Choosing Your SPF: The Four Sunscreens on Your Plan, and How to Use Them

If you only buy one product from your plan, make it this one. Sunscreen protects everything else you do for your skin, and nothing else on the card can make up for skipping it.

By Dr Amber Halliday, MRCGP MBBS BSc (Hons)  |  Blue Bird Aesthetics, Worthing  |  Last reviewed October 2026

The card says “every morning, all year”, and I mean both parts. The UVB rays that burn are strongest in summer, but UVA, which drives much of the visible ageing and pigmentation I see, is present all year and passes through cloud and window glass. On the Worthing seafront there is also reflection off the water and the pebbles. Why this matters even more as skin gets older is covered in my article on why SPF matters more after 40. This one is about choosing and using the sunscreens on your card.

The four sunscreens on your card

All four are AlumierMD mineral sunscreens, using zinc oxide and titanium dioxide rather than chemical filters. That is why I use them after treatments: mineral filters tend to be better tolerated by sensitive and recently treated skin.

Sheer Hydration and Clear Shield also contain antioxidants that help defend skin against pollution and visible and infrared light. Trial sizes of the SPFs I recommend most are available in clinic.

How much is enough?

Most people apply about half the amount that was used to test the SPF on the label, so they get far less protection than they think. A simple guide for the face and neck is two finger-lengths, or about a quarter of a teaspoon for the face alone.

When to reapply

Sunscreen is one part of sun protection, not all of it. A wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and shade in the middle of the day matter too, especially in the weeks after a treatment and when you are using a retinoid, an exfoliant or a brightening serum.

Situations people ask me about: tap to open

I am working on pigmentation or melasma

Sunscreen is not optional here. It is the treatment. Brightening serums and peels cannot keep up with ongoing sun exposure. A tinted mineral sunscreen can also help, because visible light plays a part in melasma. See pigmentation and melasma.

I have just had NeoGen, a peel or microneedling

Your aftercare card gives the start date. After microneedling and peels it is the next morning. After NeoGen it is from day 1, using the mineral SPF 30 or higher I give you. Keep out of strong sun as well while your skin heals. See skincare around your treatment.

I am going on holiday somewhere hot

Plan treatments around the trip, not the other way round, and pack enough sunscreen: a face-and-neck application every two hours outdoors gets through a bottle quickly. See holiday skin planning.

I wear make-up and cannot reapply over it

A tinted sunscreen can replace foundation on many days. On days when you are outdoors, a light layer pressed on over make-up is better than none.

Common questions

My bottle used to say SPF 40. Why does it now say SPF 30?

AlumierMD has relabelled its sunscreens to meet new labelling rules. The company says the formulas and the level of protection are unchanged, so an older pack and a newer one protect in the same way.

Is the SPF in my make-up or moisturiser enough?

Rarely. You would need to apply far more than anyone does to get the protection on the label. Use a proper sunscreen and treat any SPF in make-up as a bonus.

Will mineral sunscreen leave a white cast?

Modern mineral sunscreens are much sheerer than older ones. The tinted options blend most easily on deeper skin tones. Ask for a trial size and see how it looks on you.

Do I need sunscreen on a cloudy Worthing day in January?

Yes, if you are protecting your skin against visible ageing and pigmentation. UVA passes through cloud all year. It is also simpler: a habit that happens every morning is easier than deciding each day.