Makeup doesn’t interfere with sunscreen, but it needs to be applied correctly.

I wear full face makeup over a layer of sunscreen every day. Does this decrease my UV protection?

The key to reducing your risk of skin cancer, sunspots and wrinkles caused by the sun is including sunscreen in your daily routine – and reapplying it correctly.

Fortunately, when it comes to wearing makeup and sunscreen together, there’s good news, said Nikhil Dhingra, a dermatologist at Spring Street Dermatology in New York: no matter how much foundation, concealer, blush or highlighter you apply during your makeup routine, you’ll still will be protected from the sun as long as you follow a few simple steps.

Apply the products in the right order

An important way to ensure that you are truly protected from harmful UV rays is to apply sunscreen as the last step of your morning skincare routine, but before you start applying makeup.

Chemical sunscreens contain filters that penetrate the skin and absorb ultraviolet light, while physical (or mineral) sunscreens sit on top of the skin and scatter that light. Because of these processes, sunscreen is most effective when applied directly to clean skin.

After washing your face in the morning and applying any skin care products, such as toners, serums, moisturizers or oils, apply the protectant. Dermatologists recommend using a minimum protection factor of 30.

Use enough sunscreen

Studies have found that people often don’t use enough sunscreen to have adequate protection. Most apply only a quarter of the amount needed to the entire body, said Amanda Doyle, a dermatologist at the Russak Dermatology Clinic in New York.

You need about 2 mg of sunscreen per square centimeter of skin to reach the advertised SPF, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.

Since everyone is different, this could mean more or less sunscreen depending on the size of your face. For ease of application, New York-based beautician Tiara Willis recommends the two-finger rule: coat the length of your middle and index finger with sunscreen to measure enough of the product onto your face and neck.

let it dry

Before applying any makeup on top of sunscreen, wait at least two minutes for it to penetrate your skin. Avoid touching his face during this time. Kiran Mian, a dermatologist at Hudson Dermatology & Laser Surgery in New York, said that applying makeup too soon can dilute the sunscreen or interact with the ingredients, rendering them ineffective.

Think of applying sunscreen like painting a room: apply it in an even, thick layer, then give it enough time to dry before touching or decorating it.

Mian suggested doing something like combing her eyebrows after applying sunscreen to keep herself busy in the meantime. If your sunscreen base is properly dried and absorbed, the makeup ingredients shouldn’t negatively affect SPF.

Don’t trust the base with FPS

Many foundations, beauty balms, and color-correcting creams contain sunscreen, which can seem like a convenient way to protect your skin without compromising your makeup routine.

However, makeup with SPF isn’t enough as the only sunscreen option, because you’d need to use a lot — more than most people normally use for their everyday appearance — to effectively protect your skin.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to wear makeup with additional SPF, because when it comes to sunscreen, more is more.

A study published in 2021 even concluded that layering makeup over sunscreen increases overall sun protection. This is because all makeup, even products that don’t have a built-in SPF, contain filters similar to those found in physical sunscreens, which can provide additional protection if the sunscreen’s base coat isn’t enough.

Reapply the filter regularly

Sunscreen should be reapplied every two hours, or after swimming or sweating. Even sitting by a window while working requires reapplication, because glass does not significantly block UVA or UVB rays. Reapplication is usually as simple as applying another coat of sunscreen, but it can be more complicated when you’re wearing makeup.

The rather disappointing news: there aren’t enough studies to prove how effective reapplying FPS on top of makeup is. And there’s reason to think it’s not ideal, because we know sunscreen is most effective when applied as close to the skin as possible and because it’s challenging to apply enough sunscreen over makeup.

Powder sunscreens, for example, are an interesting option for reapplication because of their portability and usefulness as a quick touch-up tool, but in reality, said Cula Svidzinski, medical director of the Skin Color Center at Mount Sinai Medical Center, you need to apply about a teaspoon of powdered sunscreen to your face to reach the advertised SPF.

SPF setting sprays and spray sunscreens in general are interesting for their ease of application, but the truth is that they still need to be rubbed into the skin to provide adequate coverage from the sun, which negates their supposed convenience.

Also, remember that FPS is not cumulative. “If your sunscreen has SPF 30 and you apply an SPF 15 moisturizer, you don’t have SPF 45 protection,” Mian said.

So what should you do? Experts say to use any method that encourages you to reapply sunscreen, as long as you understand that you are unlikely to receive the full advertised SPF.

Whether you reapply with a powdered sunscreen, dip your face in an SPF spray, or squirt sunscreen lotion onto the back of your hand and apply over makeup, even a small SPF boost is better than nothing, experts said.

Translated by Luiz Roberto M. Gonçalves