In this article you’ll learn:
- Why SPF is more important than food, shelter, and clothing (sorta)
- The real reason people wear sunscreen (Hint: it’s not what you think)
- How Geologie’s new SPF30+ can be the only skincare you’ll ever need
- What’s the deal with mineral sunscreen?
Fact: 98% of skin aging is sun-related
Those wrinkles, dark spots and tiny broken blood vessels you see on people starting in their thirties? It’s mostly due to UV rays, which weaken the bonds between cells in the top layer of the skin and damage its structural integrity. That’s why the number one thing you can do for your face is to use SPF on the daily — derms have been saying it for years, and it’s still true. That's why we created SPF30+ moisturizer.
Lightweight sunscreen is king
When it comes to sunscreen, Dr. Steve says he tells his patients all the time “if you don't like wearing it, you're not going to use it.” And he knows. He conducted a consumer study through Northwestern University a couple years ago and discovered that more than 60% of people who purchase sunscreen do so because of its “wearability.”
So our goal with the SPF30+ was to design a unisex product (10% of our customers are women) that’s great for your face dermatologically but also something that you're going to want to wear every day. It shouldn’t feel heavy or leave a white "lifeguard" cast, and it shouldn’t exacerbate oily skin (in men especially, who are more oily than women).
“Wearable” is a frustrating term for many people with sensitive skin, who have a hard time finding a sunscreen that won’t trigger irritation. For them, the key is to find a fragrance-free product with minimal ingredients so pores don’t clog and lead to acne breakouts. With this SPF30+, they've found it, and they’ll be doing somersaults — and probably wind up on TikTok.
A sunscreen with superpowers
So why didn't we stop with just SPF? Why add skin-boosting benefits? Simple: With the right mix of ingredients, you can make your sunscreen a one-step skincare regimen, with hydration and anti-aging to keep you handsome, or beautiful, or both.
Here’s how: Of the seven major active ingredients we use throughout our product line, we’ve packed two of them into this bottle: hyaluronic acid, a moisturizer that keeps your skin plump and hydrated and prevents it from cracking into fine lines, and niacinamide, which helps balance oil production and makes pores appear smaller.
A sunscreen that's also a complete skincare regimen is kinda like buying an F-150 truck and realizing it’s a zamboni too, ya know?
Mineral sunscreen: not just a summer romance
A problem with sunscreen is its protection fades after breaking a sweat from just a couple spikes on the beach volleyball court. But a combo of mineral sunscreen with chemical ingredients like we use in the SPF30+ can offer the best of both worlds.
Check this: The mineral sunscreen protection starts immediately — it sits on top of your skin and reflects UV rays away from your body. After activity (and time) washes it off, it taps out and the chemical sunscreen leaps into the ring to provide a much more durable backstop.
This protection is not just for summer, either, it's year-round. Although the UV index is consistently higher in warmer months, it doesn't disappear in fall and winter, when SPF protection is just as necessary.
Have any questions? Reach out, when you’re ready to get the best skin of your life, we’ve got answers — we've slogged for years to find them.
