Remember the backlash over Gwyneth Paltrow’s application of sunscreen, using it on the high points of her face as if it were highlighter? Multiply that response by 10 when Dr. Barbara Sturm, the founder of the premium eponymous skincare brand, proclaimed that sunlight is good for you and that retinol is bad for you. I agree with the first statement to a degree, and I fervently disagree with the latter.
The reason her statements about only needing two skincare products (neither of which are sunscreen or retinol) caused such a furore that almost every dermatologist in the social media space came out and rebuked her. They reiterated their recommendations of sunscreen and a retinol as the very two products that should be part of your skincare regimen. Oh, the irony. Furthermore, the two products she recommended were from her own line, which most agreed are overpriced.
Add insult to injury: Dr. Barbara Sturm is an orthopedist, not a dermatologist, and you begin to see why what she said created such a stir.
Personally, I am a very firm believer in sunscreen. Skin cancer runs in my family and I know I am incredibly susceptible to developing it, so I no longer go out without it. It’s a functional skincare product as well as something that has evolved into a cream that feels like a treat for the skin. Gone are the days of thick, greasy creams that would leave a white caste on the skin and make you feel like you were wearing a mask.
This does not mean to say that a little bit of sunlight a day can’t be healthy. I have had doctors recommend it to me as part of an overall healthy lifestyle, as I live in a country with few hours of sunlight a year. However, they emphasised that I should limit the time in the sun without sunscreen to just a few minutes in the early morning.
The whole incident made me think about how divided some people have become on the subject of sunscreen. I have seen influencers reject it completely – a concept that baffles me, and seems dangerous considering their public platform – and I watched people reject the sun, covering themselves from head to toe on a daily basis. The pendulum has once again swung too far in opposite directions. I believe in common sense, in protecting yourself from the damaging effects of UVA and UVB, but not veering into sheer terror of the sun either. As in all things, I seek balance.
If you do wear sunscreen, I’ve linked the formulas that I use on rotation (only because I’m a product junkie!), and in no particular order, below:
I love that this is rich yet feels light on the skin and is a great base for makeup application.
Another La Roche-Posay favourite but tinted for those days where you want to go light on makeup but still look polished.
And yet another French pharmacy product that I really like for its mattifying effect.
This gentle, lightweight formula feels like skincare and it absorbs so easily.
The Smart Beauty Edit 
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