Can you skip moisturizer and just use sunscreen? Will that damage your skin? Why or why not?
Should you skip your daytime moisturizer if you’re putting on sunscreen anyway?
Well, the short answer is that it depends. It depends on a few things.
It depends on the climate, it depends on the season, it depends on the sunscreen, and more importantly, it depends on what works for your skin and what makes your skin happy.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what anyone else says, your skin is the boss!
Okay, so you’ve decided to do away with your moisturizer, but what does that mean for your skin if it’s dry, aging, oily etc?
Can you skip the moisturizer and just use sunscreen when you have dry skin?
If you know your skin is dry and dehydrated, applying an effective hydrating moisturizer before sunscreen won’t hurt.
Read next: 15 Fantastic Japanese Facial Moisturizers For Glowing Skin
A moisturizer will help to hydrate your skin while the sunscreen will help protect your face from the sun’s UVA and UVB rays.
Read next: The 7 Best La Roche Posay Sunscreens for Your Face
But this doesn’t necessarily mean you need to use a separate moisturizer. There are great sunscreens available that have moisturizing ingredients in them and eliminate the need for a separate moisturizer by providing similar results – and they work really well.
So if you’ve been using sunscreen without using a separate moisturizer first and your skin looks and feels fine, then honestly I wouldn’t worry about it- your skin is fine, let it be.
But if you don’t use a moisturizer and your skin seems irritated, dry, or peeling, then you might need a moisturizer before your sunscreen or need to use a moisturizing sunscreen.
Okay, but what about if you have oily skin?
Can you skip moisturizer and just use sunscreen if you have oily skin?
Again, this will be different for everyone. If you’re using sunscreen and your skin feels great just wearing that then continue doing what you’re doing.
So yes, if your skin is oily then you can skip out on moisturizing and use sunscreen instead.
Just remember that oily skin needs moisture too. So try not to assume that because you have oily skin you don’t need to moisturize. When you wash your face, like every other skin type, you are simply washing the oil right off of the surface of your skin and it needs replenishing.
If you’re constantly washing your face without replacing the moisture back in to your skin, your sebaceous glands will overcompensate and go into overdrive by manufacturing more oil than is necessary. Making your skin even oilier.
So, it can be counterproductive to avoid using moisturizers.
If you still want to use a moisturizer but find that they are over-moisturizing and making your skin oily, another solution is to use a lightweight moisturizer instead.
Choose something with hyaluronic acid, a humectant that will help to hydrate your skin.
Using an oil-free moisturizer might prove to work a lot better for your oily skin and you won’t have to go without using one.
Is a moisturizer with sunscreen enough?
Yes, you can use a moisturizer that contains SPF and it will be effective. You just want to find one that has a high SPF (30 or more) so it protects against UVB and UVA rays.
I have noticed, in my experience of shopping for moisturizers with SPF, that most of them tend to carry an SPF rating of 15 which isn’t enough.
I always look for an SPF of 30 or more and personally like to use a 50 rating as I don’t always get the chance to reapply sunscreen every 2 hours.
You should also make sure to use it generously, which is something that most people don’t do.
Make sure to apply it throughout the day, and on any parts of your body that will be exposed. That means your ears, neck, hands, and face.
Is it okay to wear only sunscreen every day?
A lot of modern sunscreens are moisturizing, so you can get away with skipping a separate moisturizer.
If your skin doesn’t normally have any issues with dryness and your sunscreen is moisturizing enough, it’s okay to wear only sunscreen every day.
However, if your skin gets dry and/or flaky, then you should probably use a moisturizer as well.
After sunscreen what’s next?
Sunscreen is usually the last step in a skincare routine. You would cleanse, treat, and moisturize before applying sunscreen as the last step.
So after you’ve applied your sunscreen you follow it with makeup if you want to wear it, or that’s it.
Just remember to reapply every two hours so your skin can continue getting protection from the sun’s UVA and UVB rays.
