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The SPF Products You Need This Summer
Posted by Vivo Online Store on 16th Dec 2024
YOUR ULTIMATE SPF EDIT: The SPF Products You Need This Summer
There’s so much to love about a New Zealand summer, but sun damage and sunburn, yeahh….they’re definitely not on our list.
And with the ozone layer over New Zealand thinning during our summer we have even less protection from the UV rays (which are already strong in New Zealand). The best protection from the sun? Staying out of it. In reality, are we going to spend all summer inside? Nope (plus it can get through your windows). Which is why wearing SPF daily, seeking shade during the 10am and 4pm and covering up your skin are essential to keep your skin healthy.
It’s important to remember though, that your skin can be damaged from the sun all year round including on cloudy and winter days, so sunscreen needs to be worn daily.
Why You Need to Wear Sunscreen and SPF Products Every Day
There are two types of UV radiation that is found in sunlight, UVA and UVB and both can cause serious long term damage.
UVA Rays
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UVA can cause your skin to tan quickly but it also fades quickly, it can also cause sunburn.
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Exposure to UVA in particular can cause a form of ‘sun allergy’ with the skin developing red, itchy patches and blisters.
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Long-term, UVA rays can cause you to develop wrinkles and fine lines.
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If you have too much exposure it can lead to skin cancer.
UVB Rays
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Damaging the outermost skin cells, UVB rays can cause your skin to tan, burn, blister and develop sunspots.
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It can lead to skin cancer, including the most dangerous, melanoma.
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Evidence suggests exposure to UVB rays can lead to cataracts.
How Sunscreen Works to Protect Your Skin
Sunscreen and SPF products work to prevent the UV rays from penetrating your skin and damaging its cells. When looking for an SPF product it’s important to choose one that protects against both UVA and UVB rays, these can be labelled as broad-spectrum. For your skin to stay protected, you need to make sure you reapply sunscreen at least every two hours and after swimming or sweating.
Why You Need to Wear Sunscreen and SPF Products Every Day
The higher the SPF (Sun Protection Factor), the more protection you get from the sun. It doesn't, as commonly thought, refer to how much time you can spend in the sun. Instead it refers to what percentage of the sun’s UV rays the product blocks. So the higher the SPF number the more sun is blocked out, for example SPF 15 blocks out around 93% of UV rays, but SPF 50 blocks out around 98% of UV rays.
Here are Some of Our Favourite SPF Products:
For tinted sun protection:
Not only does this daily sunscreen provide a very high level of protection, it also helps to even out your skin tone, giving you a flawless finish, perfectly primed for makeup, or ready to head straight out.
This light and easy to blend gel provides a natural-looking foundation coverage and protects against UVA, UVB, visible light and infrared-A with SPF50 and PA++++ (how well it can protect against UV rays), it might be small but it’s mighty. Plus it’s available in clear, beige and bronze.
For when you’re on the go:
As a dry powdered mineral based sunscreen, you can keep this sunscreen in your bag without worrying about it leaking or adding to your liquid limit on long-haul flights. With its easy brush-on application you can top your sunscreen protection up even whilst wearing make-up and protect your scalp without getting it greasy. It’s available as a translucent powder or with a touch of tan.
Offering a dry, lightweight finish, Aspect Sun Environstat® On the Go SPF 50+ offers four hours of water-resistant, broad spectrum protection, and with its handy packaging it’s ideal to clip on to your bag so you can easily reach it when out tramping this summer.
Small enough to fit in your bag, ed&i body DURING SPF30 is unbelievably light to touch but is still packed with naturally hydrating botanicals to shield and protect your skin and bring out its inner glow.
For inside out protection:
With its revolutionary Fernblock ® technology, Heliocare 360॰ oral capsules are designed to protect your skin’s defence against the sun from the inside out, reaching areas that are often missed by sunscreen like your ears and scalp. It provides intense antioxidant protection, neutralises and repairs sun damage and provides defence against free radicals. Please remember though, Heliocare oral capsules should be used alongside topical sunscreen for full sun protection.
For your lips:
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Keep your lips moisturised and protected from the sun with Brush On Block Lip Oil SPF32 available in three tints: fig, nude and coral. With ingredients including argan oil to hydrate, Vitamin E to protect against environmental damage and Iron Oxides to protect against blue light damage, we reckon this will be your new favourite lip oil.
Soothe, hydrate and protect dry lips with Bondi Sand’s nourishing SPF50+ lip balm. Plus we love that it’s vegan and reef friendly!
For reducing aging:
With their most advanced 360॰environmental shield ever, Medik8’s Advanced Day Ultimate Protect SPF50 visibly reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and nourishes the skin with long-lasting hydration to keep future signs of ageing at bay.
This powerhouse, with SPF20, will give you a youthful glow thanks to the super fruit rambutan, which in Indonesia is known for its wondrous medical benefits. Alongside the fruit, collagen and hyaluronic acid work to keep the skin hydrated and firm
With its non-greasy texture and anti-aging ingredients including hyaluronic acid, collagen and Fernblock (a powerful antioxidant derived from fern plants), this broad spectrum sunscreen is ideal for daily use under makeup.
For reducing redness and hyperpigmentation:
Unify your skin tone and mask patches of pigmentation with Heliocare 360°’s Pigment Solution Fluid. Not only does it have a SPF of 50 but it combines niacinamide and ellagic acid to help lift and prevent hyperpigmentation.
Want an added layer of sun protection? After applying your sunscreen, ASPECT Minerals Powder can be used to build coverage whilst diffusing the appearance of redness and discolouration, all while providing SPF 25. Available in five colours so you can find your ideal match.
If you suffer from rosacea and redness-prone or sensitive skin, then add this wonder, broad-spectrum sunscreen to your basket. Gentle yet effective, Physavie, Rosabora, Glutathione and anti-inflammatory ingredients like green tea extract work together to restore the skin barrier, reduce redness and soothe the skin whilst pigments help to unify your skin’s tone and blur blemishes.
For children:
We know that asking a child to stop playing long enough for you to put their sunscreen on can be tricky! Luckily this high protection, safe sunscreen glides on effortlessly and absorbs quickly, so they won’t have to press pause for long!
Designed especially for active children, Skinnies Kids SPF50 range is suitable for little ones from 3 months old. Made in New Zealand, all the ingredients are med-safe and contain no nasties, so you can rest knowing your child’s skin is being protected and soothed (from coconut oil and aloe extract) safely.
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