Here’s Why SPF in Your Foundation Isn’t Enough

It’s summertime, and for our skincare regimes, that can only mean one thing—it’s time to prioritize wearing SPF daily. While we all know that ideally, SPF would be a year-round commitment, in reality, many of us only start to get serious about it once the sun is well and truly out. However, lots of people make the mistake of assuming that the SPF contained within their foundation, moisturizer, or skin tint will provide adequate protection. Check out these three reasons why that unfortunately isn’t true.

Are You Applying Enough?

Dermatologists recommend that we apply a dollop of SPF the size of a grape (or, a third of a teaspoon) to our faces each and every morning. However, for most of us, applying that quantity of foundation or tint would be overkill. If you’re relying on the sun protection within your skin makeup, it’s unlikely that you’re applying enough for it to be effective.

Are You Applying it Everywhere?

If you’re relying on your foundation or moisturizer covering you in terms of sun protection, it’s likely that you’re going to miss some important spots when it comes to applying it. It’s rare that we would apply foundation to our ears, eye area, or chest, but these are all parts of the body that need some SPF protection if they are going to be exposed to the sun. For this reason, it’s best to apply a layer of dermatologist-approved SPF to all areas of exposed skin, before you layer up with your foundation over the top.

Is it Lasting?

In summer, many us have problems with our make-up sliding off our skin. If this is happening to your foundation, then you’re not going to be getting the benefits of the SPF it contains for very long. It’s a good idea to apply a thin layer of SPF over your entire face and give it time to fully sink in, before you start applying makeup layers over that.

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