15 Daily Face SPF Creams To Protect & Hydrate
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15 Daily Face SPF Creams To Protect & Hydrate

Always wear sunscreen.

There’s a reason skincare experts and dermatologists are always going on about sunscreen. Wearing a daily face SPF could be the single most important step in your skincare regime. But which one is best for your skin type? From classic high-protection face creams to SPF-rich foundations and tints, we’ve found some of the best beauty buys on the market.

The Best Face SPF Creams For All Skin Types

Sunscreen is the single most important step in your daily skincare regime, all year round, and not just to protect your skin from harmful UVB rays. As you may know, there are two main types of UV rays that we need to be aware of. UVB rays, which get the worst press, are the ones that can cause burning and increase the risks of skin cancer. UVA rays, which can also penetrate clouds and windows, make up 95 percent of UV radiation that reaches the earth, and are the ones that contribute to premature skin ageing due to their ability to penetrate deeply into the skin and contribute to DNA damage via the creation of free radicals. Not only does daily application of a face SPF reduce your risk of sun damage and photoaging, but studies suggest that it could also help to reverse or reduce the damage.

The Ultimate SPF Guide

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Darling

Best For: Face and body protection 

Screen-Me Spray Spf 50+, £47, johnbellcroyden.co.uk

This delicately fragranced spray-on SPF contains an array of incredible ingredients to help your skin feel nourished, youthful and – crucially – protected from those pesky UV rays. Moringa seed oil provides anti-inflammatory properties, niacinamide prevents and fades dark spots, and a combination of hyaluronic acid and squalene helps to preserve skin hydration and elasticity.

White tube on blue background

PCA Skin

Best For: Broad Spectrum SPF

Daily Defense Broad Spectrum SPF 50+, £42, pcaskin.co.uk

If you want to protect your skin against UVA and UVB rays, you’ll want a broad spectrum SPF. Cue PCA Skin’s Daily Defense SPF cream. ‘This cream provides deep hydration as well as great protection,’ says leading aesthetic doctor, Dr Paris Acharya. ‘It is also suitable for all skin types, making it a great addition to your skincare regime.’

Medik8 Advanced Day Ultimate Protect - white tube with cream smeared on background

Medik8

Best For: Layering Beneath Makeup

Advanced Day Ultimate Protect, £59, medik8.com

‘Our Advanced Day Ultimate Protect has been expertly formulated to provide the skin with premium UV protection that boasts a lightweight, invisible finish with no white cast – making it the perfect base for makeup,’ says Daniel Isaacs, Director of Research at Medik8.

Grown Alchemist SPF

Grown Alchemist

Best For: Mineral Sunscreen

Grown Alchemist Natural Hydrating Sunscreen SPF30, £35, grownalchemist.com

This new sunscreen is vegan and reef safe, and packed with skin-friendly active ingredients. A natural mineral-based zinc oxide formula provides broad-spectrum protection from damaging UVA and UVB rays, and rosehip oil and parsley seed extract help to protect against free radical damage. 

Bamford spf 50 sunscreen

Bamford

Best For: A Matte Finish

Bamford SPF 50 Sunscreen, £31, bamford.com

Protects against UVA and UVB rays, and uses a complex of skin-friendly antioxidant golden seaweed and calming Swiss pine extracts. The silky matte finish means no stickiness or shininess.

dr sebagh Sun & City Protection SPF 50+

Dr Sebagh

Best For: Protection Against Pollution

Dr Sebagh Sun & City Protection SPF 50+, £60, drsebagh.com

This clever cream protects against UVA and UVB rays, and against the light emitted by your devices. It also has a filter for carbon particles and other pollutants.

Oskia SPF 30 Vitamin Face Cream

Oskia

Best For: Skin Plumping

Oskia SPF 30 Vitamin Face Cream, £62, cultbeauty.co.uk

This mineral-based reef-safe SPF features hyaluronic acid, glacier water, snow algae, antioxidant astaxanthin and a cocktail of prebiotics, provitamins and vitamins to supplement barrier function and boost skin’s resistance to harmful pollutants.

Neal's Yard Remedies Wild Rose Moisturising SPF 3

Neal’s Yard Remedies

Best For: Organic Ingredients

Neal’s Yard Remedies Wild Rose Moisturising SPF 30, £28, uk.nyrorganic.com

Organic pioneer Neal’s Yard puts planet health at the heart of its business. This mineral SPF features antioxidant-rich, organic wild rosehip seed oil, nourishing shea butter and baobab oil, as well as a blend of organic geranium and patchouli essential oils.

Tower of white compacts on pink background

Celltweet

Best For: Protecting Against UV Damage

The Sunshine Cushion SPF50, £92, evocyte.co.uk

The perfect blend of makeup and skincare, Celltweet’s compact has an elite PA rating of ++++ and SPF 50 protection. Simply blot onto skin like regular powder before applying makeup and let the South Korean bio-technology formula work to maintain the skin’s delicate microbiome while illuminating and boosting resilience against UV rays. The ultra-fine powder allows for maximum absorbency, without leaving a heavy layer of white powder on your face.

Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen SPF30

Supergoop!

Best For: Oily Skin

Unseen Sunscreen SPF30, £15, cultbeauty.co.uk

If you have oily or blemish or acne-prone skin it can be tempting to skip your SPF step of your skincare regime for fear that your pores are at risk of being clogged. Opt for a light, oil-free formula like the completely invisible Supergoop! sunscreen and you won’t need to worry about pores being blocked. Just remember to finish each day with a thorough face cleanse.

Pink tub with grey lid

ESPA

Best For: Dry Skin

Optimal Skin Pro-Moisturiser SPF 30, £50, lookfantastic.com

Quench thirsty skin while also protecting it by opting for an SPF-rich moisturiser. Just make sure that you apply to dry skin (leave steps between skincare steps) to allow full absorption.

Blue SPF bottle

Decree

Best For: Topping Up

Day Shield SPF30, £75, harveynichols.com

If applying an SPF base is the first step in your routine, topping up on the go could be a great new last step. Pack your refreshing Decree Day Shield into your bag and it will not only protect you from UV damage but the antioxidants will protect against other free radical damage.

Blue and pink box next to pink bottle with white lid

COOLA

Best For: Layering

Dew More Illuminating Probiotic Serum SPF30, £45, johnbellcroyden.co.uk

Face SPF serums are increasing in popularity, allowing people to supercharge their skincare regime with an added element of protection at every step. This COOLA illuminating serum goes from cream to silky serum on application to provide instant illumination to the skin so you can achieve a dewy glow all year round.

Ultra Violette Queen Screen Luminising Sun Serum SPF50+

Ultra Violette

Best For: Screen Time

Queen Screen Luminising Sun Serum SPF50+, £36, cultbeauty.co.uk

If you’re working from home it can be tempting to skip your SPF step, but your skin needs protecting from blue light as well as those UVA rays coming through the windows. This luminising sun serum is lightweight and silky, making it a great option for low-maintenance days at home or off-duty.

Yellow bottle

Supergoop!

Best For: On-the-go Hydration

Glow Stick SPF50, £22, cultbeauty.co.uk

Great for topping up on the go without worrying about white streaks or missed spots, this slick dry oil SPF50 is great for covering those risky spots like nose, forehead, cheeks and shoulders in a hurry. It also hydrates skin, giving a dewy finish without being shiny; but it’s best for dry or combination skin.

Oskia SPF 30 Vitamin Face Cream

DOLCE & GABBANA

Best For: Full Coverage

Perfect Matte Liquid Foundation, £51, harrods.com

As we outlined previously, applying a makeup product over your face SPF cream can help improve its efficacy. This new D&G velvet finish foundation contains SPF30 and provides a full, flawless finish to skin that will last all day.

Does It Do What It Says On The Tin?

Some studies have suggested that almost all sunscreens underperform against their advertised SPF rating, however, the same study showed that layering sunscreen with makeup could compensate for the shortfall. Therefore, wearing sunscreen underneath your makeup as a daily ritual, or even layering two different sunscreens could be a good daily practice.

Main image: by Jakob Owens on Unsplash