My motto: No-go on the combo (moisturizer and SPF that is)!

What is the best anti-aging product you can own? Sunscreen. And, in this age of fast and convenient isn’t it great that we can combine our sunscreen with our moisturizer? Well…..maybe, but maybe not.

There are two types of sunscreens: Chemical and Physical

Chemical sunscreens contain ingredients that are absorbed into the skin and filter sunlight on the skin’s surface, converting UV light to heat.

If you are using a two step system, you moisturize first and then once your moisturizer has soaked in you apply your sunscreen. But, now the market is flooded with time saving, 2-in-1 products that combine your moisturizer with your sunscreen. Perfect, right? It saves time, may save money, but, will it save your life? Let’s talk about why the fast option may not be the smartest or safest.

Moisturizer is made to absorb into your skin and lock in water to keep you hydrated and supple. The goal of sunscreen is to absorb or reflect light, so it doesn’t make a lot of sense to combine these two functions. An example is titanium dioxide which is used as the outer shell of airplanes. Now, imagine that metal crushed up into the finest reflective powder. That powdery substance is what stands between you and the sun’s rays and needs to stay as functional as possible. Now consider mixing it into a moisturizer and absorbing it into your pores….aak, it’s a no-go! We don’t want to reflect light inside of our pores; we want it to sit on the outside like a thin layer of protection.

Additionally, a dedicated sunscreen product often offers more SPF protection than combos. Take an extra couple of minutes now to apply moisturizer and sunscreen with an SPF 30 separately and save yourself the time, hassle and expense of trying to remove sunspots later. Who knows? You may even save yourself from dealing with skin cancer in the future.

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