Why sunscreen and moisturiser shouldn't be in the same bottle

People often ask when we are going to make a moisturiser with SPF in it and I always give the same answer – never.

I spent a decade playing professional cricket, which often meant spending six hours a day outside in the sun and wind, all year round. Not once did I think it a good idea to head out for the day protected only by a moisturiser with SPF in it.

Don’t get me wrong I wore plenty of moisturiser and I wore plenty of sunscreen but just never from the same bottle. My reasoning is simple; adding sunscreen to a moisturiser lessens the effectiveness of both products.

They are in fact two different products designed to fulfil two different roles. They can of course work together to great effect, but only when used in conjunction with each other and applied separately, not premixed into the same product in some misguided attempt for efficiency and speed.

Moisturisers are designed to nourish and protect by regulating the skin’s natural levels of amino acids, salts and water. The moisturiser locks in these great natural resources and forms a covering over the skin cells that refracts light, giving skin a protective barrier but also creating a healthy translucent glow.

A great face moisturiser should be delicate, refined, like an artist that works to embellish the natural advantages of your skin.

A sunscreen by comparison is a brute, designed to block and protect you from the suns harmful rays.

My argument is that I do not want the chemicals or heavy oils from sunscreen mixing with my natural moisture and skin protection. I want the moisturiser to get a chance to do its job, to help trap in my natural moisture and to create a barrier that will act to even out my skin’s oil production and create a healthy looking skin surface. Once the moisturiser has had a chance to do its job then I will apply sunscreen on top.

My preference is always for a physical sunscreen that utilises zinc as a base to block the sun. This combination I find highly effective and I get the best of both worlds, healthy great feeling skin from my moisturiser and great effective sun protection from my sunscreen.

So I say don’t take short cuts – use a great moisturiser to make your skin feel soft and youthful, then protect it with a great sunscreen (natural if possible) if you are heading out into the sun.

Dion Nash