Goodbye, skin damage. Looking forward to healthy skin for the rest of my life
When it comes to anti-ageing skincare, we've all heard the timeless advice: wear sunscreen!
But how many of us actually wear sunscreen every day?
A report released in 2020 revealed that while 62% of Americans use anti-aging products daily, only about 10% use sunscreen daily (and 46% of those Americans never wear sunscreen!). If we are willing to spend so much money and time on skincare products, why is it so difficult for many of us to get into the habit of wearing sunscreen every day?
The answer is simple sunscreen can be a little uncomfortable.
Why do we struggle to wear sunscreen every day？
It's easy to be ashamed of not wearing sunscreen - it's often referred to as the holy grail of skincare - but I'm not unaware of how much it ...... sucks. It can be greasy, leave white streaks on the skin and leave sweat feeling stuck to your pores. If you are sensitive to acne and pimples, then you have even more reason to avoid the product.
But we should take the health of our skin seriously. Sun exposure is a leading cause of skin cancer and a major cause of premature ageing, wrinkles, sagging and age spots. Everyone has the right to look and feel their best, and, like all healthy habits, adopting a routine that protects our skin from UV damage is something we should cultivate.
However, when you find sunscreen objectionable, it is believed that three options exist when it comes to sun protection.
Carrying an umbrella or wearing clothes that cover the skin (popular in many East Asian cultures but perhaps less acceptable in Western cultures)
Avoiding the sun (not always a viable solution)
Just not wearing sunscreen
It is not surprising that many people choose not to use sunscreen on a daily basis.
What has Japanese skincare taught me about effective anti-aging？
But in Japan, sunscreen is an important part of many people's skincare routines. Sold and promoted throughout the year, more than half of Japanese women use sunscreen at any time of the year, and by around May, more than 85% of Japanese women and 67% of men use it regularly, according to a survey conducted in 2020. At first, I simply attributed the widespread use of sunscreen to the high beauty standards of fair skin. Perhaps the Japanese care more about their skincare than Americans do.
But looking back at how much Americans spend on anti-ageing products each year - the market for anti-ageing products in the US is estimated to be around $14.2 billion in 2020 - I don't think this is the case. So why are the Japanese more likely to wear sunscreen than Americans?
Well, one day, I borrowed the Japanese sunscreen my mother keeps stocked in her mini skincare fridge and immediately understood why: it's a great product.
Japanese skincare showed me that the secret to effective skincare is not some obscure ingredient or an expensive multi-step process but applying sunscreen consistently. What's the most effective way to stay consistent? Use the products you want to use every day.
The sunscreen my mum lent me was clear, non-sticky and kept my skin soft, and the consistency of the liquid felt good on my cheeks. The packaging is nice and feels sturdy, and I am always given the right amount.
Rather than tolerating inferior products, which are still good for us, Japanese skincare has completely redefined how sunscreen feels and looks - which is why so many people are happy to use it every day.
Today's sunscreens are not the sunscreens of 10 years ago
It's hard to change people's minds about a product they've formed hard opinions about. If for years you've only offered uncomfortable, cheap and sticky sunscreens, why explore the option of trying again?
A new development is environmentally conscious sunscreens, products that are proven to be harmless to corals and which do not include traditional sunscreen chemicals that have been found to harm coral reefs (rule of thumb: avoid products containing oxybenzone, octinoxate, ocrelene ingredients).
With beautiful packaging, a comfortable consistency and ingredients that make you feel good about yourself, sunscreen has gradually moved away from being this cheap, must-have evil summer essential to a perennially luxurious and trustworthy product that many people can't imagine starting their days without.
COOSEON is not here to sell a specific product but to remind everyone that applying sunscreen is no longer the onerous task it once was. So instead of slathering on that old bottle of sunscreen you bought on a whim two years ago, turn your attention to finding a quality product that makes your skin feel good. Find a sunscreen that suits your needs, invest in a product you love, use it every day and use it forever. That's the secret to a youthful glow with Japanese anti-ageing skincare.
All future versions of you will be grateful for what you've done.
Sun protection has also been mentioned in previous COOSEON articles. For interested readers, click here:
https://cooseon.com/blogs/skincare-journal/what-hapens-when-skip-sunscreen
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