So many people, doctors and articles preach about sun protection, but the advice is usually not heeded. This is probably due to the fact that most after-effects of sun exposure gradually develop as people age. Having said that, it’d be too late to turn back time once you’ve realised how much the sun has damaged your skin.
Many people overlook the importance of wearing sunscreen everyday. Aside from getting darker skin, the harmful rays of the sun can cause facial brown spots and skin discolouration, highlight the appearance of skin blotchiness, advance the development of wrinkles and premature skin aging, and increase the probability of developing skin cancer.
Whenever you’re choosing a sunscreen, it’s a must to ensure that it has broad spectrum protection against both UVB and UVA rays. If not, your sunscreen wouldn’t be sufficient enough to provide you with all-round sun protection.
Lately, I’ve been applying sunscreen religiously everyday and the ones I’m currently using are from Algotherm – an eco-responsible French brand that produces innovative marine cosmetics for the face and body. I’m all about supporting brands that take pride in preserving the environment as well as marine biodiversity, so here are my thoughts on two of the brand’s sunscreens.
Formulated with active ingredients like Porphyra seaweed, Karanja oil, Monoï and mineral UV filters, this mineral cream provides ultra-high protection for the skin and prevents the appearance of photo-aging signs, especially on the face.
This Sun Cream has a thicker formula, but applies quite smoothly on the skin. It can get a little greasy under makeup, so I make sure to set my face with a powder whenever I use this sunscreen. This product isn’t marketed as a makeup primer, but I’ve noticed that it helps to prolong the wear of my makeup a little longer than usual.
If you’ve got sensitive skin down there and you have on a bikini for the beach or pool, you can also use this Sun Cream. The gentle formula won’t aggravate the skin or cause it to itch. During my recent trip to the Gili islands, I used it daily on areas down there where the skin is exposed and never once did my skin feel irritated.
Formulated with Porphyra Umbilicalis Seaweed Extract and Karanja Vegetable Oil, this Sun Lotion yields the goodness of these two ingredients to act as natural filters when protecting the skin from UV rays.
If I were to compare both the sunscreen formulas, I’d much prefer this one. It has a lighter, non-greasy and watery texture that absorbs quicker into the skin. It does feature a lower SPF protection, so reapplying the product every once in a while depending on the nature of your activity will really help.
You can also use this sunscreen on the face if your skin doesn’t react easily. I have fairly sensitive skin, but I tried it on my face anyway. It worked well and my skin remained happy, which is clearly a plus!
Both the sunscreens mentioned above are water-resistant, tested under dermatological control, hypoallergenic, paraben free, phenoxyethanol free, nanoparticle free and free from listed chemical filters. These ALGOSUN sunscreen formulas are also guaranteed non-toxic and non-harmful to the marine environment and corals. 😉
Algotherm’s Age Protect Sun Cream SPF50+ retails for RM190.80 (50ml tube) whereas the Age Protect Sun Lotion SPF30 retails for RM233.20 (100ml pump bottle). Find out more about products by Algotherm via the brand’s official website.
** To purchase products by Algotherm, you can visit Green Apple Beauty Centre, Taman Cheras (03-91325330), Be Beauty Centre, Rawang (03-67334099), SS Beauty & Slimming Centre, Taman Equine (03-89421811), Nutribon Beauty Sanctuary, Times Square (03-21423229), La Senses Beauty House, Damansara Utama (03-77101232), Beleza Beauty (YCH Saloon), Kepong (03-62421663), 1 M Beauty & SPA, Kota Kinabalu (088-231668), Zentuary Beauty & Spa, Alor Star, (04-7717877), Liz Beauty Academy, Johor (07-3323902/012700 3902), Pure Bliss Sanctuary & Spa, Plaza DNP (07-3333232), La Beautylicious Story, Taman Desa (011-23668428), Marinna Beauty Therapy, Ipoh (010-3892579), Jesslyn Beauty & Spa, Butterworth (04-3137936), Cece Beauty & Slimming Therapy, Taman Sutera (07-557 2866), XH Beauty Salon, Taman Nusa Bestari (012-616 1327), U PERFECT FACE BODY WELLNESS. Do call the outlets beforehand to enquire about product availability.