When Should You Apply Your Sunscreen? Before or After Your Skincare?

I recently found a video where Dr. Neal Schultz, a noted dermatologist, mentioned that sunscreen should be applied first and not last, which is what I have always been taught. Considering that fighting sun damage, despite using sunscreen every day, is a huge concern of mine.

In the past, my dermatologist didn't believe that I wasn't a sun worshipper because of the extent of my sun damage. The truth is, I have been wearing a Titanium Dioxide based sunscreen everyday since I was 22. My dermatologist believes that my skin (it's Irish, for the most part) is most likely genetically predisposed to burn. This is likely to be true because I don't tan. I get pink, sometimes peel and then go white again. But my face stays protected at all times, no matter what.

Dr. Schultz has also stated that antioxidant products are not needed during the day and you should only apply them at night. That sounds like a great idea, because it would make your product last longer, but is it true? Is needing an antioxidant to fight free radicals during the day something cosmetic companies have told us and we believed? Is everything I have always been told incorrect?


To get to the bottom of this debate, I asked a few other noted skin care professionals and cosmetic scientists. The first to respond? Paula Begoun, a consultant for dermatologists, plastic surgeons, major cosmetics companies, and industry insiders. Paula is well known for her books, like Don't go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me and for her website Beautypedia, where she gives consumers the truth about products and how (or if) they work. Here is what she told me:

"Dermatologist Dr. Neil Schultz is just plain wrong. His recommendation that sunscreen should be the first skin-care product a person applies flies in the face of everything we know about sunscreens. Following his logic would mean that sunscreen should be applied before cleanser as well. Dr. Schultz writes that sunscreen should go on before exfoliants and moisturizers. He also implies that antioxidants should only be used at night. The implication of antioxidants only being useful at night is not supported by any studies. Skin is confronted with free radical damage at all hours, so denying it an antioxidant boost in the morning doesn’t make sense. If anything, antioxidants are needed MORE during the day because sun exposure is such a potent source of damage. There’s also the issue that copious research has shown that antioxidants not only boost the efficacy of sunscreen actives but also help skin better defend itself against the oxidative damage sun exposure can cause, even when you’re diligent about applying sunscreen. But back to the issue of putting on sunscreen first. This dermatologist’s argument is that in order for sunscreen to be effective it must “bind with the skin in a chemical reaction to make it able to absorb or block the sun rays”. But how can it bind to skin if you are wiping it away or diluting it with other ingredients? You’d be “un-binding” it by applying several other products afterward. Hasn’t this doctor noticed that it takes special sunscreen formulations to hold up when you sweat (even though you applied the sunscreen first and it must have bound to skin by his logic) and then because it becomes diluted and breaks down you have to reapply it. Skin-care products would do the same thing! When sunscreen is applied as the last step in your skin-care routine, there’s no chance of anything else you’ve applied causing dilution or preventing it from providing even coverage, which is what you want. Sunscreen actives work by converting the sun’s harmful radiation into harmless heat via a chemical reaction. In order for sunscreen to work, you don’t want it to absorb too far into the skin because it needs to stay relatively near the surface to prevent the sun’s rays from getting by. Applying several products over sunscreen is sort of like putting up an umbrella to stay dry after you’re hair is already dripping wet. I really don’t know what Dr. Schultz was thinking and he doesn’t quote any research, but from every piece of research I’ve seen about sunscreen, I would not take his advice. One more comment: you may be wondering about applying foundation over sunscreen. This can complicate matters but generally because foundation is designed to stay on the very surface of skin and not absorb it is less problematic. However, for the little bit of problem foundation can pose (and moisturizing foundations or tints definitely pose) there are steps you can take to minimize sunscreen dilution. Wait for the sunscreen to set before applying foundation, and, during application, make sure you’re applying in smooth, downward motions. Don’t apply in a rubbing or back-and-forth motion and don’t use excess pressure. Of course, you can avoid the issue entirely by using a foundation rated SPF 15 or greater than contains the right UVA-protecting ingredients I’ve discussed at length. Secondary to that, you may also wish to set your foundation with a pressed powder rated SPF 15 or greater."

What do you think? I will be sure to update this post as more insiders weigh in!

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