EIGHT SUNSCREEN IDOLS WORTH THE HYPE
There’s nothing like a heatwave to put your SPF through its paces — which is why we’ve curated the ultimate edit to keep you sun-safe as the mercury rises...
A top-rated favourite with an influential fanbase, La Roche Posay’s Anthelios range is worshipped for a reason. Having amassed 150 5-star reviews (and counting), the Anthelios UVMune 400 Invisible Fluid SPF50+ is fragrance-free, non-greasy and rapidly absorbed. Providing long-wearing, broad spectrum protection, it’s great for dry, oily and sensitive skin types and acts like a portable, beach-bag compatible parasol.
Great if you’re ready to glow, Sun Bum’s Original Glow Lotion SPF30+ is enriched with Australian kakadu plum — a potent source of skin-brightening vitamin C, to counteract dullness and shield from pollution while offering daily protection from UVA and UVB rays. It’s also water-resistant for up to 80 minutes, which means you can take a quick dip without having to stress about reapplication.
Made with 70% Certified Organic ingredients, COOLA’sClassic Sunscreen Spray SPF30 is quick, convenient and mouth-wateringly scented: one spritz and you’re whisked to the beaches of Puerto Rico, cool glass of Piña Colada in hand (no flight necessary). Water-resistant, Hawaii-reef compliant and access-all-areas (no more missed bits!), this is holiday vibes in a super-fine, fuss-free (and environmentally conscious) mist.
An A-List player on the sunscreen scene, Supergoop!’s Play Everyday Lotion SPF50 with Sunflower Extract has impressive credentials: water- and sweat-resistant, featherlight, fast-absorbing, deliciously scented and invisible, it’s also brimming with free radical-fighting, skin-nourishing ingredients like rosemary, sunflower and rice antioxidants. Effective against the usual UV suspects as well as IRA rays, this wards against damage while bolstering skin’s own defences... there’s nothing not to love.
The beauty space has waited impatiently for THE INKEY LIST to offer up a sunscreen and the Polyglutamic Acid Dewy Sunscreen SPF30 was worth every second of eager anticipation... Deliciously dewy, this plumps and replenishes skin while protecting; making a great base for make up (especially if you like things ‘luminous’), and visibly softening lines with its powerful, skin-flooding trio of glycerin, squalane and polyglutamic acid. Sunscreen, reporting for dew-ty!
Sun care pioneers, Lancaster’s Invisible Face Fluid SPF30 harnesses the brand’s ‘Full Light Technology’ which shields from 100% of the sun’s spectrum (nice try, sunshine). And it doesn’t end there — thanks to the proprietary ‘Protection in Motion’ technology, this increases resistance whenever it comes into contact with water (or sweat) — making it perfect for those who prefer sea to sand, and prefer serving ‘aces’ to cool, poolside lewks. Essential for active adventurers, it can even be applied directly to wet skin... game, set, MATCH.
In East Asia, sun care is serious business — which is why Shiseido’s Global Suncare Expert Sun Aging Protection SPF50 Set is a no-brainer. A great gift for globe-trotting friends, this high factor sunscreen and after-sun duo is hand luggage-friendly and packed with protective, replenishing ingredients to ward against sun-induced signs of skin ageing while calming and comforting skin at the end of the day. A city-break essential, it has powerful anti-pollution properties, and thanks to its non-comedogenic, sweat-resistant formula — meaning it can stand up to the most ambitious, sight-seeing itinerary.
Packed with firming peptides, alongside dark spot-diminishing vitamin C, Ultra Violette’s Supreme Screen Hydrating Facial Skinscreen SPF50+ delivers a serious dose of hydration while shielding from UV, infrared, visible and blue light — meaning it’s equally great at protecting your face from the perils of eight-hour days at your desk, as it is as deflecting the sun. With nearly 200 5-star rated reviews from our customers, it’s great for streamlining your morning get-ready routine — plumping, moisturising, protecting and priming in one fell skin care swoop.
Now, where were we? Ah yes, ‘heatwave’ *slams laptop shut ‘til Monday*.
Cult Beauty’s Content Editor and a Cult Beauty OG, Verity loves nothing more than the marriage of language and lip balm. A quintessential Libran, she’s a self-professed magpie for luxury ‘must-haves' and always pursuing the new and the niche — from the boujee-est skin care to cutting-edge tech. Balancing an urge to stop the clock with her desire to embrace the ageing process (and set a positive example for her daughter), Verity's a retinol obsessive and will gladly share her thoughts about the time-defying gadgets, masks and treatments worth the splurge...