The importance of broad-spectrum SPF in daily skincare routines.

It’s a truth as harsh as the Australian sun: you need to wear SPF every single day. While there’s many holy grail products in skin care, nothing comes close to being as powerful as sunscreen. Wearing SPF is the single best thing you can do for your skin. 

The benefits to wearing SPF everyday are lengthy and important. Apart from the obvious reason of preventing sunburn and reducing the risk of skin cancer, slapping on sunscreen every morning can also help to prevent wrinkles, fine lines and discolouration of the skin. Let’s take a look at why SPF should be your BFF and what you can do to look after your precious skin.

Let’s go back to basics.

SPF isn’t some complicated science term, it stands for Sun Protection Factor, and measures the protection a sunscreen provides from the sun’s UVB rays. The difference between SPF bands – 15, 30, 50 – is relatively small. For example, SPF 50+ blocks 98% of UVB rays, while SPF 15+ blocks 93%. However, it’s important to remember that sunscreen must be applied every two hours, and the right amount must be used – don’t be stingy! Applying SPF 30+ properly is better than applying SPF 50 sparsely or not reapplying it enough.** 

From the immediate redness and soreness of sunburn to the accelerated development of wrinkles and lines, any exposure to ultraviolet light (the UV in UVA and UVB) can result in sun damage. 

This is where the term broad spectrum comes in. Broad spectrum sunscreen protects you from both UVA and UVB rays. The easiest way to tell the two apart?

• UVBurning – UVB rays are the ones you immediately relate to sun damage – that is sunburn and skin cancer.
• UVAging – the damage from UVA rays penetrates deeper, causing wrinkles, pigmentation and premature aging. 

The way the strength of the sun and potential sunburn is measured is through the UV Index. An international standard, the measurement essentially tells you when to cover up and when UV radiation is doing you harm. When the UV is sitting at 3 or more, sun protection is required. There are multiple websites and apps that are available to measure the UV in particular locations and these can be viewed on a daily basis to make sure you are being sun smart.

When to wear sunscreen.

Short answer: every day.

Long answer: every-freaking-day. 

Many people think sunscreen is only something you need to wear during summer days at the beach. But the truth is that sunscreen needs to be at the centre of your skincare routine 365 days a year.

Sunscreen protects you from sun damage by preventing UVB and UVA rays from penetrating the skin, reducing your risk of sunburn, skin cancer, pigmentation, premature aging and the other damage resulting from UV radiation.

You may be surprised to learn that even in various situations like being indoors or on cloudy days you are at risk of sunburn, skin cancer and aging (if you aren’t wearing SPF!). You’re on a road trip and the sun is shining through the window – those UVA rays can still affect your skin! UVA light is incredibly strong and can penetrate through clouds and glass. So even on rainy or overcast days, and days when you’re working from the office or home, your skin can still sustain harmful sun damage. 

During the winter months, the ozone layer thins out and therefore our skin has less defence against the rays*, so don’t skip the sunscreen routine just because it’s not hot! 

Sun damage is both cumulative (all those small moments of sun exposure doadd up) and non-reversible, which is why you should be applying sunscreen every day.

Types of sunscreen.

You already know about the different SPF factors (experts recommending using between 30+ and 50+) and broad spectrum.

But there’s actually two types of sunscreens: chemical and physical. Both absorb and reflect the sun’ UV rays to protect your skin. The main difference is their active ingredients.

Chemical sunscreens are the ones your mum likely slathered all over your body whenever you went to the beach as a kid. They usually use active ingredients like avobenzone and homosalate.

Physical sunscreen has come a long way since the traditional Zinc you used to wear at sports carnivals. As the name suggests, physical sunscreen uses fine mineral particles such as Zinc Oxide or Titanium Dioxide.

What’s the best formula? The one that you (and your skin) will be happy to wear every day! Spending some time and money finding a sunscreen that feels good on your skin and plays well with your skin type, will pay off in the long run by making it easier to adopt as a daily habit.

SPF Serum 

SPF…in a serum? Yep, you better believe it. Skin Republic has formulated an Anti-Aging Serum with 2% Collagen and broad-spectrum SPF 15. And yes, it’s amazing. So, if you’re struggling to remember or fit SPF into your morning skincare routine, this might be your newest obsession.

Containing collagen and Vitamin E, the serum helps to minimise the appearance of deep wrinkles and fine lines, smooths the skin’s appearance, and improve skin moisture.

The collagen encourages the renewal of cells and minimises facial muscle contraction and maintains skin elasticity by stimulating the synthesis of new collagen. The Vitamin E is a potent antioxidant with anti-aging properties that helps to reduce the damage done by the sun and free radicals. It also happens to be super hydrating which will help reduce any sin inflammation and provide intense moisture. 

And lastly, the SPF 15, our favourite part; it helps to provide protection against those pesky UVA and UVB rays to ensure your skin is protected.

You can easily use the serum as a stand-alone product underneath your moisturiser or use it as a DIY face mask with our Reusable Silicone Mask (a lovely treat at the end of a long day!).

The benefits of wearing sunscreen every day.

• Sunscreen significantly reduces your risk of developing skin cancer, particularly the aggressive and potentially life-threatening melanoma.

• This may be stating the obvious, but protection against sunburn – which causes significant damage to your skin and increases your risk of developing skin cancer – is one of the primary benefits of wearing sunscreen every day.

• Uneven skin tone and hyperpigmentation plagues many people. While some pigmentation can be hereditary, for many people it is caused by exposure to UVA rays (they’re the ones that can penetrate through clouds and glass) sun exposure, meaning wearing broad spectrum sunscreen every day will help prevent hyperpigmentation from developing in the first place.

• You’ve heard the age old saying ‘prevention is better than cure’, and SPF is the ultimate prevention. Using sunscreen can help prevent the early signs of aging including fine lines and wrinkles (and is much cheaper than Botox!)

You’re now an SPF expert 

You’ve made it this far, which means you’re now a bona fide expert on SPF and why you should wear it every day. From sunburn, to skin cancer, wrinkles and damaged skin, there are many reasons not to skip the sunscreen in the morning. The harm done by the sun’s rays cause damage that is irreversible, therefore the best method is prevention.

Especially when you can help boost your SPF protection by using our serum (SO easy).

*References: Eminence Organic Skin Care. The Benefits of Sunscreen: Why Do I Need To Wear SPF Every Day?January 2021. 

**Australian Academy of Science. What does the SPF rating really mean?October 2017.