Liberty's Ultimate SPF Guide
Even if the sun fails to make an appearance, sunscreen is a non-negotiable. But which SPF is best? Liberty explains it all...
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The Ultimate SPF Guide
Even if the sun fails to make an appearance, sunscreen is a non-negotiable. But which SPF is best? Liberty explains all...
By: Team Liberty
Introducing Liberty’s expert-led guide to the innovative brands, game-changing ingredients, and SPF pioneers shaping a new era of high-performance sun care. From novel applications, to next-generation ingredient innovation: get ready to decode the science behind the best, most luxurious creations to select the perfect SPF for each moment of your sunny summer plans.
Any dermatologist you talk to will embark on their oft-repeated warning that sun exposure is the number one cause of skin cancer and premature ageing. Thankfully, technology has advanced drastically in the last few years, meaning that a high protection SPF no longer needs to feel like an occlusive layer of petroleum jelly - these days the best formulas deliver a luxurious experience alongside impressive protection. When it comes to SPF, you really can have your cake and eat it.
Which SPF Is Best?
Sun protection factor can be confusing to navigate, but it’s just a measure of how much UV radiation, or how much of the sun’s energy, it takes to burn skin that is wearing sunscreen as opposed to skin that isn’t. The SPF number measures UVB rays – these are the ones which cause the skin’s surface to burn, but it’s UVA rays that have a longer-term impact on your skin. They penetrate deeper to have a long-term impact on the skin, causing damage responsible for pigmentation and premature ageing, as well as increasing the risk of skin cancer. For maximum protection, we should ideally be opting for a broad-spectrum SPF 50+. This will protect us against both UVA and UVB radiation.
Which SPF Is Best for My Skintone?
We should all be wearing SPF daily, all year round. It is a myth that people with deeper skin tones don’t need to wear SPF. Darker skin which is left unprotected can still experience sunburn, which can cause long-term damage. UV rays also prompt uneven skin tone and hyperpigmentation, which can lead to patchiness. It is crucial for deeper skin to be protected from the sun to prevent skin cancer and damage. Historically, SPF textures and finishes have not been at all inclusive, often leaving a chalky film that looked greyish on deeper skin tones. Thankfully, the technology has vastly improved, and people of all skin tones are being considered and included, so there is an SPF for everyone.
There’s SPF in My Moisturiser – Why Can’t I Just Use That?
Even if your foundation or day cream contains SPF, you still need a separate SPF for adequate UV protection. Most foundations and moisturisers are not water-resistant, so they won’t last as well on the skin, and won’t generally be applied thickly enough for you to get the benefit of the SPF content. Liberally applying a standalone SPF after your moisturiser will help to ensure that your skin is protected – but don’t forget your neck and ears!
Which SPF Should I Use, Then?
To choose the right SPF for your skin type, consider your needs – your skin type, whether you wear makeup and prefer a matte or glowing finish, and how long you will be in the sun for. Oily skin that’s prone to congestion may get on better with a light, oil-free texture with a matte finish, while those prone to dryness may prefer a richer texture that offers more radiance. Need some ideas? Scroll on for our pick of the best.
Liberty's Ultimate SPF Edit
Emma Lewisham Sunceutical SPF 50 Mineral Face Crème
Best for: Sun protection that does it all (and more).
Emma Lewisham is doing SPF differently. Not only does the New Zealand-born brand’s Sunceutical SPF 50 Mineral Face Crème offer comprehensive, broad sun protection with 20% Zinc Oxide, its host of other smart ingredients ensure that protection goes beyond the daylight hours.
“We designed this to not only protect the skin in real time, but to shape what the skin is capable afterwards,” explains Erin Barlow, head of innovation and R&D at Emma Lewisham. “The less the skin has to undo, the more it can build. This powerhouse formulation is designed to reach into the full day of the skin’s function, reducing the wider disruptions that accumulate during the day.”
With ingredients such as niacinamide to brighten, saccharide isomerate for hydration and palmitoyl tripeptide-1 – an innovative messenger peptide – to smooth, founder Emma Lewisham describes it as the perfect expression of the brand’s mantra: “We construct maximalist formulations so that our customers can have beautifully minimalist routines.”
Kate Somerville HydraKate Illuminating SPF 50 Drops
Best For: Suncare that feels like skincare
Forget your idea of mineral SPF as heavy, chalky and uncomfortable: iconic skincare pioneer Kate Somerville has created the kind of mineral SPF that dreams are made of. Lightweight, soothing, hydrating and protective, the HydraKate Illuminating SPF 50 Drops leave skin with an illuminated finish and deeply hydrated. Sheer mineral pigments add a subtle, universal tint to even skin tone and ensure no white cast is left on the skin. In an independent clinical study, 93% of women found the product felt like skincare rather than suncare, with 79% reporting skin looked healthier after one week.
“[Its] mineral-based, 24.5% non-nano zinc formula provides an immediate physical shield without the need for absorption time,” explains master aesthetician Patrice, from the Kate Somerville Melrose Skin Clinic. “By utilising osmoprotective Ectoin and a low-shear fluid delivery, it stabilises the compromised skin barrier post-facial; neutralising UV and blue light stress while leaving a glowing, filter-like finish that calms redness instead of irritating it."
Dr David Jack All Day Long Daily Moisturiser SPF 50+
Best For: Expert-approved skin innovations
When world-renowned aesthetics expert, Dr David Jack, offers skincare advice: we listen. And when it comes to sun protection, it’s worth taking notes. “UV damage is the number one cause of premature ageing, regardless of your biological age, gender or ethnicity,” says Dr David Jack. “Having a good SPF as part of your daily skincare is perhaps the only mandatory step.”
Enter, the All Day Long Daily Moisturiser SPF 50+, designed to streamline skincare routines with comprehensive protection from UV exposure and pollution. “I created my All Day Long moisturiser to make this part of your daily routine as easy as possible,” adds Dr Jack. “It covers every base with antioxidant and barrier support, broad-spectrum ultraviolet protection and deep moisturisation”
In addition to sunscreen, the formula contains a blue light shield, niacinamide, azelaic acid, vitamin E, and a patented glutathione-booster derived from rocket. Not only that, but a host of hydrating ingredients help to visibly reduce the appearance of fine lines.
RAESO Sun Milk Drops Tinted SPF 50
Best For: Comprehensive protection with added glow
“Ultimately, the best SPF is the one you actually use - every single day,” says Katey Mandy, founder of RAESO. With its Sun Milk Drops Tinted SPF 50, RAESO has done just that, with a lightweight, silky formula that delivers mineral SPF50 sun protection with non-nano zinc oxide and subtle glowy tint.
“I grew up under the New Zealand sun, where UV levels are extreme,” explains Mandy. “It shapes how you think about skin from a young age. UV damage doesn’t take a break, even on cloudy days or in winter.”
Taking three years to develop, the product is designed to reinforce the skin’s natural protective pathways to offer defence against UVA, UVB, pollution, blue light and infrared rays – all in a reef-safe formula.
Trish McEvoy SPF 30 Plumping Lip Treatment
Best For: The finishing sun protective touch
“Sunscreen every day is non-negotiable for me, and that doesn't just mean your face, your body, your hands. Your lips need that same protection,” says Trish McEvoy, the expert behind the iconic skincare brand. In the brand's SPF 30 Plumping Lip Treatment, you’ll not only find a hydrating lip product worthy of a spot in your makeup bag, but a comprehensive, protective shield for the delicate skin on your lips.
“It protects with broad spectrum SPF 30, hydrates with multi-weight hyaluronic acid, visibly plumps and smooths fine lines with collagen-boosting peptides, and softens with restorative ceramides,” explains McEvoy. “[…] Your lips deserve the same care you give the rest of your skin.”
In addition to your face and body SPF, apply a generous coat of the treatment to clean lips staying inside the lip line – whether applied alone or over lip colour, it protects from UVA and UVB rays.
ILIA Sun Serum Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50
Best For: Supercharged skincare benefits
With its swathe of beloved, high-performance formulas blending beauty and skincare expertise – it was only a matter of time before ILIA turned its attention to redefining SPF. “A standalone SPF has been our top requested product from our customers, taking over three years to get the texture and finish just right,” explains ILIA founder Sasha Plavsic. The just-landed Sun Serum Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50(which you’ll exclusively find at Liberty), is a mineral SPF that feels like skincare.
“It's unlike any everyday mineral SPF 50 on the market,” adds Plavsic. “A refreshing water-burst texture that helps skin feel like skin, bringing together sensorial skincare and high-performance SPF 50 that moves with you.”
In addition to broad spectrum protection from zinc oxide, the dermatologist and ophthalmologist tested formula contains botanicals such as rhodiola root and echinacea to control oil and reduce the look of pores, seven molecular weights of hyaluronic acid for hydration and naturally derived plant sugars to reinforce the skin barrier.
Beauty Pie Super Healthy Skin Featherlight UVA/UVB SPF 50 Primer
Best For: Invisible multi-tasking defence
Beauty Pie describes its cult-favourite Super Healthy Skin Featherlight UVA/UVB SPF 50 Primer as “engineered to disappear”. With a luxurious formula boasting a skin health focus and potent ingredients delivering top-notch sun protection, it glides onto skin with a vanishing, seamless zero-trace finish – with no white cast, no stickiness and no heaviness on the skin.
Created in a leading Swiss skincare laboratory, the SPF 50 formula offers broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection, with a light-absorbing “DNA Shield” and chromophores, which are designed to further defend against inflammation and sun damage.
Add to this Vitis Vita grape extract to support skin detox, plus tomato stem cell extract to support anti-ageing and you have yourself a powerful new addition to the Beauty Hall’s SPF line-up.
Use alone, or under makeup for the perfect, protective finish.
SunSolveMD Firm + Replenish SPF 50
Best For: Featherweight mineral protection
Portia Dieguez, co-founder and chief strategy officer of SunSolveMD built the brand based on the mantra that “protection should never come at the cost of how your skin feels”. For Firm + Replenish SPF 50, this focus comes through in a powerful formula that protects and supports, leaving skin feeling nourished, hydrated and supported using a lightweight mineral formula.
“Zinc oxide is a highly effective UV filter, but it can be difficult to formulate in a way that feels lightweight on the skin. At SunSolveMD, we’ve engineered ours to be micronised and ultra-thin, allowing for a smooth, blendable finish without compromising on protection,” explains AJ Addae, chief chemist at SunSolveMD.
Designed to rebuild resilience in the skin with a clever combination of SunSolveMD’s advanced CeraPol-3 Technology™ peptides, ceramide-rich hydration and 12% non-nano zinc oxide – the formula protects from UV induced collagen breakdown, nourishing the skin while targeting fine lines and wrinkles.
QMS DERMA EXPERT Cellular Sun Shield Fluid SPF 50 + PA ++++
Best For: Cellular level sun protection
Featuring an advanced DNA Repair Complex, the DERMA EXPERT Cellular Sun Shield Fluid works to protect skin at the cellular level. This complex effectively boosts the skin’s immune system, helping to prevent skin damage, hyperpigmentation and signs of ageing caused by sun exposure. Paired with a balanced broad spectrum filter system, vitamin E and shea butter – it delivers all-round, targeted sun protection.
“QMS Medicosmetics Cellular Sun Shield SPF 50 delivers advanced protection with both chemical and physical filters, shielding skin from UV damage,” notes Rowan Hall-Farrise, advanced facialist and QMS Medicosmetics ambassador. “Its standout DNA-Repair Complex works at a cellular level, helping to support the skin’s natural repair process after sun exposure, so it protects and restores at the same time.”
When it comes to application, Hall-Farrise advises: “wait five minutes after applying your moisturiser before SPF so it applies smoothly. Then give your SPF three minutes to fully adhere before makeup: this helps prevent it from shifting.”
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