I've finally had to accept it, there is no formula, standard routine or amount of products that can save my skin from peeling when I apply sunscreen.
From the look of blogs and forums, I am not alone in this problem. Those who have had peeling when applying sunscreen raise your hand! And if you have found a solution, please share your secrets in the comments.
Among the skincare community there is plenty of advice from bloggers who are also engaged in this daily battle. And it is a daily battle, because we are all wearing sunscreen everyday, right?
Of course I have tried to research how others deal with this problem. The most common pieces of advice is to give each product enough time to absorb before layering the sunscreen, or even the next step. But despite experimenting with this - even leaving 30 minutes between layers - the dreaded peeling still occurs when I apply the sunscreen.
Other skincare gurus suggest layering products by order of density. This makes a lot of sense as it maximises the benefits from our carefully selected products. The theory is that thinner watery products are absorbed quicker and from there we build up layers of increasingly thick products. But this is still not been helpful for me, and the final sunscreen layer still peels. Despite this I still apply my routine in that order to try to take squeeze the benefits from the ingredients.
Another way to solve the problem is to wear just sunscreen, or if your skin is in need of a bit more of moisture, wear just moisturiser followed by sunscreen. However, most of us didn't get into skincare to be satisfied with a measly two step routine - my bare minimum in-a-rush routine has three steps so this still doesn't provide a solution.
It would be easier to solve if the problem occurred all the time, but there are some days when I do everything the same and yet experience no peeling at all.
To make things even more difficult when finding advice, everyone's skin is different, and sometimes different on different days. So I have started my own research to notice when different product combinations of products trigger the dreaded face snow flakes.
Really I should have been more scientific about it, trying different combinations and recording the results. But life tends to get in the way. One trend I have identified is that any product containing vitamin C is sure to trigger peeling sunscreen.
Vitamin C seems to a difficult one with other products too. I struggle to mix products containing vitamin C and hyaluronic acid in the same routine. It doesn't matter what order I apply them, as soon as the sunscreen goes on the peeling starts.
So there is my findings - avoiding vitamin C and hyaluronic acid tends to work for me, most of the time. If you're suffering from the same problem try it yourself. For me it is an ongoing process of trial and error. For each of us I recommend trying to become experts on our own skin and figure out what works best for us.
And… if like me you find that some of your favourite products bring on peeling, don't worry there is always time to use and enjoy them on alternative days.
If I have any breakthroughs, I'll keep you posted.
Priscilla x
Found a way to cut out the sunscreen peeling? I would love to know your secrets in the comments. Don't forget to sign up to our email newsletter to claim 10% off your first order.
