Affordable SPFs Beauty Pros Are Excited To Use — They’re That Good

Welcome to Sun Blocked, Refinery29’s global call-to-action to wake up to the serious dangers of tanning. No lectures or shaming, we promise. Instead, our goal is to arm you with the facts you need to protect your skin to the best of your ability, because there’s no such thing as safe sun.

Let's face it: sunscreen used to be one of the most boring skincare products. Formulas were sticky, left a white cast, stung our eyes and didn't sit well under makeup. Luckily for us, they've come a long way since then.

Fast-forward to 2023 and sunscreen is a staple skincare product in many people's routines. They're housed in elegant, handbag-sized tubes and cater to all skin tones. In fact, for a lot of beauty editors out there, sunscreen is a favourite product to review and rave about — especially those that don't break the bank. 

It just so happens that sunscreen is also undoubtedly the most important aspect of a skincare routine. A broad-spectrum sunscreen will protect your skin from UVA and UVB rays, which is essential. "Firstly to reduce the risk of developing skin cancers further down the line and secondly to prevent premature skin ageing," explains consultant dermatologist Dr Anjali Mahto. 

A good rule of thumb to remember is that UVA causes ageing (for example, fine lines and dark spots) and UVB causes burning. It's imperative to wear sunscreen daily, even on cloudy days. "This is, in fact, the time we often see the worst sunburn due to false security that there is no sunshine around," adds Dr Mahto. 
 
Another key thing to consider when making sure you're well protected from the sun's rays is that you’ve applied enough product. A good estimate would be a teaspoonful of sunscreen for your entire face and extra for your ears. It might seem like an excessive amount to begin with but Dr Mahto says that most of us tend to vastly under-apply sunscreen and so we often don't get the stated factor on the bottle. "Wearing high factor sunscreen is also therefore beneficial in protecting the skin." Dr Mahto says that for this reason, getting protection from a dedicated sunscreen is always better than relying on SPF in moisturiser or makeup.

Generally, the experts agree that the very best SPF is one that you'll actually wear and beauty editors have strong opinions on the best products on the market. Read on to find out what these seven beauty experts rate the highest when it comes to sunscreens under £20.