Sun Cream Instead Of Day Cream?

Sun cream is useful to protect yourself from harmful UV radiation. But does it also replace day cream?

We know sunscreen from vacation. Their scent alone puts us in the holiday mood. Since you should not only protect your skin from UV radiation when you are on holiday, you can also take the holiday scent into everyday life and use the sunscreen as a day cream. How useful is that?

How does sunscreen work?

Sun cream serves to protect the skin from damage caused by UV radiation : sunburn, blistering and, last but not least, skin cancer. Whether you use sun cream , sun lotion, sun protection gel or sun lotion does not matter for the protective effect. Only the composition is different.

A sun cream acts like a kind of protective shield and at the same time cares for the skin with fats, oils and moisturizers. However, the UV radiation is not completely blocked, so that the term “sun blocker”, which was common in the past, is no longer used today.

What are the differences?

Basically, there are two fundamentally different ways sunscreen works, leading to two types of sunscreen. The shielding from UV radiation can by

• Absorption or
• Reflection / scattering

respectively. Such agents achieve the former effect through chemical filters, which is why they are also called “chemical sunscreens”. The “physical sun protection” is the second variant, in which minerals such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are often used.

Unfortunately, some chemical sun protection filters are not quite as harmless and have a similar effect to the hormone estrogen. To what extent has not yet been determined for all chemical filters. In addition, many chemical filters have a bleaching effect on coral reefs, which is why Hawaii, Bonaire and Palau have banned these agents.

According to current scientific knowledge, mineral particles that are used in physical sunscreens are harmless to humans and nature.

Why sun protection?

There is a direct, scientifically proven connection between high UV radiation on the skin and a high risk of developing malignant skin cancer. Sun protection is the best prevention against skin cancer and should therefore not be neglected.

UV protection of the skin is also essential to protect against premature skin aging, wrinkles, age spots and other pigment disorders. The better you protect your skin from the sun, the better it is for your skin.

Disadvantage of sun protection

As already explained, chemical sun protection filters in sun cream are criticized for being hormonally effective and for destroying coral reefs. But the use of mineral sunscreens is not without criticism.

The body is able to produce vitamin D itself. However, it needs a certain amount of UV radiation, which is shielded by sunscreen, according to the critics. But if you do not apply the highest sun protection factor to your whole body, you can continue to use sunscreen with a clear conscience, because it never provides complete protection.

Sunscreen every day?

There are day creams on the market that already contain a sun protection factor without being sunscreen. However, this sun protection factor is usually quite low. For example, a cosmetic product with a sun protection factor (SPF) below 6 may not be sold as a sunscreen.

Day creams often contain a very low SPF of less than 6, so that despite sun protection they are sold as day cream and not as sun cream. For better protection, you could also use sunscreen instead of day cream.

With daily use, however, it is really important to only use mineral sunscreen in order to rule out possible hormonal effects. Thanks to nanoparticle technology, there are now mineral sun protection creams that do not “whiten”, ie do not leave a whitish film on the skin.

Watch out for vitamin D.

However, especially in the winter months you should avoid sun protection in everyday life, because in winter it is difficult in Central European latitudes to get the necessary amount of UV radiation. Sun protection prevents this completely in the winter months.

In summer and when you don’t spend a long time in the fresh air, for example because you ride your bike to work, then a low SPF on your face will protect you sufficiently. Unless you have a very light skin type or lie in the sun intensely.

In summary, one can say on the subject: So basically use mineral sun protection, also for your day cream. In summer you can also use normal sunscreen instead of day cream, in winter this is not recommended.