According to a Dermatologist, These Are the Best SPFs for Mature Skin (2024)

As a beauty editor, I'm often asked by my female relatives if they should bother wearing SPF. My mum, who is now in her sixties, worshipped the sun during her twenties, thirties and forties, often while wearing a generous layer of baby oil—sometimes even cooking oil — to maximise her tan in the summer. *Shudders*.

Thankfully, we are now much more informed about the dangers of sun damage and skin cancer than back then, and wearing daily SPF is more commonplace now. Alongside the known dangers of the sun, UVA and UVB rays also play a huge part in skin changes such as pigmentation, fine lines, melasma and wrinkles. It's estimated that around 80-90% of skin ageing is attributed to sun exposure—yet another reason we should be applying SPF daily, even during winter and on cloudy days, and not just in the summer and on holiday.

Just recently, my grandma spotted the early signs of skin cancer on her nose—which was thankfully treatable and safely removed—and it became a wake-up call for all of the family to be a lot more careful in the sun. In short, it's never too late to start protecting your skin by wearing a good SPF.

So, what are the best SPFs for mature skin? I enlisted the help of Dr Hiva Fassihi from OneWelbeck Skin Health & Allergy, London, to share how to find the best SPF for your skin, as well as some dermatologist-approved recommendations.

In short, yes. Everyone can benefit from wearing SPF, regardless of your age. "Mature skin needs sunscreen for the same reasons that skin at all ages need sunscreen – to protect from the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation (UVR)," says Dr Fassihi.

"With increasing age, skin often becomes dry and sensitive secondary to chronic sun exposure. There is also more photodamage with redness, pigmentation, and wrinkles secondary to loss of collagen and elastin. Additionally, studies have shown that women lose about 30% of collagen in their skin during the first five years of menopause," she adds. "The use of daily sunscreen can help reduce and improve these signs of skin photoaging and also prevent the skin becoming even more red and sensitive over the years."

"Sunscreen should be applied generously after cleansing in the mornings. Care should be taken to cover all exposed parts of the face and neck, including the delicate skin under the eyes. After waiting 15 minutes for the preparation to fully absorb into the skin, then makeup can be applied on top," she says.

Thankfully, there are plenty of formulas, textures and application alternatives to help you top up your SPF protection throughout the day. "The newer spray-on mists such as La Roche-Posay Anthelios Invisible Anti-Shine Face Mist SPF 50 (£18), which can be applied over makeup, allow convenient topping-up during the day without disturbing your makeup," says Dr Fassihi.

Next, you want to consider the type of SPF for your skin type. "If the skin is dry and sensitive then I would suggest choosing an SPF 50 with no fragrance and minimal ingredients. Those with a higher contents of mineral (physical) sunscreen filters (often found in children’s sunscreens) are tolerated better by people with sensitive skin," says Dr Fassihi. "Anthelios UVMune 400 Hydrating Cream SPF50++ offers very high broad-spectrum facial sun protection for dry sensitive skin in a moisturising perfume-free formula. The netlock technology delivers a non-migrating and very resistant sunscreen with reduced eye stinging," she says.

For those with normal skin to combination skin, she recommends the Anthelios UVMune 400 Invisible Fluid SPF50+, which offers an invisible non-greasy formulation—making it ideal as make-up primer, whereas those with sun damage will benefit from Anthelios Age Correct SPF50, which protects the skin and also addresses dark spots and pigmentation.

"There is now a broad selection of sunscreen for all skin types on the market," says Dr Fassihi." There are a variety of textures, with or without a tint, allowing you to pick the perfect product for your skin type."

Scroll ahead for some of our favourite SPFs for mature skin.