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Do you rely on SPF in foundation?


Do you rely on SPF in foundation? If not, do you care if SPF is in your foundation?

I definitely don’t rely on it, and I really don’t care if it is in my foundation–I’d prefer it not to be, I suppose. I rely on my moisturizer with SPF in it!

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37 Comments

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divinem (Melissa) Avatar

I’m always Vit D deficient because I’m allergic to the sun. I have to live like a bat and have to wear long sleeves/fingerless hand gloves when driving. It’s ridiculous.

divinem (Melissa) Avatar

Absolutely not! I am allergic to the emulsifiers that bind SPF to the foundation. I was thrilled when I discovered MUFE HD foundation and Illamasqua Skin Base foundation. Both work great with my skin because neither contains the emulsifiers.

I can put sunscreen on separately using Vanicream, but that’s the only brand my über sensitive skin can handle.

xamyx Avatar

Definitely not. For one, I prefer a minimal SPF of 30, which no foundation provides. Second, I’m not sure how effective the SPF in the foundation truly is. That said, I don’t mind if it’s in there. The worst that can happen is I get extra protection. I also use mineral foundations over my TM or liquid foundation, and those have SPF as well.

blueraccoon Avatar

I live in an area that doesn’t get a whole lot of sun, especially now, and I leave for work before it’s light out and spend my days indoors. So I don’t really worry a lot about SPF (I work in a windowless room, too) even though I probably should. But I’d rather wear a dedicated sunscreen than a foundation or BB cream with SPF in it. Usually they’re too low anyway – i mean, i have a foundation with SPF 8 – what good is that?

Jade Avatar

I actually prefer that my foundation doesn’t, so it photographs okay. In saying that I love MAC Studio Fix Fluid, which is SPF 15, but it photographs amazingly. I have to have it in my day moisturiser, but then I need another moisturiser that has no SPF for night-time going out makeup, and a nourishing night one for when I go to bed!

Jade Avatar

And in summertime I need to put SPF on all my exposed areas of skin, because I live in Australia – if I don’t my face stays pale and my chest and arms go goldy-brown!

Rachael Avatar

In general, no. I use a moisturizer with sunscreen in the summer plus a BB cream with spf. If I’m going to be in the sun for long periods of time I’ll use a full-on sunscreen. In the winter, I sometimes don’t even bother with sunscreen because I’m hardly outside at all. At most I’ll throw on my spf BB cream but that’s about it.

Sabriel Avatar

It’s a good feature, but I wouldn’t say I take it seriously. For sunblock to be fully effective you have to slather it on thick, and if it’s a chemical sunblock, you need to reapply it every few hours. I’m not going to do either of those things with my foundation.

That said, my foundation does have a physical sunscreen in it, and I do feel better wearing it. If I’m wearing tinted moisturizer, I’m going to wear one with SPF. It’s not optimal but it’s better than nothing.

If I’m going to be outside for a long time and I’m worried about being burned, I don’t wear makeup. I wear heavy sunscreen and a big hat.

I burn pretty easily, though! Maybe not as easily as some people (porcelain redheads… I am so sorry…) but easily enough to be cautious.

Morgan Avatar

Not usually. My BB cream usually has high enough SPF to protect me from the crazy Australian sun and I’m usually not worried about photographs as I avoid the camera like the plague so it all works out.

Ryou Avatar

Absolutely not, I generally prefer higher SPF than most foundations offer (40 is the absolute minimum for me). You generally don’t apply enough foundation to achieve the SPF level stated, anyway!

Veronica Avatar

Pfft. Like I trust my Irish whitey white skin with anything less than two layers of SPF on. 😛 Usually, I wear a moisturizer with at least SPF 20 in it, and then a tinted moisturizer or foundation with SPF 15. However, if I’m going to be out in the sun all day, then I’ll use an SPF 50 sunscreen, wait for it absorb, and then apply foundation over it.

Ljana Avatar

In summer, I don’t unless I’m wearing Shiseido Sun Protection liquid foundation (blue bottle, SPF 30-50), which is really a tinted sunscreen rather than a traditional foundation.

Sometimes in winter I’ll skip sunscreen if I’m wearing a foundation or moisturizer with SPF 25+ on days I know I won’t be outside much. Otherwise I’ll use a separate sunscreen.

Mariella Avatar

I don’t rely on it, since I generally use a moisturizer with SPF in it or I’ll apply a separate facial moisturizer but I do like it when a foundation does contain SPF…it’s sort of “bonus” (and I can use moisturizers I have without SPF, which is nice). I do like a BB cream to have SPF, though, since in the summer I really appreciate being able to apply a single product rather than having to layer on 2 or 3 products when it’s hot and humid.

Wwendalynne Avatar

I do not care for SPF in my foundation products. Plenty of the chemical SPF’s are notoriously bad for causing allergic reaction or even clogging pores and setting up the perfect environment for blemishes. I see I am not alone in my chronic vit D deficiency. Mine is due to autoimmune illness and I also have to be extremely careful about sun exposure as it too causes moderate to severe reaction even in the unexposed areas. Consequently, I keep pretty much covered. Yeah, I wouldn’t thank you for a beach vacation.

Liz Avatar

Now I’m using BB cream, which takes the place of moisturizer, primer, and foundation. Since it has SPF 35, I don’t use additonal sunblock when I wear it. If I’m not using BB cream, I use a moisturizer with SPF.

stephanie Avatar

It’s not a huge selling point for me because added SPF tend to make foundation colors lighter if you need a darker shade. I prefer it in my moisturizer as well.

Lauren Avatar

Yes. I wouldn’t wear SPF otherwise. I know it’s bad but sunblocks are so heavy and icky and break me out. Even at the beach I can hardly bring myself to put it on my face. Yuck. I don’t wear moisturizer because my skin is SO oily and greasy. I am using the Smashbox BB right now and that has an SPF 35.

Barbara Avatar

Definitely not, but it doesn’t hurt that it has it. My dermatologist said that you have to apply a lot of sunscreen to get good protection and I definitely won’t get that from foundation. Besides, I use at least spf 30, since I’m so fair, and only Korean bb creams even come close to that.

Jennifer Avatar

I really wish more moisturizers came with SPF in them. I’m running out of my Origins A Perfect World and am looking for something new – I’m just not finding a lot of options. Any suggestions?

Sole Avatar

If I like a foundation or moisturizer with spf in it than that is great, but I don’t search for spf. I am extremely pale and would have issues if outside, but I live indoors. The only time I am exposed to the sun is when I walk to and from my car.

Michelle Teixeira Avatar

Having SPF in foundation is definitely not a concern to me because the protection is always too low and you would have to apply it quite thick to get the protection. I absolutely despise moisturisers with SPF because of the same reason. I can’t slop on enough for the protection to be of any value and the SPF is too low. Also, sunscreen changes the product texture and makes the expire date a short time. I wear Shiseido SPF 55 PA+++ under my foundation and on my body.

Francine Avatar

I really do because my moisturizer doesn’t always have SPF in it and if not, I will forget to put one on. I have plenty, it’s just between the serum, moisturizer, primer and then foundation I always somehow forget to put on sunscreen.

JGR Avatar

Not really. I prefer to rely on the SPF in my moisturizer since I tend to apply that liberally enough for the SPF to be effectual.

As for foundation SPF, I actually prefer if there isn’t any. That way I can use it around my eyes and not worry about having a reaction to the SPF.

Alison Avatar

No, never! You really need to pile on sunscreens for them to be as effective as they state on the bottle, so I wouldn’t rely on SPF in cosmetics, especially ones that you apply rather sheerly!

Alicia Avatar

I used to, but after years of getting really burned (including blisters on my face) on several occasions my preteens and teens I realized SPF is very important. I started using a daily moisturizer that has an SPF of 35. I use Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture Facial Moisturizer SPF 35. I find that it works great as a moisturizer while also giving me peace of mind that I am wearing SPF. I have not seen an increase of acne or anything and I have been using it for a year.

I think that as I have grown up, keeping care of my skin has become more important. What is the point of make up if you skin itself is horrible.

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