Sun creams 2021: what are the best creams for tanning this summer?

Browning without burning or accelerating skin ageing, tanning while respecting your skin but also marine ecosystems, tanning while shielding pollution: in 2021, sunscreens must adapt to ever-increasing expectations in terms of protection and eco-responsibility. Overview of the promises of a 100% radiant summer...

Respecting and caring for our skin and the environment is the bet of the new sun protection products. Health magazine takes stock.

Hail yes, pollute no! The best biodegradable sunscreens

The brands of sunscreen products display different levels of environmental responsibility: some guarantee formulas that respect marine ecosystems, others plastic-free, recycled or recyclable packaging, or support for associations involved in the preservation of underwater biodiversity. Concretely, it is difficult to promise an effective formula if it is completely devoid of organic filters, those which are precisely suspected of being pollutants.

"Better to bet on biodegradable products, indicates Dr. Nina Roos, dermatologist, and favor 'mineral' or 'organic' filters composed of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide." For her part, Céline Couteau, lecturer in industrial pharmacy and cosmetology, warns against formulas containing plant extracts and high percentages of alcohol (INCI: Alcohol) which can be photosensitizing. Convinced of the need to use powerful organic filters, she recommends opting for a water-resistant formula, in a recyclable bottle, in order to avoid environmental pollution. And to tan without polluting, avoid swimming during the hottest hours which require you to reapply your sunscreen very regularly.

Their particularities: a reduced number of filters, good water resistance and the mention "water-resistant" claimed on the pack.

How to recognize them? Check for "Ocean Respect", "Coral Safe", "Ocean Friendly", "Marine Tested" or "Biodegradable" claims on the bottle.

Our selection of eco-friendly sunscreens:

Tanning safely, the best creams for UV protection

The role of a sunscreen is to protect the skin as best as possible from ultraviolet radiation, by acting as a barrier between the epidermis and the sun, explains Dr. Roos.

"To achieve this, it neutralizes UV rays and prevents them from causing burns (the famous 'sunburns' left by an excess of UVB rays) and skin aging (caused by UVA rays which penetrate to the dermis and degrade the cells there. ),” adds Dr. Roos. However, in recent years, studies have also demonstrated the deleterious effects of visible light (which represents nearly 45% of rays) and infrared. They indeed strike in depth and produce a large quantity of free radicals, likely to create DNA lesions and accelerated photoaging. As there is no molecule that can absorb them, you have to bet on a formula capable of reflecting them to prevent them from penetrating.

Their particularities: these sunscreens favor very broad spectrum filters such as the brand new TRIASORB from Avène or even Mexoryl XL, Mexoryl SX, Helioplex or Tinosorb and generally bear the mention “for sensitive skin” or “sensitive skin ”.

How to recognize them? Check the presence of the UVA logo which guarantees the protection recommended by the European Union.

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Our selection of anti-UV sunscreens

The best sunscreens for tanning without wrinkles or spots

Sun exposure accelerates skin aging, explains Dr. Roos. UVA rays cause cellular disruption that alters the functioning of melanocytes (the cells responsible for releasing dark pigments when the skin is exposed), and UVB rays modify the DNA of skin cells and the structure of collagen and elastin fibers. Result, the appearance of brown spots and an epidermis that marks more and loses firmness.

Choose a mixed formula

To prevent flush pigments from darkening and multiplying, opt for a sunscreen with added melanogenesis inhibitors that protect and treat hyperpigmentation, and a formula combining high filters, powerful antioxidants, plumping hyaluronic acid and cell protectors. Céline Couteau recalls that a "quality sun protection product protects against sunburn but also and above all against photo-induced skin cancers and photoaging". It's a pack: the product does all or nothing. In short, by protecting yourself with a good index, you limit the damage!

Their particularities: these formulas include a large proportion of active antioxidants (vitamin and A, polyphenols, ubiquinone, etc.).

How to recognize them? Anti-dark spot sunscreens generally carry the claim “depigmenting” and contain azelaic acid or glabridin, while anti-aging products are enriched with moisturizing and lipid-replenishing agents (hyaluronic acid, ceramides, collagen, etc.).

Our selection of anti-wrinkle and anti-dark spot sunscreens

The best sunscreens for tanning without drying out your skin

After choosing a sunscreen product with a high SPF and a broad spectrum, it may be worth opting for formulas enriched with antioxidants and repair agents.

Prefer a gradual tan

To preserve your skin, avoid intensive tanning sessions, prefer a gradual tan with a sunscreen product containing moisturizing and antioxidant agents such as aloe vera, white tea, polyphenols, vitamin C and vitamin E.

Their particularities: they contain a supplement of nutritious active ingredients such as shea, glycerin or aloe vera which double the protection of a lipid-replenishing effect.

How to recognize them? It is indicated on the pack! Watch for formulas indicating: "anti-dryness", "sublimator", "hydrating".

Our selection of anti-drying sunscreens

The best sunscreens for tanning under very high protection

Some skins are more sensitive than others to UV, reminds Dr. Roos. And you can't usually get a tan darker than two shades, or risk your health.

Stick to your phototype

The choice of your sunscreen must therefore be guided by your phototype. If yours is clear, you blush in the sun and are prone to allergic reactions, it is better to opt for a special product for sensitive skin with a short formula and containing more mineral filters, which are less irritating than organic filters.

"Less sensory and sometimes more difficult to apply, they help protect skin suffering from lupus, lucite or with a history of skin cancer," concludes Dr. Roos.

Their particularities: these formulas have a minimum index of 50 and are water resistant to protect intolerant skin in all circumstances.

How to recognize them? They bear the words "very high protection" or "extreme protection", do not contain perfume and their pack is generally white, unlike the orange of sunscreens.

Our selection of super-protective sunscreens

Sunscreen and make-up: how to reconcile them?

A make-up product does not provide enough protection against UV rays and is not resistant to perspiration or swimming. But for those who want to look radiant from the start of the holidays, brands offer tinted sunscreen formulas for uncompromising protection.

To avoid shine, some creams incorporate mattifying agents (perlite, talc) or kaolin to provide a natural powdery finish, most are water resistant.

If your skin is fragile, apply sunscreen under your tinted screen, instead of your day care.