Does Glitter Sunscreen Actually Protect You From The Sun?

We all know the importance of sunscreen in our daily routine to protect our skin from harmful rays. Even if it is cloudy and the sun's nowhere to be seen, sunscreens should always be applied thoroughly. 

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According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, simply using SPF 15 on a normal day decreases your risk of melanoma by 50%. With these odds, you must protect yourself every day. But what happens if you want to add a bit of shine? Recently, glitter sunscreens have entered the market as a fun new way to not only get your coverage but also make you sparkle during your next beach day. Who doesn't want to add a little disco ball drama to their beach day?

But this new trend does beg the question of if these products are as safe as traditional sunscreens? Especially with something as serious as a potential risk for melanoma, can we trust these sunscreens to protect our skin?

Are glitter sunscreens effective?

The effectiveness of glitter sunscreen is really up to you. While it's generally okay to wear glitter sunscreen, you may want to think it through first. Dermatologist Dr. Dhaval Bhanusali states, for instance, that glitter sunscreens must still go through rigorous testing to demonstrate their ability to protect against harmful rays. Any sunscreen with an SPF rating has had to endure testing and has been cleared for use, per Skincare.com.

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However, how well it works is up to you. Dermatologist Sejal Shah explains that, although the actual glitter does not hinder the performance of sunscreen, it may affect how much sunscreen you're using. For sunscreen to be used properly, it should effectively cover all exposed skin and be reapplied at least every two hours. Shah suggests that people won't reapply after two hours because they'd then be wearing too much glitter. As well, there is a risk that users will only apply to areas where they want some extra shine (via Allure).

A fair compromise to this problem is to layer your sunscreens. As PopSugar suggests, you could start by layering your glitter sunscreen on desired areas while using a normal sunscreen underneath. This way you can shine as bright as you want without risking any potential skin issues — or too much disco ball drama.

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