Making sun protection part of a daily routine

by Megan Moyer, corporate marketing manager, as appeared in Inside Beauty for Drug Store News

According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, “protecting your skin from the sun can reduce your risk of developing skin cancer, sunburn, and premature skin aging like age spots, sagging, and wrinkles. If you’ve had skin cancer, sun protection can reduce your risk of getting another skin cancer.” Sun protection is easier to incorporate into your daily routine when the lotions you already use to moisturize your skin include SPF.

One company that offers a variety of lotions featuring SPF is Andalou Naturals. The company offers nine products that include sun protection, and one is even recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation.

The lotions meet various needs such as sensitive or combination skin or include age-defying properties. The Sensitive 1000 Roses CC Color + Correct lotions come in different tints and SPFs depending on the selected product. Clear Skin Argan Stem Cell BB Benefit balm includes fruit stem cell complex and argan stem cells with broad spectrum protection to defend against premature aging. Age-defying products also include the DIY Booster facial serum, the Perfecting BB beauty balm, and Ultra Sheer Daily Defense facial lotion. There’s also a Brightening Vitamin C BB beauty balm.

The Andalou product that is recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation is the Deep Hydration Daily Shade + Blue Light Defense facial lotion. The lotion had to pass multiple types of testing in order to earn the Skin Cancer Foundation’s seal of recommendation. Ingredients in the lotion include a mineral sunscreen, hyaluronic acid and bio-designed collagen, ectoin, and non-nano zinc oxide.

Nigar Zeynalova, global brand director for Andalou Naturals at BWX Limited, said, “We were developing the product during the pandemic while people were staying home, and skin care category sales were suffering almost as much as cosmetics. It forced brands like ours to be a little more innovative about our approach to skin care.”

Zeynalova said they recognized with more people working remote that those individuals were getting more exposure to blue light from computers, phones, and TVs and that it was damaging to skin. Zeynalova said they decided to solve that problem by adding the ingredient ectoin which is a natural ingredient that provides a protective barrier between skin and the blue light. “We also use a special type of zinc oxide – a non-nano zinc oxide – which means the molecules in the sunscreen are big enough that they actually cannot penetrate your skin,” Zeynalova explained. She continued, “We were glad to partner with Whole Foods for the nationwide product.”

Also important to the team at Andalou is educating consumers about the importance of using SPF and they approached the Skin Cancer Foundation to partner with them in 2022, including joining their corporate council. The Andalou team is creating social media content to educate consumers about skin cancer including how to conduct self-evaluations and the amount of SPF one should apply and how often. Additionally, they worked with a board-certified dermatologist during the month of May – skin cancer awareness month – to sponsor free skin cancer evaluations at the doctor’s New York office.

Zeynalova said there are three more lotions with SPF coming in 2024. “They will each address a particular skin concern because consumers should be protecting their skin from the sun year-round and a lot of consumers don’t want to use a sunscreen on a daily basis,” she commented. Providing a lotion that solves other issues such as wrinkles or sensitive skin that includes an SPF is more likely to be used daily, Zeynalova says.

Andalou is moving to more mineral-based SPF to make their products reef-friendly. In addition, they are addressing some of the top issues with sunscreens, such as the white cast it can leave and the odor. “It’s difficult to get the same performance from a mineral SPF as from a chemical SPF, but we achieved it with Deep Hydration Daily Shade + Blue Light Defense facial lotion,” Zeynalova stated. She says their most popular product is the Age Defying Ultra Sheer Daily Defense facial lotion which has an 18 SPF and is the top selling U.S. skin care brand in the natural channel, according to SPINS data. According to Zeynalova, consumers like the sheer texture, nice fragrance, and non-comedogenic properties it has.

With vacation and travel seemingly back to pre-pandemic levels and the greater self-care awareness everyone has gained since battling COVID, adding the application of skin care lotions or creams containing SPF into daily routines should be an easy sell to consumers.