Do You Need Sunscreen Even If You’re Wearing Foundation With SPF?

By Khanak Mehta

If your social media feed is full of videos on how to perfect the clean girl look, you’re not alone. This makeup trend has seemingly completely taken over the Internet, with many calling it the makeup aesthetic for 2022. In the digital age where trends come and trends go day after day, we’d say that this is a pretty big honour.

Aren’t Tinted Moisturisers The Best?

One key product that’s common in all of these videos - except cream blush, of course - is a lightweight serum foundation or tinted moisturiser. These hybrid formulas boasting of a natural, skin-like coverage and finish have quickly become a beauty favourite for many looking to leave the 2016-era full coverage base behind. Plus, these makeup and skincare hybrid formulas come with a plethora of skincare benefits too, a major one being SPF.

We know you’ve been here before: As you’re blending in your base, the sudden realisation hits you - “oh no, I forgot to apply sunscreen!” One quick look at your tinted moisturiser tells you that it’s infused with SPF 25, and you breathe a sigh of relief.

How Much SPF Is Enough?

Unfortunately, the skincare gods aren’t so kind - the reality is that the amount of SPF present in your makeup is nowhere near the level of protection your skin actually needs. Sure, the foundation bottle might say SPF 25, but when the formula is mixed into makeup, it is nowhere near as effective as a bottle of SPF 25 sunscreen.

Moreover, to get adequate sun protection, you need to cover all parts of your face, right from your hairline, down to your neck – and not all of us tend to bring our foundations down to our collarbones. Plus, dermatologists usually encourage us to use about half a teaspoon worth of sunscreen for our face and neck, and most of us aren’t using anywhere near that amount of foundation on our faces anyway – even on a full glam day.

There’s A Silver Lining

However, that’s not to say that makeup with SPF does nothing at all - It acts as a great add-on for your initial layer of sunscreen. As the SPF breaks down throughout the day, it helps provide extra protection to your skin.

Besides, your SPF-infused products can also act as a great method to reapply your sunscreen without disturbing your makeup. You can use a sunscreen powder or a setting spray that contains SPF to touch up your makeup and replenish your sun protection levels throughout the day.

Scroll ahead for our favourite SPF-infused makeup products. Don’t forget to throw into your bag the next time you’re stepping out!