Wearing a face SPF every day is key to healthy – and healthy-looking — skin.

A good sunscreen blocks the harmful effects of the sun’s UVA and UVB rays, which wreak havoc on the health of our skin and its cells, leading to decreased collagen and elasticity, fine lines, pigmentation, and an increased risk of skin cancer if an SPF is not used.

Think of it like a sponge and a shield. Chemical sunscreens act like a sponge
and ABSORB UV light. Whereas physical sunscreens act more like a shield and DEFLECT the sun's rays (that’s why you sometimes hear them being referred to as a physical sunscreen).

Chemical sunscreens are detected in the bloodstream just 2 hours after
application, and many of the ingredients used are harmful to our coral reefs.

So we always prefer a mineral option. But mineral SPFs have traditionally been sticky and greasy, quick to clog pores, and prone to imparting a grey hue over darker skin tones. RAAIE’s Sun Milk Drops have solved this with revolutionary new technology to make an ultra lightweight mineral sunscreen.

80-90% of extrinsic aging (the signs we can see like wrinkles, dullness, sagging and pigmentation) are not caused by “aging” or time, they are caused
by exposure to UV rays. Imagine if you could look 80-90% younger in 20 years’ time? And that’s just aesthetics.

Living in New Zealand, we are exposed to 40% higher UV radiation than similar latitudes in North America, which is why there is such a high incidence
of skin cancer (it is the most common cancer affecting New Zealanders).

Studies show that wrinkles and sagging can appear 20 years earlier in women in the Southern hemisphere, compared to our Northern hemisphere sisters.

This sun damage accelerates signs of ageing like wrinkles, rough, dull skin, brown spots, red veins and sagging.

We all need to be wearing sunscreen Every. Single. Day. Even the cloudy days. Even when we are inside (yes, UV rays can can penetrate windows to reach the skin). And we also need to re-apply throughout the day to get the correct protection.

Sunscreens should be "broad-spectrum”, meaning they have UVA and UVB protection.   Rays that come from the sun fall into a number of different wavelengths. The SPF on the bottle mainly gives us information about UVB, which is the wavelength of light which causes burning and is responsible for skin cancers. We know that other wavelengths of light, particularly UVA, are detrimental to the skin, causing ageing and wrinkling.

15, 25, 30, 50... Wherever you shop sunscreen, there will always be a number following 'SPF' on each label. SPF or 'sun protection factor’ tells us how much longer we can stay out in the sun without burning, compared to our natural protection.

Dermatologists recommend using a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30, which blocks 97% of the sun's UVB rays. Higher-number SPFs block slightly more of the sun's UVB rays, but no sunscreen can block 100% of the sun's UVB rays (that’s why it’s important to use an antioxidant serum underneath your SPF, which can scavenge UV rays that sneak through your sunscreen).

It is also important to remember that high-number SPFs last the same amount of time as low-number SPFs. A high-number SPF does not allow you to spend additional time outdoors without reapplication. As many individuals only apply about 50% of the amount of sunscreen needed to achieve the amount of SPF on the label, application of high-SPF sunscreens help to compensate for this under-application. Sunscreens should be reapplied approximately every two hours when outdoors, even on cloudy days, and after swimming or sweating, according to the directions on the bottle.

It’s a mineral sunscreen that’s silky smooth and absorbs quickly for an invisible finish. It has a soft peach tint leaves all skin tones with a lit-from-within glow, and primes skin for makeup without clogging your pores. 

The high protection SPF50+ is designed for our harsh New Zealand sun, delivering broad spectrum protection with non-nano zinc oxide, shielding
against not only UVA and UVB rays, but other skin damaging aggressors such
as infrared radiation, pollution and digital blue light.