Acne prone? Here's what you need to know about SPF

In 2020 we all know you need to be wearing SPF daily. Lockdown or no lockdown. In or out, rain or shine. No excuses. Tbh even if you’re lying in bed in a dark room hungover binging Selling Sunset, you might as well chuck some on. Sure, the sunscreen evangelists among us have been saying this since the dawn of time but for the average person who hasn’t found their holy grail product yet, the idea of wearing SPF evokes memories of greasy, oily, ghostly skin. If you’re acne prone especially, it can seem like the equivalent of dunking your head in a dairy infused bucket of comedogenic oil. Essentially, breaking out from SPF when you’re actually trying to look after your skin, feels like the skincare version of getting the middle finger. But despite how annoying getting spots can be, there’s still NO excuse not to wear sunscreen daily. 

Luckily, there are plenty of spot friendly SPFs out there, like Day Defence. Here are some things to consider:

One of the main causes of SPF related breakouts is the comedogenic ingredients in the formula. An easy way to get around this is to opt for a lightweight, non-comedogenic SPF like Day Defence, which means it’s scientifically proven that it won’t clog your pores. Hallelujah. Although containing nourishing, moisturising ingredients, Day Defence doesn’t leave skin dripping with oil. We opted for shea butter esters too which, unlike traditional shea butter, have a lightweight and silky finish. Chemical filters have also been found to be more irritating on sensitive / breakout prone skin so a mineral SPF like Day Defence is more suitable for this skin type. Day Defence is also free from irritants like fragrance & essential oils.

It’s also worth noting that with breakouts there’s no one size fits all, so if you’re prone to reactive spots, we’d recommend keeping a diary of ingredients that you think might be triggers as everyone’s skin is different.

MAKE SURE YOU DOUBLE CLEANSE! If you’re wearing SPF (which you should be) you need to thoroughly remove it at the end of the day, preferably with an oil cleanser and wet flannel to ensure that the film created by mineral SPF is actually removed. Double cleansing with gentle yet effective products like Swipe Clean & Crystal Clear help prevent oil from building up and clogging pores. 

Still looking for an excuse not to wear SPF? Well if you get breakouts (me) then chances are you also use BHAs/AHAs or a retinol, all of which cause photosensitivity, so if you don’t apply sunscreen you’re just going to make the problems you’re trying to solve worse and cause more damage in the long run. There’s no point trying to clear your skin and then causing yourself even more hyperpigmentation. 

We get that finding the right SPF is an absolute minefield and comes with a LOT of trial and error, but trust us, it’s all worth it in the long run. If you have breakout prone, reactive skin like me, give Day Defence a try. After 3 weeks of wearing Day Defence every single day, it’s not caused a single breakout, which is frankly, unheard of.

[Disclaimer, again: Everyone’s skin is different!!]

SHOP DAY DEFENCE 

Written by Saoirse, Senior Social & Content Exec