Experts' advice

Dermatologist and allergist Nadine Pomarede gives us her take on summer moisturisers:
"Daily creams with SPF of 10 to 15 give fair skins, those that are very sensitive to the sun, better protection. However, make-up such as foundation and/or powder offers about the same level of protection. Don't think that you're protected from the sun when you're sat out in the park at lunch just because you've applied your SPF cream at 7 o'clock in the morning: you need to re-apply suncream if you're going out in the sun again."

Lionel de Benetti, director of research at Clarins, answers:  
What do you think of SPF moisturisers?
I've nothing against SPF moisturisers. If you use them when you know that you go out in the sun then OK, but on a daily basis, all year round, I wouldn't recommend them for three reasons:

1) If a product that's meant for day-to-day use has an SPF of 15 to 20, it has to have a significant quantity of filters. Even if they're pefectly harmless molecules, if they're applied in high concentration every day over many years they could eventually lead to sensitisation of delicate skin. It's a bit of a shame for people who slap it on when they leave their house, go to work and don't spend more than 15-20 minutes outside to put 10 to 15% chemical molecules on their face for nothing.

2) Our skin is naturally designed to defend itself against normal exposure to the sun, and this can even be useful. The skin contains a certain number of enzymes, like secreted melanin, a natural defense against sunlight. If you stop relying on these enzymes by using something off the shelf all the time, they will no longer be able to function when you happen to need them.

3) Filters, which are often organic molecules, aren't always compatible with the rest of the active properties non-SPF moisturisers usually contain - they can cause chemical incompatibilities. So SPF products often contain less active properties.