Ask around, and you’ll likely find that people spend the majority of their time, money, and focus on the treatment steps in their skincare routine—I’m talking about products like serums and night creams. It makes sense, right? After all, these are the products that contain a potent blend of active ingredients to help correct and prevent signs of aging. But what if I told you that all of those expensive serums and creams are totally wasted if you’re not using one other, more important product? That would certainly make you rethink your routine, right? Well, that one incredibly important product is (drumroll, please) sunscreen. That’s right. If you’re not protecting your skin from the damaging effects of UV rays, the rest of your products can’t work to the best of their ability and you won’t see long-term improvement in your skin. That’s because UV rays do a bunch of nasty things, like accelerate skin aging, damage DNA, degrade collagen, and in the worst case, lead to skin cancer.
Luckily, there are things we can do to prevent UV rays from causing damage. The main thing is to practice safe sun—namely, avoid direct sun exposure if you can and wear SPF daily. Most derms will tell you that the latter is of the utmost importance, even if it’s raining, even if it’s winter, and even if you’re sitting inside all day. If you haven’t started wearing SPF daily or you’re in a rut with a formula that feels greasy or leaves a white cast, we have good news. There’s a formula out there that provides broad-spectrum SPF 35, looks virtually undetectable on the skin, and has antioxidants to protect against free radical damage. The best part is that it comes from the drugstore…yup, it’ll only set you back $22. Keep scrolling to see which sunscreen it is.
Here it is—Versed’s Guards Up Daily Mineral Sunscreen with SPF 35. It’s a completely mineral sunscreen (as the name suggests) and its main ingredients are non-nano zinc oxide, sea fennel extract, and moringa seed extract. Let’s dive into the benefits of each one, shall we?
First, we have non-nano zinc oxide, which is a physical blocker that works on the skin’s surface to prevent UVA and UVB rays from penetrating and causing damage. While many physical sunscreens are known for leaving a white cast on the skin, this one won’t. That’s because it has a peachy hue that looks almost undetectable on the skin (but more on that in a minute).
Next up, we have sea fennel extract and moringa seed extract. Both work as emollients to retain moisture in the skin, while also providing potent antioxidant effects to defend against damaging free radicals that can come from the environment and electronic (blue) light. By the way, while research is pretty limited, there is evidence that blue light can potentially lead to hyperpigmentation (like melasma and dark spots) and the breakdown of collagen, which causes premature aging. That’s why applying daily SPF is so important, even if you won’t be spending a lot of time outside.
The formula is special, but the finish is really where this sunscreen shines (as countless dermatologists have told us, the best sunscreen you can use is one that you’ll actually like using). This one is suitable for all skin types and has a natural finish that’s not too dewy and not too matte. The kicker, though, is its peachy-pink hue.
The reason it has a peachy hue is to counteract the white cast that can happen with mineral sunscreens. It’s not tinted, per se, it just blends into the skin like a dream. There’s no pilling, excessive shininess, or white cast, ever. That’s why it works for all skin tones. Versed recently increased the size of Guards Up Daily Mineral Sunscreen. It’s now 33% larger for the same price. You can expect to get approximately 190 uses.
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