COSMETICS : How Layers of Products Can Blot Out Sunscreen

Drug store and department store makeup counters are full of cosmetics that contain sunscreen. But women who start their makeup ritual with a layer of pure sunscreen don’t really need the extra amounts included in other cosmetics. In fact, some skin experts believe the layering of plain sunscreen, sunscreen-infused moisturizers, or sunscreen-enhanced foundations compromises total sun protection.

“These products are an automatic protection for women who would otherwise not wear any,” says Dr. Rhonda Rand, a Beverly Hills dermatologist and assistant clinical professor at UCLA.

There are foundations, lipsticks, moisturizers and even nail polishes that contain forms of sunscreen. They offer one of two types of protection: measured or unmeasured. Measured protection comes in the form of an SPF (sun protection factor) number clearly listed on the front of a product. The higher the number, the greater the protection. Clinique, Chanel, Estee Lauder, Ultima II, Prescriptives, L’Oreal, Physicians Formula, Clarion and Borghese all feature measured sunscreen-infused cosmetics.

Unmeasured protection isn’t usually noted on the front of the product because there is less than the minimum required to qualify for the SPF rating system. Instead, it is included in the ingredient listings. Max Factor’s New Definition foundation is an example of this. Still other cosmetic products may have what are called sun reflectors, or ingredients known to protect against sun damage.

Clarins, for example, blends rice bran oil, a natural sun reflector, into its lipsticks and both its Matte and Satin Finish foundations.

Cosmetic and medical experts agree that any product with less than a SPF 15 sunscreen does not offer long-term protection and needs to be reapplied during outdoor activities. Rand believes an SPF of 8 or higher--in sunscreens and cosmetics--is generally adequate if a person is inside all day.

Foundations with an SPF of 15 or higher are as effective as sunscreen alone, says John Bailey, a spokesman for the Food and Drug Administration’s color cosmetics division.

Women who think mixing sunscreen-moisturizers and sunscreen-makeup, to increase protection, are making a mistake. SPF numbers don’t add up.

“If you use product A with an SPF of 8, and product B with an SPF of 7, you do not get a 15,” says Paul Fehn of Cosmair cosmetics product development office. “The key is the layer on the skin. As soon as you apply something to the top, you destroy the protection and end up with a hybrid SPF, or something between the two,” he says.

A single layer of protective foundation or moisturizer, or a layer of plain sunscreen offers a more precise sun protection.

Even so, “anything is better than nothing,” says Genevieve MacDonald, a plastic surgeon in West Hills.

“We should do it all--the sunscreen, the hat, the dark glasses--whatever we can do to protect ourselves.”