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- Should I still wear sunscreen if my makeup has SPF in it? We are always warning people about this. Hi, I'm Chiara Butler. I'm a health and beauty reviews analyst at the Good Housekeeping Institute where we test beauty and personal care products every day. Today I'm answering some of the most frequently asked questions about sunscreen. This is, "Good to Know". (soft music) First question. When is should I wear sunscreen and when is it okay to skip? It's good to wear sunscreen all year round. Even on a cloudy day, a certain percentage of UVA light is still going to pass through the clouds, so it's good to wear sunscreen to protect yourself from that percentage of light that's coming through. UVA light can also pass through windows. So we generally recommend making sunscreen part of your daily routine, so no matter what happens, you have some protection and we recommend wearing a broad spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen. Okay, how often should I be reapplying sunscreen throughout the day? If you're out in the sun, if you're gonna wanna reapply every two hours right after you come out of the water or after you towel off. And if you're sweating, you're gonna wanna reapply more often as well. Even if you're wearing a really high SPF or a water-resistant sunscreen, it's important to reapply every two hours because no sunscreen is fully waterproof or gives you full protection from the sun. This is a really common mistake that people make with sunscreen application. Say if they're going to the beach or something, they think that if they put it on once at the beginning of the day, they'll be good for the entire day. But it's really important to reapply, especially if you're doing activities, like being in the water, like toweling off or sweating a lot. Because that barrier that it creates over your skin is going to start to wear away, so you want to reapply. Next question, what is the difference between mineral and chemical sunscreen? Mineral sunscreens use the ingredients titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. And a lot of times these ingredients can leave a white cast on skin. So while chemical sunscreens use another group of ingredients like avobenzone and homosalate, and those tend to have a clearer appearance on skin. So I have two Banana Boat sunscreens here. Okay, so we have a mineral and a chemical. First, I'm gonna show you the mineral sunscreen. I'm gonna apply a little bit on my hand. As I'm rubbing it in, it tends to leave this white cast on the skin. Mineral ingredients, on their own, they're really like white powders and they're tiny, tiny, solid particles. It's gonna look a little bit pasty. People with deeper skin tones are gonna notice this a lot more. So this can be a concern for some people. Some people really don't mind it, you know, it's a matter of preference. And now I'm gonna show you the chemical sunscreen and I'll rub this one in. And this one really shears out to be completely clear. And that's because these UV absorbers that they use in the chemical sunscreens. They are kind of clear oily liquids. So they're not going to leave that white film or cast over the skin. They're going to really look clear on all skin tones. I personally prefer chemical sunscreens. I think they look better and they feel better on my skin. There's a myth that mineral sunscreens are more natural. The truth is that even these mineral ingredients that go into mineral sunscreens, they're not being harvested from the earth and used as is. They're also, you know, synthesized in a laboratory just like the ingredients that go into the chemical sunscreens. So they're not really more natural than the chemical ones. They're both really effective. So it's more a matter of preference, and they're both great to use. Onto the next question. Do more expensive sunscreens work better? No, thanks to SPF testing, we have a standard for how well sunscreen works regardless of its price. SPF testing determines how well that sunscreen protects you from a certain exposure to UV light. So a more expensive sunscreen might feel better on your skin, meaning it can be less greasy, less tacky, feel lighter, give you a nice skin finish, but it's not going to work better than the cheaper sunscreen. Next question. What does broad spectrum mean? Broad spectrum means that a sunscreen has been tested to protect against both UVA and UVB light. Generally, UVB light is the type that causes burns and UVA light is the type that causes early signs of aging. We recommend wearing a broad spectrum sunscreen because that's going to give you the best protection from both types of UV light. You'll know that your sunscreen is broad spectrum because it will say it on the front of the label. Look for the words broad spectrum, and then you'll be good. Another question is, will sunscreen cause vitamin D deficiency? No, the studies that have been done on this haven't found any connection between daily sunscreen use and vitamin D deficiency. So there isn't a sunscreen that blocks a hundred percent of UV light. If you're outside, some light is always going to be hitting your body. Bottom line is sunscreen is not gonna be the cause of vitamin D deficiency. Okay, what types of chemicals should I avoid in sunscreen? Unless you're allergic to a certain ingredient, there aren't really any chemicals that you have to avoid in sunscreens. The risks of sun exposure are much greater than the risks of applying sunscreen. Rather than avoiding chemicals, I would avoid certain sunscreen formats like powders or setting mists. Because as opposed to lotions and creams, it's really hard to apply the proper amount of these products. Odd are you're gonna be left underprotected. Onto the next question. Is sunscreen fully waterproof? No, so you can buy sunscreens that are either water-resistant, meaning they protect you from 40 minutes of time in the water, or very water-resistant, meaning they protect you from 80 minutes of time in the water. You're less likely to get burned while you're in the water with these products. No sunscreen is completely waterproof, so it's really important to reapply when you come out or after you towel off. Next question. Should I still wear sunscreen if my makeup has SPF in it? Yes, we are always warning people about this. With a normal foundation application, you're really not going to apply enough that you're going to get that full SPF protection that's advertised on the bottle. In order to really get that level of protection, you would have to cake on so much that you would look ridiculous. Even if you're gonna be wearing makeup, we recommend applying a broad spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen underneath. Thanks so much for watching. Head to goodhousekeeping.com for more sunscreen tips. 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