SkinCeuticals Sunscreens: Splash Some Cash This Summer, Your Face Will Thank You For It

Last week, we featured some excellent serums from SkinCeuticals which will blast a serious hole in your pocket. Expensive skincare really is an investment in your skin, so if you're using a serum that costs as much as a few trips to your GP, you definitely want to make the most of it by protecting your skin. Sun exposure is the number one cause of skin cancer and premature ageing of the skin. So if you're applying expensive skincare, then going out in the sun without any SPF, you're simply wasting your moolah.

(And if you'd like to read more about the different types of sunscreens available - physical and chemical - then check out this handy breakdown.)

You see, here at beaut.ie, we feel as strongly about wearing SPF as your mammy does about the fact that you'll get a cold in your kidneys wearing 'that thing you've got on you.' So pop on some unfashionably heavy 60 denier tights and a couple of thermal veshhhts while we tell you why these sunscreens from SkinCeuticals are just great.

In a way, I'd love to be able to say that these pricier products are no better than cheaper alternatives. I can't say that in this case, though, and here's why:

1. These sunscreens from SkinCeuticals, Brightening UV Defense SPF 30 and Ultra Facial Defense SPF 50+, are excellent. These two are primarily chemical rather than physical sunscreens, meaning that they protect the skin by absorbing the sunlight rather than by creating a barrier that the light 'bounces off'.

2. The primary ingredient in physical sunscreens is titanium dioxide, the chemical responsible for that chalky cast to your complexion when you apply your SPF. It's also responsible for 'flashback' in photography - the flash bounces back from the face, making it appear lighter than the body in photos. You'll find far less titanium dioxide than standard in these two lovelies from SkinCeuticals, however. The key ingredient in these is Mexoryl.

3. Mexoryl is an excellent sun protectant developed to replace Avobenzone, the most common chemical SPF. Avobenzone is very effective, but it degrades quite quickly after application. Mexoryl is more stable, so it will protect the skin for longer periods that Avobenzone. This, combined with the titanium dioxide in these SkinCeuticals SPFs, ensures serious broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection.

Keep in mind that if you're in a very sunny climate and or being active - so swimming, sweating, or towelling your skin, you absolutely need to reapply your sunscreen frequently - no matter how effective it is. No excuses. And don't forget your ears...

With minimal exposure and an Irish summer, though, these sunscreens will get you to September with your face in fine fettle!

Both sunscreens are beautifully moisturising (which is very rare in an SPF) and light in texture. SPFs - particularly those containing titanium dioxide - can be extremely heavy and greasy in consistency, not to mention how they can clog the skin. Neither Brightening UV Defense nor Ultra Facial Defense from SkinCeuticals have upset my skin in any way; they just melt into the skin.

Brightening UV Defense SPF 30 (€37) and Ultra Facial Defense SPF 50+(€30) are available from online stockists, and I love them. It's better to put your money into protecting the skin than leaving it unprotected and using pricey skincare. Protection is the ultimate anti-ager!

Are you an SPF afficionado? Do you think that this is just too much to spend on SPF? Tell us in the comments beaut.ies!