There’s one thing that dermatologists, beauty editors and skinfluencers agree on: when it comes to skincare products facial sunscreen is the most important step in your skincare routine (and certainly the only medically essential one).
However, finding a sunscreen you like enough to wear and reapply consistently can be tricky. Fortunately in Australia, we are spoilt for choice with plenty of lightweights, makeup and skin-friendly formulas to choose from. Indeed, compared to other countries we are so far ahead of sunscreen development that celebrities, makeup artists and beauty journalists routinely smuggle Australian sunscreens across borders.
Why Are Australian Sunscreens So Good?
If you live in Australia, where our ozone layer is thin as rice paper and we have one of the highest skin cancer rates in the world, an Australian sunscreen is your best bet. These products are subject to the TGA’s stringent testing requirements but that is not all though! In Australia, advanced filters are available that you won’t find in countries like the US. These filters allow for strong SPF protection with a more “cosmetically elegant” feel. (This means they won’t ruin your makeup or life. Cue US-based beauty journalists kicking off.)
Related: The Ins and Outs of Sunscreen Application — From Frequency to Amount
Important FYI
SPF is the most important step in your skincare routine, but it is not the most important step in your sun protection routine. The only way you are 100% safe from sun damage and its associated ills is sun avoidance. That’s why shade-seeking and sun-protective clothing are prioritised in the advice given by the TGA.
Sunscreen should also be reapplied once every two hours, as the barrier it creates breaks down with oil and water. As it’s not a “set and forget” product, finding one you like is essential.
Lucky for us, three new sunscreen launches have hit MECCA’s shelves this month, and you can find your perfect fit here.
MECCA, To Save Face SPF50+ Brightening Sun Serum
MECCA has expanded its extremely popular signature line “To Save Face” with this sleek, broad spectrum UVA and UVB SPF50+ sun serum. To Save Face SPF50+ Brightening Sun Serum ($48) will be popular with dryer skin types and makeup lovers.
With added mica, the fluid, lightweight product adds a little glow of its own and backs it up with complexion-boosting ingredients like niacinamide, saccharide isomerate, Vitamin E derivatives and liquorice root extract. We love the perfectly portable sleek black bottle which makes touch-ups a breeze.
MECCA MAX, Screen Saver SPF30
Silky and mattifying MECCA MAX, Screen Saver SPF30 ($25) has been formulated with oily, sensitive and blemished complexions in mind. It is fragrance-free and infused with soothing aloe vera, Vitamin E and chamomile as well as antioxidant goji berry. The lightweight formula sinks into your skin within seconds, so you’ll feel like you’re wearing nothing at all.
Go-To, Nifty Fifty, SPF50
This much-anticipated launch from Go To is Zoë Foster Blake’s first ever SPF 50 sunscreen. Non-greasy and lightweight, Nifty Fifty, SPF50 ($45) contains the SPF filters Australia is famous for, along with Kakadu plum and aloe vera.
Dermatologically tested and non-comedogenic, Nifty Fifty is suitable for all skin types and its lightweight pump packaging makes it perfect for handbag, desk-side and travel reapplications.
