THERE'S sunscreen and there's Supergoop!, the American brand that makes sun protection part and parcel of its products. Every product in the Supergoop! range has a sun protection factor of between SPF 30 and 50.
With a sizeable proportion of the world's population confined indoors for long periods of time in the battle against Covid-19, Supergoop! has released its Mineral Sheerscreen with SPF30 — which offers sun protection while staying home. Yes, you need sunblock even when you're not out in the sun.
Many people make the mistake of skipping sunblock when they stay in. Guess what? Sun rays can still shine through glass. That gadget you work on from home? Well, it gives off blue rays that can significantly damage your skin.
"As a company, we make an SPF warbrobe, which means we give customers choices according to their activities and preferred texture," says Supergoop! founder Holly Thaggard, speaking from her home during a recent Zoom event.
"UVA rays shine through glass, so even if we stay home, we still need protection," she says.
SHEER, NOT CLEAR
The new Mineral Sheerscreen is what Thaggard calls "sheer but not clear", as opposed to the brand's global bestseller, Unseen Sunscreen, which is "clear and completely invisible".
Thaggard explains that the former is a "totally sheer, weightless, 100 per cent mineral daily sunscreen lotion that provides SPF 30 protection and helps shield skin from blue light".
Head of product development Sofia Gracia says 30 is the perfect number in which the brand can achieve a lotion-like texture that disappears after two rubs.
"We tried 40, but the texture changes and it's not as lightweight anymore, so we went with 30."
She says re-application is necessary, no matter the SPF.
She recommends every two hours if one is outdoors and every three to four hours if one stays indoors.
EXTRA PROTECTION
Thaggard says while blending sunscreen won't numerically add on protection — for instance, wearing SPF 30 and SPF 50 won't give you SPF 80 and neither do you need it — layering does give an extra protection, especially when you are under the sun.
"The formula is made especially for those with sensitive, normal to combination and oily to acne-prone skin. It features the SheerMatrix Technology that suspends the sunscreen actives in a matrix for a totally sheer finish," she says.
It contains, among others, bush clover extract, harvested in South Korea where it's valued for medicinal properties, protecting skin from free radicals and oxidative stress.
There are also aloe leaf juice and squalane for moisture, leaving the skin smooth, soft and without greasy residue.
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