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This is a public service annoucement to my friends (and there’s a lot of you) who are fans of tanning - at the beach and under uv lights at the salon. Wear sunscreen - and wear the kind with mexoryl!

Last summer I spent a lot of time under the sun. It was campaign season and I always found myself standing in the sun for long periods of time. I got a really nice tan, but months later I noticed that i had fine lines around my eyes that weren’t there before. It also doesn’t help that I have dry skin, which makes me even more susceptible to fine lines and wrinkles.

Every other commerical on TV now is telling women aged 25 and up to fight the 7-10 signs of early aging. In a tropical country like the Philipines, most of this is really caused by sun damage. I’m sure most of you are already using moisturizer / liquid foundation that have SPF 10-15, which is a good thing. However, there is a new kind of sunscreen that is photostable - mexoryl. Mexoryl is photostable, so it protects you from the sun all day without needing to reapply every few hours. This is ideal for daily wear. Plus, Mexoryl protects against UVA rays - which are worse than UVBs. UVAs account for 80% of damage that leads to skin aging, etc. (ABC News: Potent New Sunscreen Approved)

I’ve roadtested two kinds of Mexoryl-based sunscreens, both from L’Oreal, as they have a patent on Mexoryl.

L’Oreal UV Perfect XL Block Advanced Fluid Protector SPF 50

This comes in three variants: Transparent, Anti-Dullness, and Tinted. I tried the anti-dullness variety, which comes out of the bottle purple. It has a creamy consistency and functions as both moisturizer and sunscreen. In my normal to dry skin, L’Oreal UV Perfect sinks in quite easily and leaves me with a bit of a glow, which I like. It hasn’t caused me any breakouts and I very much like the soft glow it leaves on my skin. However I have noticed SOME clogged pores since using the product. This is available at Watson’s, SM and wherever L’Oreal is available.

Pros: Anti-dullness actually works, moisturizer AND sunscreen combo

Cons: Clogged Pores

Rating: 3.5/5

La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50 Extreme Fluid for Combination to Oily Skin

This sunscreen is a lot more watery compared to L’Oreal’s. It comes out of the tube white, but sinks into the skin with no white cast. The white cast is my frustration with most other sunscreens (such as Avene’s SPF 50 cream that left me looking like a ghost) and Anthelios performs well. It is much less creamy - almost water-based, it seems, compared to UV perfect making it better for normal to combination skin. Another plus is that it’s water-resistant. If you intend to layer cream or liquid foundation over sunscreen this would be a good choice. Another note — always put suncreen FIRST before any other makeup! (This was purchased in Singapore, not yet available in the Philippines)

Pros: Watery Consistency, no whitish cast, sinks into skin excellently, good for sensitive skin, no clogged pores or breakouts

Cons: Does not have the anti-dullness and tinted versions like L’Oreal

Rating: 5/5

Both products are great for sensitive skin. They settle into the skin well, leave no white cast, and protect you from UVA rays better than most other sunscreens in the market. L’Oreal also has a spray version of UV perfect with Mexoryl for the body and it is light and marked for sensitive skin. The body spray didn’t break me out or leave me with any rashes as well. And the great part is that the UV perfect line is sold for under P500!

Read more about mexoryl sunscreens at Viva Woman

Another sun tip: keep a tube of sunscreen in your car and apply onto your hands so you keep them protected while driving! Many people don’t realize that their hands age from all of the sun exposure they get while driving. Try Kiehl’s Unusually Rich-But Not Greasy At All Hand Cream with SPF 10. Yes, that’s what it’s called!