It’s no secret. The sun damages our skin. Exposure to UV (ultraviolet) rays causes serious skin problems, like skin cancer, sunburn, and premature aging.
Aging is a natural process that everyone goes through. We notice a few fine lines, wrinkles, and liver spots in the mirror as time passes.
We can’t stop aging. But we can prevent many noticeable marks on our skin by completing a crucial step every day- applying sunscreen.
Not every sunscreen offers the same results, though. Yes, all sunscreens protect your skin, but some products do more than that. Today, we’re listing the 5 best anti-aging sunscreens that you can try today!
Read our story and what we’ve learned on our journey to skincare!
The Benefits of Wearing Sunscreen
Sunscreen protects your skin from harmful UV/UVB rays that cause premature aging and other skin-damaging factors. It’s a simple step that everyone must take every morning to keep their skin healthy.
We’ve all heard how critical it is to wear sunscreen. Before we dive into the best anti-aging sunscreens, let’s first list a few reasons why wearing sunscreen is beneficial.
Sunscreen helps prevent:
- Sunburn: The sun can burn your skin even on cloudy days, especially in high-elevation areas like mountainous terrain. Not only are sunburns painful, but they leave freckles, blisters, wrinkling, and prematurely age the skin.
- Skin cancer: Skin cancer happens to many people. Wearing sunscreen reduces your risk. If you spend time outdoors, apply sunscreen every two hours.
- Skin discoloration: Skin discoloration, also called “sun spots” or “liver spots," often appears later in life as we age and are tan and brown. Both men and women develop skin discoloration. Sunscreen helps prevent discoloration from occurring later in life.
- Inflammation: UV rays can cause painful redness and inflammation when our skin is exposed. Sunscreen prevents these harmful rays from penetrating our skin.
RELATED: Soak Up The Sun, Not The Damage
What Sunscreen Is Best for Anti-Aging?
You need to wear sunscreen all year round. Not just in the summertime. Even on cloudy days and especially on snow days when the sun reflects the snow.
Regardless of the time of year, wearing sunscreen should be non-negotiable.
Plenty of sunscreen options exist in several stores. There’s tinted sunscreen, spray-on sunscreen, and sunscreen for oily skin to name a few. The possibilities are endless!
For anti-aging sunscreen, you need a product that protects against UV/UVB rays and nourishes your skin. Products with Vitamin C and E are excellent for skin nourishment!
You also need to look for products that suit your skin type. For example, if you have oily skin, find a product that won’t add more oil to your skin, creating breakouts.
Chemical Actives & Chemical Filters
The best anti-aging sunscreens do not have chemical actives. Chemical actives and filters are often harmful to the skin. Here’s a list of chemical actives and filters that should be avoided (many sunscreens contain these filters so it can be difficult to avoid them completely).
Avobenzone
Avobenzone degrades in the sun, resulting in the release of free radicals that may actually increase the risk for cancer. Avobenzone is not effective on its own as a sunscreen because its strength fades quickly when it is exposed to sunlight.
However, when it was combined with a number of photo-stabilizing ingredients, like octocrylene, the resiliency of this ingredient is boosted significantly.
Homosalate
Homosalate is a widely used chemical in sunscreens and skincare products with SPF. Homosalate is a potential endocrine disruptor and studies in cells suggest it may impact hormones.
In addition to direct health concerns following homosalate exposure, the chemical may also enhance the absorption of pesticides in the body.
Octisalate
Octisalate or octyl salicylate is used to augment the UV-B protection in a sunscreen. Salicylates are weak UV-B absorbers, and they are generally used in combination with other UV filters because they are insufficient on their own.
It typically undergoes some degradation when exposed to sunlight. Octisalate's safety record seems to be fairly good although it has been linked to contact dermatitis.
Octocrylene
Octocrylene is more serious because it involves potential DNA damage. Octocrylene is one of those ingredients that can be absorbed into the skin and some studies have shown that it may promote the generation of potentially harmful free radicals when exposed to light.
Since free radicals can damage DNA, there is concern that this ingredient might have contributed to an increased incidence of melanoma in sunscreen users compared to non-users.
Oxybenzone
Oxybenzone is linked to hormone disruption and potentially to cell damage that may lead to skin cancer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has detected oxybenzone in more than 96 percent of the American population, based on a representative sampling of children and adults (Calafat 2008).
Participants who reported using sunscreen have higher oxybenzone exposures (Zamoiski 2015). Oxybenzone can cause allergic skin reactions and may disrupt hormones (Rodriguez 2006, Krause 2012).
RELATED: Skin Care Tips For The Ages: Your Guide To Healthy Skin At Any Age
The 5 Best Anti-Aging Sunscreens
Now that we all understand why sunscreen is essential (and we’re going to apply it every day!), let’s finally get to the good stuff. Here are the 5 best anti-aging sunscreens!
Hyper-LITE Defense SPF 30 by Perfect Image
We couldn’t get away without mentioning our tried and true Hyper-LITE Defense SPF 30 sunscreen. Hyper-LITE contains natural anti-aging peptides such as Aregireline, Matrixyl, and SYN-COLL. Our sunscreen utilizes 100% natural mineral zinc oxide, is lightweight, and is made using a nongreasy formula.
Hyper-LITE Defense spreads easily, so a little goes a long way, saving you money in the long run! In addition to combining plant extracts and minerals, Hyper-LITE is also:
- Vegan, BPA Free, Cruelty-Free
- Non whitening, Hypoallergenic, Non-GMO
- Contains no synthetic fragrances
- No synthetic fragrances
- Safe for our environment and ocean reefs
- Paraben, Homosalate, and Phthalates Free
- FSC Certified packaging from responsible forestry
- Oxybenzone, Avobenzone, and Octinoxate Free
The last part is the most important to us at Perfect Image. We go to great lengths to not use chemical actives and chemical filters in our sunscreen.
Sunforgettable Brush SPF 50 by Colorescience
Sunforgettable Brush SPF 50 is a powder sunscreen that’s perfect for those 2-hour touch-ups. It’s the only powder sunscreen recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation and comes in 4 different skin tones.
Sunforgettable contains a mineral shield of 22.5% zinc oxide and 22.5% titanium dioxide. It’s certified to protect your skin from UV/UVB rays Sunforgettable Brush is also:
- Water-resistant up to 80 minutes
- Cruelty-free
- Non-nano
EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46
Oil-free EltaMD UV Clear soothes and protects sensitive skin types that are prone to hyperpigmentation and outbreaks from acne and rosacea.
It includes niacinamide (vitamin B3), hyaluronic acid, and lactic acid, all of which contribute to the appearance of youthful skin. It's light and smooth, and it may be worn alone or with makeup.
EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46 most important ingredients are,
- Zinc Oxide
- Niacinamide (vitamin B3)
- Sodium Hyaluronate (Hyaluronic Acid)
- Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E)
These ingredients help naturally protect your face from damage from the sun, while also combating aging and maintaining hydration.
Elta MD is great for mature skin that has suffered previous skin damage, skin cancer, or pre-skin cancer. Elta MD is dermatologist-recommended and contains niacinamide, otherwise known as Vitamin B3. Niacinamide protects against wrinkles and boosts collagen production.
Buyer Beware: Before purchasing any of the best sunscreens on this list, its important to look into the ingredients. We noticed that EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46 contains 7% octinoxate a common but questionable chemical ultraviolet (UV) filter. Read more about octinoxate.
RELATED: BYE BYE AGE SPOTS!
Total Defense + Repair SPF 34 by Skin Medica
Skin Medica Total Defense + Repair SPF 34 offers a chance to prevent further sun damage and repair previous damage in one bottle. As I mentioned before, aging is natural and some things we can’t change. But some things we can!
The National Skin Cancer Foundation loves Skin Medica Total Defence. Why?
In addition to protecting your skin from UV/UVB rays, Skin Medica reduces fine lines, wrinkles, and other signs of aging by combining:
- Niacinamide (vitamin B3)
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Shea butter
Dr. Loretta Urban Antioxidant Sunscreen SPF 40
We don’t always consider pollution as an issue for our skin. Dr. Loretta Urban Antioxidant Sunscreen protects your skin from harmful pollutants like free radicals which often cause fine lines and age spots. Dr. Loretta Urban Antioxidant Sunscreen is great for people living in urban areas.
This sunscreen uses Indian ginseng extract and hydrating peptides to keep your skin firm and protect it from UV/UVB rays from the sun and artificial light from electronic devices.
Dr. Loretta Urban Antioxidant Sunscreen is also lightweight and used as a makeup primer.
Last Word
Choosing a sunscreen that’s best for your skin may seem overwhelming. There are a lot of options to choose from! Try a few different products and see which ones work for you.
We always recommend our Hyper-LITE Defense SPF 30!
Remember, taking care of your skin doesn’t just involve chemical peels and cleansers. Protect your skin from the sun, and you will see the long-term benefits!
We help our customers achieve beautiful, healthy skin with at-home products used by professionals. Learn more about our process to get started.