Do I need sunscreen every day? How do I build a skincare routine around daily use of a sunscreen?

Congrats on deciding to use a high UVA performance sunscreen every day! This is the single best thing you can do for your skin. Now what? If you need help building an effective, simple and affordable skincare routine, we can help! We put together a guide on how to pair 3 Essential Skincare products (including sunscreen) and 1 Optional. We call it our 3+1 Skincare system. Easy peasy. Click here to read.

What makes your sunscreens the best for the face? What skincare additives to you include to make the beneficial for the face especially?

We believe we make the best facial sunscreens because of our focus on their textures and aesthetics. We have heard from many of the patients that came to our co-founder’s dermatology clinic that they did not use a sunscreen every day because they hated the way they were greasy, heavy, whitening, irritating or gave them acne. Ours sunscreens all have different textures so you can find your preferred one. Our Ava Isa Sun-è-Serum Drops SPF 35 are light-weight and have the consistency of a serum. Our Cyberderm Simply Zinc’s are fluid and apply like an SPF oil but are not heavy or occlusive. We make sure to add signature anti-oxidants or skincare benefits to each of our sunscreens in order to round out their formulations. Our Ava Isa Sun-è-Serum Drops SPF 35 contain Micah, a synthetic anti-oxidant that has excellent clinical data showing it can prevent free radicals from being created and also helps with Blue Light. Our Cyberderm Simply Zinc’s both contain AOX, otherwise known as Norwegian Spruce Extract, which is a rich source of lignans and anti-oxidant support.

What is the best sunscreen for people with melasma and pigmentation?

Melasma is a skin disorder where bands of pigment occur on the face. It’s caused by a combination of hormones, UV and Blue light and infrared (heat). It remains unclear the exact combination of these factors that can cause melasma but it frequently occurs during pregnancy or other period of hormonal change like switching birth control. Even after treating the resulting pigmentation, we recommend continued daily use of a sunscreen in order to prevent the reoccurrence of pigment. We recommend using a sunscreen with the highest possible UVA Protection factor and ideally one that contains a mix of coloured iron oxides. To date- this seems the best combination of UV protection for those with melasma. Our current best mineral sunscreen to protect against melasma would be our Simply Zinc Ultra (tinted) SPF 50 with a UVA Protection Factor of 20. Alternatively, you could use one of our untinted sunscreens and layer a mineral make-up with iron oxides for additional protection.

What is a sunscreen serum? Is your Ava Isa Sun-è-Serum Drops SPF 35 a sunscreen or a serum? When should I use it in my skincare routine?

Our Ava Isa Sun-è-Serum Drops SPF 35 is a fully protective, daily, facial sunscreen. It contains the maximum concentration of zinc oxide as a UV filter at 25%. It provides excellent broad-spectrum UV protection and has a UVA Protection Factor of 15. We call it a sunscreen serum because it has the consistency of a serum and is very fluid. It is special in that it ‘drops’. We used popular conventional sunscreens that came in dropper form and found a way after extensive research to make it an all-mineral. You would use it as the last step in your skincare routine as you would any SPF. We recommend a 1/4 teaspoon (about the size of a quarter) for your face.

How can I tell if a sunscreen will be whitening? What is the best sunscreen for brown and black skin? What is the best sunscreen for no white cast?

All of our mineral sunscreens are known for being easy to blend and relatively less whitening than most other mineral sunscreens. However, if you are looking for a sunscreen that is 100% transparent on all skin tones, including black and brown skin, then we recommend our options that contain zinc oxide only and do not contain titanium dioxide in the inactive ingredients. The dispersion of zinc oxide that we use is exceptionally transparent, more than most available on the market. Titanium Dioxide is not as transparent however. Currently, our sunscreens from our Ava Isa line are 100% transparent and an excellent option for brown and black skin. Our Cyberderm Simply Zinc’s are slightly more whitening as they contain a blend of titanium dioxide and cerium oxide. We created a Guide on How to Choose a Sunscreen Based On Your Skin Tone to help our customers understand transparency.

What is your position on getting enough Vitamin D? How do we do that while using a sunscreen every day?

Vitamin D has been shown to be a very important and beneficial part of a health lifestyle. It’s often referred to as the ‘sunshine’ vitamin since our bodies undergo a natural conversion process to make Vitamin D. However, synthetic sources of vitamin D can also provide sufficient supplementation. We recommend along with the American Academy of Dermatologists to rely on supplementation rather than unprotected exposure to sunlight to get your daily intake of Vitamin D.

Our new Ava Isa Every Morning SPF 30 contains cholesterol that when exposed to UVB light is converted into Vitamin D3. We have clinical data to support the benefits of topical application of Vitamin D3 for the skin like barrier repair and pigmentation prevention. We do not currently have clinical data to support that this topical application would have the same systemic effects as oral supplementation or your natural Vitamin D synthesis from the sun.

How long does my sunscreen good for? How should I store it?

Most of our sunscreens have a 2 year expiry date. This means that when we test a formula that is two years into its shelf life, it will still have the declared amount of zinc oxide within the formula and its preservation system will still be fully functioning. However, we recommend using up your sunscreen within 4 months of opening. A general, good rule of thumb is to use up your bottle within the season that you buy it in. As we move to more natural formulas that meet the strictest Clean Beauty standards, variations in the texture and aesthetics of the product might show up towards the shelf life of the product. We also recommend storing your product at room temperature and to avoid consistent direct light. Although our formulas protect against sunlight, our finished products like most sunscreens should optimally be stored away from heat and light as these accelerate the degradation of the product and in effect ‘age’ them.

My Sun Lip Sun Whip SPF 15 is showing some crystallization? Why and can I fix this?

Our Sun Lip Sun Whips SPF 15 use all natural plant based oils and waxes. This product is designed to melt, i.e. become molten, at 38 degrees Celsius or your natural body temperature. If exposed to this temperature or higher, the product will become molten but will revert back to its normal balm-like texture at room temperature. If your product is exposed to sudden swings in temperature, in transit or otherwise, some minor crystallization can occur. To reset the product, place it in a cup of hot water (over 70 degrees Celsius) for 2 minutes and then let it return to room temperature (18-25 degrees Celsius) slowly. The product should return to a smooth and creamy texture. We recommend storing your product at room temperature and away from direct sunlight to maximize its shelf life.

What is the best filter for optimum protection in North America?

Zinc Oxide remains the best filter for true broad spectrum protection in North America, especially when it comes to protecting against UVA light. It has the most robust safety and efficacy data and alongside Titanium Dioxide, one of two filters that currently meet the FDA’s most stringent safety rating of GRASE (Generally Recognized as Safe and Effective). A short but good rule of thumb to remember- the more Zinc Oxide a sunscreen has, the better broad-spectrum protection it will provide. We recommend a concentrations as close to 25% zinc oxide as possible. The more Zinc, the better. How much does yours contain?

Are your sunscreens safe for pregnant women or breastfeeding women to use?

Yes! We take possible Endocrine Disruption very seriously and only work with filters that are large in size and are controversy free. Our co-founder a retired OB-GYN with a speciality in fetal maternal health and endocrinology shares his expertise with us to ensure we bring you the safest and most effective sunscreens for all phases in life. We actually use the litmus test for all of our research and development that our products should be ‘safe enough for a pregnant woman to use’ and we take a conservative approach in recommending any products that might be considered in a grey area.

Do you use nano sized Zinc Oxide?

We very often wrestle with how to answer this very complicated question with a simple answer. Simply put, we use a supply of Zinc Oxide that is Ecocert Certified Organic. Ecocert does not currently certify products that are considered nano as organic. Therefore, in simple terms, our zinc oxide can be considered non-nano. However, we caution consumers to delve deeper into these types of claims. There is no current global standard or test for determining what is considered nano sized. This means that suppliers can use their own in-house tests to determine whether their zinc oxide particles are below 100 nm. in size. Results can differ dramatically depending on what type of test is used. Furthermore, while a lab might detect the presence of nano-particles, these particles might not exist as such in real life conditions in finished formulas. Zinc Oxide especially tends to aggregate into larger clumps that formulators need to find ways to prevent in order to create uniform dispersions. Nano-particles have also been shown up until 30 nm in size to have robust safety when used in lotion based sunscreens. The EU currently only recommends avoiding nano particles in spray or powder form. Finally, many brands may rely on their suppliers information about whether their zinc oxide or titanium dioxide contains nano-particles and lack the ability to delve critically into their testing and reliability of their data. We would rather consumers look for options that contain high enough concentrations of zinc oxide rather than focus on particle size of their mineral filters.

What does a clean ‘chemical’ sunscreen mean?

We’ve seen this term used in the industry before and we believe it has several problematic implications. From a strict scientific point of view, everything including water can be considered a chemical. In terms of SPF filters, the terms chemical vs. physical filters are misnomers. Mineral filters do not largely work by reflecting or physically blocking UV rays. However, this does not impact their safety and they remain the gold standard in UV protection. Many ‘chemical’ filters are problematic in our opinion because of their small molecular weight and their potential to act as endocrine disrupting chemicals when they enter the body. Oxybenzone and Octinoxate are frequently criticized in the industry for these reasons. “Clean chemical’ sunscreens purport to be safer by not using these two filters but instead using alternative filters like Avobenzone, Homosalate, Octisalate etc. However, many of these alternative filters are equally as small in size and do enter the body. A recent FDA study pointed out that they build up in the body in much larger than expected concentrations. There is emerging data to show that these filters are also impactful endocrine disrupting chemicals and that they can have similar effects as Oxybenzone and Octinoxate. We believe there are safe UV filters globally available beyond mineral based ones. We will only ever formulate with UV filters that are large in size (above 500 Daltons), do not permeate skin, and provide true broad spectrum protection especially in the long wave UVA range.

What is benzene and why is it found in some sunscreens? Should I be concerned?

Most recently in 2021, the carcinogen benzene was found to be a possible contaminant of the filter Octocrylene. This impacted many commercially available sunscreens in North America and abroad and led to widespread recalls. While the amount of benzene would be considered a trace amount, sunscreens as drug products should be made with Good Manufacturing Practices. This means that known contaminants, while possible, should be traced throughout the supply chain, especially when included in Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API’s). They should tested for on a lot to lot basis so consumers can have full confidence that the product they are using meets the most stringent safety standards and regulations. Regulations should be routinely investigated and if needed, they should be updated to reflect the changing way that products might be used and that all users, including children and infants, are considered.

Did you formulate the Eleven by Venus Williams Unrivaled Sun Serum SPF 35? Where can I purchase it?

We did formulate the original version of Eleven by Venus Williams Unrivaled Sun Serum SPF 35 that has a 25% zinc oxide concentration. You can find our name and company details on the packaging to verify that your formula was made by us.

Please note that they have since chosen to replace this previous version with a new formula that we did not create, although it is still using the same product name. You can identify the new version from the original, since now it only has a zinc oxide concentration of 10% compared to the original version that we produced with 25% zinc oxide. You can also tell from looking at the packaging, as our company name is not present on the new version. We have been notified that our company name does still appear on certain e-commerce sites and product listing pages. We are working to have these removed but we can emphatically state that we did not formulate any of the current sunscreen products under the Eleven by Venus Williams line. Please note that we did not formulate the other sunscreen products in their line: Game.Set.Match Body Lotion SPF 50 or Ace the Day Face Lotion SPF 30. We do not distribute or sell directly the Eleven by Venus Williams Unrivaled Sun Serum SPF 35 so we cannot speak to its availability or the best place to purchase. However, we do offer a similar formula in terms of efficacy and aesthetics in our Ava Isa Sun-è-Serum Drops SPF 35. We use the unique ingredient Micah as opposed to the prickly pear derivative used in the Eleven version.