Should You Cocktail Your Sunscreens?
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This week is a monumental one for the sunscreen industry. Stateside formulas have historically been less efficacious and cosmetically elegant than those abroad in countries like France or Korea due to the lack of approved filters. But finally, after 25 years, the FDA approved a new sunscreen ingredient, bringing SPFs in the United States one step closer to being on par with foreign formulas.
While I patiently wait for beauty brands to incorporate the new filter called bemotrizinol, I will still be using my favorite SPF formulas. While I do have MVP sunscreens in my collection, my real trick to finding an SPF I love using is to cocktail sunscreens.
I may as well add "sunscreen mixologist" to my résumé, because I rarely apply one SPF and go—I'm a big proponent of mixing sunscreens to get my ideal formula (not to be confused with DIYing sunscreen, which no dermatologist or expert would recommend). However, combining sunscreens is more nuanced than mixing together a few SPFs.
"Sunscreen formulas are carefully developed and tested, and mixing them together can result in unexpected interactions," says Dendy Engelman , a triple-board-certified cosmetic dermatologist and Mohs surgeon at Shafer Clinic in New York City. "For example, some mineral and chemical active ingredients can negate each other when mixed. In addition, mixing sunscreens with different SPFs means that it's impossible to know the actual level of protection that you're getting, which can result in skin damage."
While mixing different sunscreen formulas can compromise sun protection, mixing and matching SPFs isn't completely off the table. There is still a way to achieve a custom sunscreen finish while maintaining efficacy. Engelman recommends layering sunscreens rather than blending them together. "Apply one formula, let it fully absorb for about 15 minutes, then apply the next formula, let that fully absorb, and so on," she says. "This prevents any unwanted ingredient or formula interactions and provides thorough, predictable coverage, which is much safer."
When layering sunscreen, apply from thinnest to thickest—the same way you would go about your everyday skincare routine. I like to start with a milky liquid formula like Tatcha's The Milky Sunscreen or the Ultra Violette Future Screen SPF 50, then move on to a thicker, glowy formula like YSE Beauty Skin Glow SPF 30 Primer or InnBeauty Project Mineral Sun Glow. Lastly, I finish by expertly applying mattifying products in my T-zone, like Supergoop! Mineral Matte Screen SPF 40, or apply a powder formula, such as iS Clinical PerfecTint Powder SPF 40, throughout the day to mattify.
The bottom line is any sun protection is better than no sun protection, but there's a right and wrong way to blend formulas. Ahead, my favorite ones for the summer ahead and beyond, because sunscreen is a year-round step.
Tatcha The Milky Sunscreen SPF 50
Ultra Violette Future Screen SPF 50
Supergoop! Mineral Mattescreen SPF 40
INNbeauty Project Mineral Sun Glow Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 43 PA+++ with Peptides
Good Weather Skin The One Daily Sun Cream in Warm Glow SPF 30
YSE Beauty Skin Glow SPF 30 Primer
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