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When you are a teenager, your priorities are different. All teens want to do is try on the latest beauty trends, explore various types of food that fit their budget, stay up late, and create core memories with friends. But while enjoying these adventures, teens may forget to take care of their health. A lifestyle consisting of fast food, improper sleep, and hormonal ups and downs, teenagers have a tough time maintaining clear, blemish-free skin.
When you are in your teens, your skin can take a lot, but that means more damage in the long run. Your teens and early 20s are the time for prevention. Prevention from potential sun damage, hyperpigmentation, dull skin, and uneven skin tone. If there’s one thing that every teenager must invest their time and minimal capital on, it’s sunscreen.
Why Do Teenagers Need Sunscreen?
According to a study, only 9–10% of teenagers use sunscreen when they step out in the sun. Their attitude towards sunscreens is developed based on sunscreen usage in their family. Factors like whether parents use sunscreen; family history of skin concerns; or friends using sunscreen affect an average teenager’s decision to invest in sunscreen.
Incorporating sunscreen into your daily routine as a teen is crucial because according to a study, adolescence is the best time to prevent and protect from UV rays, as it reduces the chance of hyperpigmentation, dull skin, uneven skin tone, and even chances of skin cancer by 78%.
When you are in your teens, your young skin has a natural glow that eventually fades as you grow old. Prevent the loss of your natural glow while protecting your skin with regular use of sunscreens. Prevent your future self from regret and start early, as we all know, prevention is better than cure.
As people this age are enthusiastic and exploratory and don’t shy away from adventures in the sun, reapplying sunscreen is just as important. This makes sure your skin is constantly protected while you enjoy the outdoors.
What To Look For In Sunscreens For Teenagers?
With the hormone monster not leaving their side, teenagers are always bogged down with skin concerns. This means constantly having acne-trouble, breakouts, clogged pores, and scars. So while looking for any products, they need to make sure it doesn’t aggravate their existing condition. Here are a few things to be mindful of while looking for sunscreens for teenagers.
- Sensitive skin: Your skin is the most sensitive when you are a teenager. This means any product you apply can affect your skin health and cause you more harm than good. So look for products that have ingredients that can soothe your sensitive skin.
- Acne-prone skin: Our extreme and volatile hormones make our skin more prone to acne and related issues. So make sure the sunscreen you apply doesn’t add more oil to your skin clogging your pores further.
- Budget-friendly: As teenagers, there’s limited pocket money to spend on makeup and skincare. Look for trusted, long-lasting products that are worth the splurge or find budget offerings.
- Chemical-free: As mentioned, teens tend to have more sensitive skin and using a lot of chemicals can have ill effects in the long run. So, opt for mineral sunscreens that don’t let the UV rays enter your skin, unlike chemical ones that absorb rays to convert them into heat.
Best Sunscreen For Teenagers
Sunscreen For Sensitive Skin
This sunscreen from Dot & Key is infused with niacinamide, which helps fade dark spots, reduces tanning, and calms irritated and reddened skin. It’s a water-based sunscreen, hence it absorbs easily and quickly without alarming your sensitive skin and offers a natural-looking matte finish.
Nykaa Recommends:
This offering from Nivea offers instant protection for teens who are always up and about in the sun. It is also a fragrance-free and non-comedogenic formula making it ideal for thin, delicate, and sensitive skin that is prone to sun damage and irritation.
Nykaa Recommends:
Sunscreen For Oily Skin
Oily and acne-prone skin requires mattifying formulations that don’t clog your pores and increase the oil production on your skin. This sunscreen from Fixderma is an opaque gel formula with photostable sun protectors that offer excellent coverage without probing your acne.
Nykaa Recommends:
Formulated with phospholipids and glycerin, this sunscreen from Deconstruct is a great gel-based product for acne-prone, greasy, and oil skin. It prevents tanning while maintaining your skin's hydration levels. It’s lightweight, fragrance-free, and dermatologically tested for acne-prone skin.
Nykaa Recommends:
Sunscreen With Minerals
Made with invisible yet optimum UV filters such as zinc oxide that blocks harmful rays and glycerin that retains moisture, this mineral sunscreen from Dr Sheth’s is great for beginners and teens. It leaves no white cast, is non-sticky, and is non-irritating.
Nykaa Recommends:
With water and sweat resistance, this mineral sunscreen reflects the UV rays before your delicate teen skin even absorbs it. It’s an oil-free formulation that suits all skin types and seamlessly blends without leaving a white cast.
Nykaa Recommends:
Sunscreen On A Budget
Just under 499, this Minimalist sunscreen is the perfect addition to your vanity. It’s a broad-spectrum, super lightweight, and moisturising formula that offers SPF 50 PA++++ for a natural, non-greasy look. With three effective UV filters – Tinosorb M, Uvinul A +, and OMC – this product spreads easily and absorbs quickly.
Nykaa Recommends:
Another pocket-friendly option is Aqualogica’s Glow+Dewy sunscreen made with papaya extract and Vitamin C. It prevents, protects, hydrates, and even makes your skin glow. It also prevents pigmentation, dull skin, dark spots, and more with every use.
Nykaa Recommends:
Sunscreen For Reapplication
Made with bio elixir, passion fruit oil, vitamin E, monoi oil, and macadamia seed oil this sun protect spray is perfect for teens on the go. It doesn’t move your makeup and the SPF 60 makes it perfect for extreme sun protection during sunny days.
Nykaa Recommends:
For younglings who are always stepping out during the day, reapplying sunscreen is non-negotiable. This sunstick is an easy, fuss-free, and accessible way to really sun protection that offers SPF 60 PA++++.
Nykaa Recommends:
FAQs
- Do teenagers need sunscreen?
- What amount of SPF do teens need?
- Why is sunscreen important for teenagers?
Yes, the teenage years are the perfect time to start preventing sun damage. It is that time of your life when your skin is the most sensitive and vulnerable to future potential damage. Hence protecting from sun damage is crucial for teens.
Just like adults, teens also need a higher SPF especially in a tropical country like India where summers are terrible and other seasons are also hot and humid. Opt for an SPF 40–50 when stepping outdoors and an SPF 60 or above when reapplying.
Sunscreen is important for teenagers because it prevents the occurrence and appearance of dullness, dark spots, and hyperpigmentation. It sustains the natural glow a teen has as they enter adulthood. It also reduces the risk of concerns like skin cancer caused due to sun exposure.
