Why the new high tech SPFs are the only anti-agers you need

One of my favourite holiday diary entries comes from 1986. ‘I’ve burnt,’ I wrote. ‘I’m going back up to SpF4.’ Up?! Yes, up from SpF0 (it actually said that on the bottle) coconut oil, which I considered perfectly acceptable after spending a whole week developing a pale pink ‘base tan’. The result was a deep red hue that hurt but would slowly darken; an achievement that was worth the pain, until inevitably my skin would peel off like parchment paper.

‘Going through the burn’ we called it. The mind boggles at the thought now.

At least I was fun on the beach back then. Today, you’ll find me under a parasol in a long-sleeved top with SpF50 slathered under it, eye-rolling at those armed with a tiny tube of SpF15 that they apply only once all day.

Being a beauty journalist turns you into a vampire: the one thing the entire industry and all the dermatologists within it agree on is that there’s nothing worse for the skin than the sun.

eighty per cent of all visible signs of ageing — brown spots, wrinkles, big pores, sagging — come from UV exposure, which, incidentally, also causes more than 90 per cent of skin cancers. With that in mind (and having had a basal cell carcinoma removed from my nose, right where your sunglasses rub off your sunscreen), you will never again find me working on my tan.

People appreciate the importance of sunscreen these days. What they still don’t appreciate is the concept of wearing it on your face throughout the year, which I’ve done since my late 20s. UVA rays, which are present on even the greyest of days, indisputably cause dangerous mutations to skin cells.

Despite that, it’s almost impossible to convince even keen skincare obsessives that suntan lotion is for life, not just for summer. To which I say: why would you spend large sums of money on anti-ageing creams when a long walk on an overcast day is going to offset any good those do?

In fact, modern SpF can truly be the only product you need for daytime. And, yes, a moisturiser with SpF is just as good as a dedicated SpF lotion, as long as it’s factor 30 or higher and ‘broadspectrum’, meaning it protects against those ageing UVA rays, which require dedicated filters. I do understand why the uptake of year-round sunscreen is low. They have a reputation for being oily and tacky, clogging pores and stinging eyes. But this is no longer the case.

Today, sunscreen formulators have more than 30 different advanced UV filters to choose from. They don’t just widen protection against the full spectrum of damaging rays, but also allow for the creation of the loveliest cosmetic textures. From weightless milks to quenching gel-creams to transparent mists and oil-free primers, there is a formula you’ll love. I currently have 11 (yes, really) in circulation and they’re all lush. Caudalie’s Vinosun ocean protect SpF50+ (£19, naturisimo.com) is my latest favourite, a delicate milk infused with protective antioxidants so light it suits any skin. The brand has ditched UV filters implicated in damage to coral reefs (although proof of damage is contested). If you need to absorb oil, calm redness or fight pigmentation, there’s a dedicated sunscreen formula for that, too. Ultrasun Face Anti-pigmentation SpF50+ (£32, marksandspencer.com), for example, doubles as a primer and dark spot fader. So does Shiseido Urban environment oil-Free Suncare emulsion SpF30 (£34, boots.com), complete with antipollution complex. When my skin is upset I reach for epionce Daily

Shield lotion Tinted SpF50 (£47.50, skincity.com). It has mineral sun filters — zinc oxide and titanium dioxide — that pose less risk of irritation than some chemical ones.

It is mineral filters that created the dreaded chalky white tint of yesteryear’s sun lotions. If you have a darker skin tone, you might wish to opt for the more elegant, invisible chemical screens.

My epionce lotion deals with the white sheen by packing in pigmented iron oxides. These offer protection against damaging blue light from the sun and turn the velvety formula into a tinted moisturiser.

Meanwhile Garnier Ambre Solaire Anti-Age Super UV Cream SpF50 (boots.com) calms, brightens and hydrates thanks to multifunctional super-ingredient niacinamide — all for just £7.

Daily SpF rocks and is the reason I don’t quite look 52. Try it, sooner rather than later.

Ingeborg’s book great skin (£12.99 gibson square) is available at mailshop.co.uk/ books, or call 020 3308 9193.