroom doesn’t have any window so yeap, definitely zero exposure from the sun. i always think that i’ll just rely on my foundation for sun protection since my foundation has SPF in it; but some people have said that SPF in foundations can cause white cast on the face. not sure though because that only happens when they’re taking pictures? or so i’ve heard.

    the thought of using moisturizer and sunscreen on my face kinda scares me, like…i don’t want my face to looks greasy after it has been cleansed and feeling squeaky clean! LOL i actually skip moisturizer most of the time too tbh. but after reading your post about how essential it is to include sunscreen in my skincare routine, i’m thinking of trying out skin aqua UV milk sunscreen since it’s drugstore and fairly cheap.

    • Jenny says:

      No windows in your room? Well I guess that would be an exception then xD Usually what causes the white case is titanium dioxide, a common physical sunscreen ingredient. If that’s what the foundation uses for SPF, you’ll get the white cast when flash is used. Since foundation SPF is typically low, I doubt there’ll be enough titanium dioxide to cause a white cast in natural lighting.

      There are definitely more refreshing sunscreens out there like the Biore Watery Gel, or some of the milky ones which actually dry matte. I wouldn’t recommend skipping moisturizer though, because your skin still needs something to lock the hydration in, especially if you’ve just washed it squeaky clean. Otherwise your face will overproduce oil to compensate for the lack of water, leading to the dreaded greasy skin :/

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