by Jude Chao

The Best Wrinkle Cream is Sunscreen

Note from Auntie Snail: This post was updated on 4/23/2015 to reflect some new information I’ve read about effective sunscreen quantities.

I spent most of my twenties wondering why my face was still getting tanned (sun damage) and why I was still getting dark spots on my cheeks (sun damage) even though I tried to wear a moisturizer with SPF every day and sometimes even a CC cream with SPF. Then my thirties hit, and all that SUN DAMAGE (and my one really, really misguided year working in a tanning salon and using the tanning beds after closing up several nights a week) caught up to me.

The thing I didn’t know–and that a lot of people don’t yet know–is that when it comes to sunscreen, quantity matters. The bottle might say SPF 15, but unless you’re using at least the correct amount, you aren’t getting anywhere close to SPF 15 protection. You’re not going to get SPF 15 if you only use a few drops of your SPF 15 daily moisturizer, and you’re not going to get SPF 15 just because you dabbed on a bit of SPF 15 foundation or powder. Also: You’re not going to get SPF 15 (let alone 30, or 45, or 50) by layering on a little drop of SPF lotion here and a little swipe of SPF powder there. It doesn’t add up that way.

If you want to prevent wrinkles and sunspots, you need to protect yourself from the sun, and if you want to protect yourself from the sun, you should be protecting yourself with adequate amounts of sunscreen every time you expose your face to the sun.

How much sunscreen do I need?

What’s an adequate amount of sunscreen?

It’s a lot.

To get the advertised amount of SPF protection on a product’s label, whether it’s foundation or moisturizer or dedicated sunscreen, you need to wear about 2 mg/square centimeter of it just for your face. Hoojoo Beauty has a great, in-depth explanation of sun protection to prevent sun damage, complete with graphs and discussion of other sunscreen technicalities, but what it boils down to is this: The general guidelines suggest that you need about 1/4 tsp of sunscreen for your face. These calculations were done using the facial surface area of men whose face sizes are in the 95th percentile, however. It is entirely possible that you could need less due to having a small face. In my opinion, though, it’s better to be safe than sorry (and sun damaged), and there isn’t that much variance in face sizes unless you’ve got a gigantic giant face or a teeny tiny itty witty bitty little pixie face, but keep it in mind and don’t get stressed if you think you’ve put on less.

1/4 tsp can really seem like a lot the first few times. Get a 1/4 tsp measuring spoon and measure out any kind of lotion you have on hand.

See?

I’m used to it by now, so I just eyeball about a nickel-sized amount every day and apply it at the end of my morning skincare routine. I rub it between my hands to distribute it on my palms, then swipe it over my face, avoiding my eyes, rub it in a bit, then let it absorb for about 15 minutes or so.

Unfortunately, many people find that the sunscreens available to them at the drugstore just aren’t pleasant to use in the correct quantities. Thanks in part to the FDA’s slowness at approving newer sunscreen ingredients and in part to Western culture’s appreciation of a good tan, US sunscreen formulations tend to be less advanced and less cosmetically elegant than their counterparts manufactured by the Japanese and Korean skin care industries. Mass-market US sunscreens are often thick, greasy-feeling, and smell strongly of sunscreen. They also often leave a chalky white cast that just really doesn’t look right on anyone who’s not currently performing as a geisha.

This is why many Asian skin care fans choose to import Japanese and Korean sunscreens by buying them online or having friends and family in Asia ship the good stuff over. Asian sunscreens are generally more pleasant to use in the recommended quantities: less greasy (some are even strongly mattifying), with less white cast or no white cast at all, and without that distinctive sunscreen smell that screams “I just went to the pool and my mom dumped a bottle of Coppertone on me.” I’m no expert, but I’m guessing that the reason Japanese and Korean sunscreens are so much better is due at least in part to the fanatical East Asian love of fair skin, which is in direct conflict with many Asian complexions’ tendency to tan easily.

Another reason to look at Asian sunscreens is the fact that UVA protection is measured and printed on the labels. You’ll find it expressed as a PA rating with one or more plus signs after it, from PA+ up to PA++++.

UVA protection and PA ratings: Why do they matter?

In the US, sunscreens only need to show their SPF rating. SPF is a metric used to measure a sunscreen’s level of UVB protection. UVB rays are responsible for tanning, burning, and skin cancer, so SPF certainly is important. But UVA is also important, and apart from the “broad spectrum” designation that shows that a sunscreen has some UVA protection, US sunscreens don’t give any indication of just how much UVA protection they provide.

Like UVB rays, UVA rays cause skin cancer. They’re also a prime contributor to sun damage and photoaging, so if you want to prevent wrinkles and slow down your skin’s aging process, you absolutely must have a good level of UVA protection. Also, UVA is still present in bad weather, since UVA rays penetrate cloud cover, so keep that in mind when you’re tempted to skip the sunscreen because it’s raining out.

Hoojoo Beauty explains UV rays in more depth here. For our purposes, the key takeaway should be to look at the PA rating on the Japanese or Korean sunscreen bottle. More pluses equals more protection. Japanese sunscreens go up to PA++++; Korean sunscreens only label up to PA+++, though that is more thanks to regulatory reasons and not because there are no Korean sunscreens with PA++++-equivalent protection. Since there’s not really a reliable way of knowing which Korean sunscreens are labeled PA+++ but actually equivalent to PA++++, however, I stick to Japanese sunscreens like Biore and Hada Labo for now. (Also, Biore and Hada Labo sunscreens are easily found on Amazon.)

How do the different levels of PA protection break down? Here’s my take:

  • PA+: I wouldn’t wear this unless it was my last option and the zombie apocalypse had already happened so the state of my skin doesn’t matter anymore because I’m about to die. (Though I would like to know how Glenn is maintaining his smooth and undamaged skin in those zombie-riddled Atlanta summers.)
  • PA++: I guess it’s okay, if I’m in a pinch and have literally no higher sunscreen options to choose from. I’d definitely be sticking to the shade as much as possible.
  • PA+++: This is decent. I’d be afraid that the sunscreen I have is on the lower end of the spectrum, though, so I still avoid this.
  • PA++++: Ride or die.

To sum it all up: If you want to prevent wrinkles, don’t rely on half-assed measures like a pearl-sized amount of SPF lotion. Cover your face in 1/4 tsp of a high-SPF, high-PA sunscreen every, rain or shine. I’ve been doing that for over a year now, and my skin condition has improved by leaps and bounds, with no new sun damage as far as I can see, while the rest of my routine assists in repairing the old sun damage I accumulated during my Lost Decade.

And don’t forget to wear your shades! They’re the easiest way to prevent sunspots around your eyes and crow’s feet from squinting in bright light.

Sunscreen prevents wrinkles
Sun can’t hurt me when I’ve got my PA++++ sunscreen and shades on.

Do you wear sunscreen every day? What’s your favorite brand?

31 thoughts on “The Best Wrinkle Cream is Sunscreen”

  1. Yes! I’m a diehard sunscreen wearer, too. Currently using Nivea Sun Cream and Sekkisei UV Essence (both PA++++). So far, they are just okay, with an edge to the Nivea.

    Like

      1. There’s actually a sunscreen stick that both Vichy and La Roche Posay make for your eye area. I don’t know about the Vichy one(but I assume they are both similar) but La Roche Posay makes one with ppd 26 which I assume is quite high and spf 50 if you want to try it. It’s very gentle and doesn’t sting or make your eyes watery but it does leave a bit of a white cast.

        Liked by 2 people

  4. hey fiddy! just this year I’m starting to embrace my sunscreen and wear it religiously everyday rain or shine. but since I read it almost everywhere that we have to reapply after two hours regardless the SPF, I wanna ask whether or not you reapply your sunscreen and if you do, do you reapply it, like, another 1/4 tsp or less? :/

    Liked by 1 person

  5. hey fiddy! just this year I’m starting to embrace my sunscreen life and wear it religiously everyday rain or shine. but since I read it almost everywhere that we have to reapply after two hours regardless the SPF, I wanna ask whether or not you reapply your sunscreen and if you do, do you reapply it, like, another 1/4 tsp or less? :/

    Like

    1. Hi! The reapplication guideline is actually to reapply for every 2 hours of sun exposure, not every 2 hours by the clock (whew, ain’t no one got time for that). I usually don’t reapply since I’m usually not out in the sun that much in a day, but when I do, I just squeeze out a bit less than 1/4 tsp and gently pat it in over my makeup 🙂

      Like

  6. Arrrrgggghhhh! I’ve just realized that all the time/money/energy and love i’ve given my skin in the past 12+ months has been practically negated by the suck-y sunscreens I use! Read this post, keep reading more of yours and others, did the research, and ordered the new Biore. I’m a korean skincare addict work-in-progress. Ugh.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I feel that completely! Don’t worry–better late than never, right? And I hope you like the Biore! I still haven’t even heard of one available to me that comes close to it ❤

      Like

    1. I personally would not recommend relying on the sunscreen in a makeup product to provide adequate protection if your goal is to protect from UV radiation to prevent visible aging. SPF is measured the same way no matter what the product is, based on 2mg/cm2 of skin, which is quite a lot. You’d need to really layer on the BB cream to get anywhere near the advertised SPF, and protection decreases drastically if not using the full amount :/

      With that said, if you feel comfortable relying on BB cream for sun protection and you’re not tanning or freckling while wearing it, you should do what makes sense for you!

      Like

      1. Thank you!
        I really never thought about sun protection until now, as you said, in my country (Costa Rica) all the sun protectors are greasy and smell like pool XD

        So I think I would try one of the list you recommend 😀

        Liked by 1 person

  8. I rub it between my hands to distribute it on my palms, then swipe it over my face, avoiding my eyes, rub it in a bit, then let it absorb for about 15 minutes or so.

    — besides amount application technique makes a huge difference. From what I’ve seen on japanese tv the best way to apply sunscreen is to dab a blob on your five areas of your face then pat etc. Otherwise you get really uneven application and parts of your face is completely unprotected even though you think you covered everythibg ( I saw a japanese show where this lady did the typical application techbique most lazy people do then they put a magnified camera on her face and it turns our some parts of her face barely had sunscreen despite the huge blob she put on her face) . ( there’s so many YouTube videos about this in japanese) Also I hear applying sunscreen then applying it again 30 minutes later is a very effective to ensure your face it covered and protected. I personally am against any kind of spreading on the palms when it comes to applying skincare especially sunscreen because you lose so much product to your palms. I think the whole heating up the product thing with palms is bullshit… My face is plenty warm . I try to use 2 fingers on each hand to apply skincare to minimize wasting product

    Like

    1. Yes! Reapplication after 20-30 minutes is definitely a great way to ensure better coverage. And I’m going to spend the night watching Japanese sunscreen application videos now. I can feel it.

      Like

  9. Pingback: Korean Skin Care Routine – fxnfxpersonalcare

  10. Hiya
    So due to my dark skin ( think coffee with a decent bit of cream lol… I never really took sunscreen too seriously! But have looked for it in moisturisers now a bit older! But I want to start using them properly as old blemish hyperpigmentation is my bugbear! Would you say PA+ or PA++ would be ok considering I am black?

    Like

  11. Hi Jude, I am so behind on this post ,I just found this today. I have a question, I been using the Biore UV rich water essence PA++++ for about a year now, everyday, rain or shine. But I just saw on my face I a few dark spots forming. I am just freaking out now, if I did something wrong. Can you help if I should switch to different sunscreen or do something to stop this from continue to happen? Thanks so much and hopefully you are still seeing this old post.

    Like

    1. Hmmm, I wonder if those are spots where the sunscreen is applied less evenly? I like to pat a teeny bit more as a second layer on my high exposure areas like the tops of my cheekbones. But if it keeps happening, I would look to a more long-wearing sunscreen maybe 😦

      Like

      1. Hi Jude,
        If I want to switch sunscreen. Can you recommend a few sunscreen for me? Thank you for answering all of my question.
        Thanks,
        Ann

        Like

      2. Hi Ann, I’m working on a YUUUUGE sunscreen article (it’ll appear elsewhere than this blog, but I’ll announce and link it when it publishes) that you may find helpful! I have a full 13 sunscreens I’m testing and comparing for it.

        In the meantime, what’s your skin like and what kind of finish do you want? Is white cast a dealbreaker?

        Like

  12. Do you have any recommendations for sunscreen that works fantastically but does not have so much chemicals or alcohol in the content unlike the boire you mentioned?

    Like

    1. I forgot to mention, my skin is very sensitive and easily outbreaks. Also thank you for all your posts and tips!!!!!! 🙂

      Like

    2. Do you mean that you want a sunscreen that only uses mineral (not “chemical” filters)? Or that you want a sunscreen that is generally all natural or close to all natural ingredients? Unfortunately, the kind of “natural sunscreens” that are sometimes hyped up have never been shown effective at UV protection–only something that has an approved and labeled SPF can be depended on for that.

      If you’re looking for a mineral-only, alcohol-free sunscreen, however, I might be able to think of a few recs for you from friends whose skin doesn’t tolerate non-mineral filters though!

      Like

  13. I see from Instagram that you’re currently testing the Apieu Pure Block Aqua Sun Gel, only PA+++ but Korean so as you say it may well be as powerful as a PA++++. The incredible list of sunscreens in the formula makes me think so! Is that your guess? Your experience? Any other comments on it’s PA power? It’s in my cart already and I am excited.

    Like

  14. Hello, you made me think about my wrinkles, because I never wear the sunscreen, except on hollidays.
    I go to work with my car and after work I go straight home or maybe to shop some groceries, and at work I am not near the window.
    Do I still need to wear sunscreen?
    Thank you!

    Like

  15. Hi fiddy, this post is so useful for me. As this SUMMER sunscreen is very much needed one. At preen I’m using lotus sunscreen lotion with SPF 50+++.I went along with the reviews and started using it but after one week my skin has become more dry and flaky. I apply it on my face after Nivea cream. Is it good to apply like that or please suggest when and how to wear sunscreen before or after moisturizer. I have very dry skin 😐. Please need to suggestion here fiddy

    Thank you
    Vinny

    Like

    1. Hi Vinny, unfortunately I don’t know the Lotus sunscreen at all, but it sounds like it’s really not working out for your skin. Does it have alcohol? What are the UV protecting ingredients? Sometimes the inorganic filters (like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide) can be quite drying, and some sunscreens have alcohol which some complexions don’t tolerate well either.

      Like

  16. I’ve been wearing Roche Posay Anthelios (also contains zinc oxide and titanium dioxide) for 3 years now, but it is horrible – I look like a ghost afterwards, it smells horrible and my oily skin becomes even more oilier after applying it. I went to Greece 2 years ago and I got no tan. I reapplied it once during the day, it is resistant throughout the day. From this perspective I have no complaint, but after reading your reviews I really want to upper my game and purchase Asian sunscreen. The smell is unbearable :/ .

    Like

Comments are closed.